Fat Loss Doesn't Always Equal Weight Loss!

I officially moved on from 30 Day Shred (30DS) yesterday, starting my rotation of Killer Buns and Thighs and Ripped in 30. Last night I did level one of Killer Buns and Thighs. I had done it a few times about a year ago, and then again right before starting the 30DS. I found that I was FAR more capable of completing it with good form this time around- a sure sign that my fitness level has increased. It is longer than 30DS; about 40 minutes with the warm up and cool down, but the time does go fairly quickly since I was totally focused on the moves. My hamstrings and glutes are feeling it today, which makes me happy! Tomorrow I will be trying out level one of Ripped in 30. What about today? Well I'm going to another concert with my friend tonight (Bon Jovi! Ah- high school memories), so I did 30 minutes on the treadmill before work, and that will have to suffice. As long as I sweat daily I'm satisfied.

Something interesting to note- I read about this but wasn't expecting it to happen to me: since starting my workouts I have actually gained 4-6 pounds on the scale (it fluctuates). Interestingly, my measurements are  smaller than when I started, and I definitely have more muscle definition. My clothes fit looser too. Just thought I'd put that out there, since a lot of ladies are tied to the scale when measuring progress, and it doesn't tell the whole story. Focusing on proper nutrition and muscle gain is the way to go, not obsessing over scale fluctuations. Weight gain is common in the first few weeks of a new workout routine (with varying theories on why) but don't let it discourage you!

March Retrospective

I just realized that since March is officially over, I should do an official summary of my progress, so here goes:

I did 100% awesome with the regular exercise this past month. The goal was to give myself a good head-start into a healthier lifestyle that includes exercise as a permanent fixture. This is something I've never been able to achieve before, but I find that blogging gives me that extra bit of motivation and accountability that I was lacking. I am stronger and have improved my cardiovascular endurance by quite a bit. My muscles are definitely more toned, although it's more a difference you can feel as opposed to a difference you can see. Either way- for just a month it's great progress. I have completed 30 Day Shred (cue the fanfare!)...I will now be moving on to a combination of three different workouts:

Jillian Michaels "Ripped in 30"
Jillian Michaels "Killer Buns and Thighs"
Cardio on my treadmill- I use the HIIT method with an incline of 5%

The Jillian workouts will be done alternately, 6 or 7 days/ week. Since they both move up in levels like the 30 Day Shred, I will be keeping track of the days completed on a calendar so I don't get confused. I should have all the levels completed in a little over 2 months, depending on the number of days off I end up taking. The cardio will be done in addition to the DVDs as much as possible, with a goal of every second day for 30 minutes.

I have not taken a "progress picture" for the end of March since there isn't a big difference yet, but I AM proud of the definition in my arms:

I will take a full body picture at the end of May upon completing the above mentioned programs.

Diet-wise I did quite well throughout March, although not as well as I would have liked towards the end. However, I still ate consciously and healthily the majority of the time. I do seem to have trouble focusing on both diet AND exercise for any length of time, and one or the other tends to fall by the wayside. But I am improving for sure!

I award myself an A- for the month of March...not as perfect as I'd hoped, but I'm still pretty proud of myself.

March Daily Exercise Update

As we near the end of March I wanted to update my exercise progress. At the beginning of the month I had challenged myself to daily workouts, based around Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I have never been good at maintaining any sort of consistent exercise routine, but this month I have rocked it! Monday will bring me to the end of the 30-day challenge. Level three is now getting easier, and I am ready for the next challenge. I haven't noticed much of a visual difference in my body (as I suspected!) but I am most definitely in better shape and ready to kick it up a notch.

I did take a few days off of the 30-day-shred here and there, but I always did some other form of exercise those days, such as hiking or running on the treadmill. Speaking of which- I have avoided using the treadmill for running due to the joint wear-and-tear that it can cause. Well a couple days ago I bought some new cross training shoes and wanted to test them out. I looked at the treadmill and felt frustration at being physically limited. Throwing caution to the wind I decided to go for it. I used to run, and there is nothing like that feeling you get during and after when the endorphins kick in.

I started off slowly at 2.5 miles/hr, with a 5% incline. (Using an incline helps prevent shin splints- it works like a charm and obviously adds resistance at the same time.) Maintaining the same incline throughout, I increased my speed by 1/2 mile each minute until I reached 5.5, then brought it back down to 2.5. I cycled through until I hit the 30 minute mark, drenched in sweat. This is known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and is known to be far more effective for fitness training and fat burning than keeping the same speed throughout. As an added bonus, you get a better workout in a shorter amount of time.

I was very pleased to note that I had no aches and pains the following day. I will be adding this cardio into my routine as often as possible, which means I'll be running in the mornings before work. Did I ever think I'd be saying that? No!! But here we are.

Ah March...Thou Art a Heartless B**ch

Every year around this time we inevitably get all excited for spring, and then disappointed when another winter storm hits, or the temperature plunges. We KNOW it's going to happen, but it still feels like a betrayal from Mother Nature. March asserted itself in grand style with a dump of about 20 cms of snow yesterday and today. The roads are a horrible mess of ice and snow, with plenty of bad accidents to prove the point.

I saw this nasty one on the way to work this morning. Yes- that's a light post on top of that poor guy's car. *gulp*. He was okay, just shaken up (obviously).

Our large accumulation of snow was starting to recede, and now all of the melt-age has been replaced by a fresh load of powder. The only bright spots are that the days are longer so I won't be driving home in snow AND darkness, and the snow will melt sooner rather than later, given the time of year.

Despite the weather though, I am in a great mood today. It's Friday, and things are going my way. There has been resolution to a long-standing issue I won't get into, except to say that it's a tremendous weight off my shoulders. I'm also weirdly excited because tonight I am moving up to level 3 of the 30-Day-Shred. Ten more days and I will have completed the program. I'm proud of myself to sticking to it for once, and kind of shocked that I actually look forward to working out somewhat. Yay me!

Have a great weekend all!

How do People Workout in the Morning????

I honestly can't fathom making a regular habit of getting up extra early to do a workout. I am going out this evening (Great Big Sea concert with my bestie! So excited!) and I didn't want to break my daily exercise streak, so I did the unthinkable. I got up at 5:15 am, the day after we switched the clocks ahead an hour. In other words, my body thought it was 4:15 am. On top of waking at such an ungodly hour, I kept checking the time throughout the night, thinking my alarm was about to go off. I always do that to myself when I need to be up earlier than usual for whatever reason...it's very irritating! I finally got out of bed for real at 5:15 (15 minutes before my alarm) and staggered to the bathroom to put my contacts in, get into my workout clothes and pull my hair back into a ponytail. I tried not to look too closely at my puffy, makeup-free face. With a big sigh (unheard by the rest of the household, who were still wisely sleeping), I trudged downstairs, prepared to be "motivated" by Jillian. To my credit, I managed to get through the workout with a pretty good energy level. Round two is getting easier- it will be time to switch it up soon.

I stood in the shower post-workout and reflected. I concluded that no matter what others may claim, working out first thing does NOT give me a boost or improve my mood. I was decidedly grumpy (as per usual). BUT....I am happy that I got it done and don't need to feel guilty about skipping it when I'm at the concert tonight. And another thing to be pleased about this morning: I am at day 15 of the 30 Day Shred! Halfway done. I am already looking ahead to my next workout DVD, which I have decided will be "Ripped in 30" (another Jillian Michaels one.) It's apparently more challenging than the 30 Day Shred, so should be a logical progression for me. Bring it on Jillian! Bring. It. On.

I love this picture...that's exactly how I felt this morning!

30 Day Shred Update...Still at it!

Just a quick note today as I find myself short on time with various tasks. I did my third session of level two on the 30 Day Shred workout yesterday evening. Luckily by that time my muscles had mostly recovered from the two sessions I had done close together. I am pleased to note that this workout really targets the glutes and quads in addition to the arms. I feel like I am accomplishing something significant by doing it daily. (Also I feel like I'm completely awesome and unstoppable!) So far I have done 10 straight days, and my endurance is WAY better than when I started. I can also feel an increased firmness in my glutes, quads and abs, which is gratifying. My arms were already in decent shape, so I don't notice a big difference there, but judging by their soreness they are definitely getting a workout as well. Visually, there is a difference in my midsection and back already (of course- the places where there wasn't a lot of extra padding would show the progress first.) Next step- thighs and rear end...that's where I'd REALLY like to see a difference. Fingers crossed!!

Morning Workout

Since I started doing my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred last Monday I have not missed a single day. I want to put a serious effort in and test her claim that I will looked ripped by the end of 30 days. I have serious doubts if my body is even capable of looking ripped, but it surely won't hurt either way. There are three levels of intensity, and after doing level one for 7 days I felt ready to move on up. Yesterday evening I chose the level two option on the menu with a slight sense of fear and foreboding. I was finally comfortable with level one and would have been happy to stay there, but as we all know, real results come from pushing oneself. It wasn't as bad as I had feared. There was more focus on holding muscle contractions for a long period, which certainly makes them burn, but is less challenging aerobically. Mind you, she made up for it in the cardio portions with a lot of high impact jumping around. My heart was ready to explode at a couple points which I'm sure would have made her happy, but I got through it and lived to tell the tale! It is satisfying to see how quickly my fitness ability increases when I put the effort in every day.

I also had a very productive pre-nine-am morning! I decided last night that I would wake up early to do my  workout since I'll be out with a friend this evening. This means that I would do two level two workouts in close proximity. Not something I would normally do when I just increased the intensity, but better than skipping it altogether. Now I've never been one to do early morning workouts, and I'm sure not making a habit out of it, but I managed to follow through today. I am giving myself major points for that. I am already feeling sore...hopefully I'll still be able to move after sitting at my desk all day.

I was feeling pleasantly mellow on the drive to work. The endorphins from my workout combined with the feel-good nourishment of my green smoothie made for an easy-going mood. We had a hard frost last night, and the sun was shining brilliantly as I drove, making everything sparkle. There was heavy fog in the low-lying areas, and the way it diffused the sunlight into a brilliant, out-of-focus glow made me think of a Hollywood version of what heaven looks like. I love my drive into the city on mornings like this. Just look at that blue sky!

New-found Motivation....Bring it on!

For whatever reason yesterday afternoon, something in my mind snapped back into place (or so it felt). Suddenly I feel like my old self again...fully optimistic, energetic and ready to take on life without feeling beat down. I ate healthy all day, was productive at work, and made it a priority to do a workout after my daughter was in bed. Speaking of which; as I mentioned, I enjoy doing yoga and have been using it both for relaxation and exercise. Yesterday it just didn't appeal to me though. I wanted something more high-energy, and more effective in a shorter amount of time. My normal yoga routine takes nearly 90 minutes, and while that's okay once in a while, it's not feasible every night. So I got into my workout gear and dusted off a DVD that hasn't seen any use since I moved: "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred". I actually have several of her DVD's, but this one is awesome for a general full-body workout. It has three levels of intensity that you work your way through as your endurance increases. I was pleased that I got through level one without too much difficulty, and it was amazing how quickly the 20 minutes passed when I've gotten used to much longer workouts. I feel a bit sore this morning, but it's a good sore, and more importantly my back doesn't hurt. Hooray! To anyone who is curious- Jillian Michaels' workout DVDs are very effective. She can be somewhat abrasive at times, but her overall method is motivating.