Whoa! i SEE something!

So, i forgot to come write a post summarizing the results of my cleanse, and something happened this morning to remind me-so here we go.

i lost 14 lbs in 2 weeks. i also lost an inch each off my waist, hips and each thigh. i feel amazing. i don't crave, or honestly even want junk food anymore. i ate a poopload of pizza last friday because my brain said i wanted it, but my body let me know all weekend that we are not interested in that anymore. it;s been a week and a half back on "regular" food now, and i'm keepin it off! i worked out on saturday- trying a HIIT circuit that i designed myself, and it was TOUGH but so good. i can't wait to really get into it and start feeling stronger.
not just feeling the difference, though- i'm starting to *see* it. Scott has seen it ever since the last day of the cleanse. my mom even noticed. the High School girlies and some friends at church have noticed. but for me, it's been hard to see. i've caught a glimpse or two, but nothing major. until this morning. I'm dressed for today's workout. one less excuse when it's time, right? ;-) i got up to go to the kitchen to make tea, and i saw this:

it kinda caught me off guard! i was aware of my body changing, and i know i'm still toward the beginning of the journey, but i see it! Just for official record keeping and whatnot, i took a second picture.



So, yeah, while still a long way to go, i am getting someplace, and i can't discount that. :-)

blinders on.

i didn't know what to call this post. it;s about a lot of things, mostly weight loss related, but some of it is just LIFE and learning how to live it without giving up and giving in to the things that try to drag me down. WARNING: it's likely that my faith and how it affects my life will come thru in this post- i'd say i'm sorry for that to those who don't believe as i do, but i'm not, and i'm done apologizing for who i am.

ok, a lot of you know that my main motivation for weight loss is to be as healthy as i can and get pregnant as fast as i can. 2 weeks ago i was at my highest weight in a long time. my period was also supposed to come any minute,m and i just felt awful. i started a cleanse/diet on the 6th, and in the first week i lost 11.6 lbs. that's the most weight i;ve ever lost in a week, and with only one bout of exercise! i was psyched tpo start week 2.

Well, this week has been harder- the batch of soup i was eating (the backbone of the diet) went sour- literally, and i had to make more, but it took me a couple days to give up on that first batch, so i was pretty weak and emotional. yesterday, armed with new soup, i thought would be better, until i happened to look at some pics of my beautiful nieces on Facebook. i fell absolutely to pieces for an hour. this hasn't happened in a really long time, and i don't really know why it did yesterday, except maybe that i felt/feel stuck, because my period is 2 weeks late and it's like i'm in a holding pattern on that whole subject. when scott came home for lunch, we had an amazing talk, where he told me that i'm not a failure as a woman for not having kids yet, and reminded me that we are on this journey together and lots of other good stuff. we decided to take a pregnancy test in the morning. i felt so much better.

this morning i woke up, took the test, which was, not surprisingly, negative. it was less disappointing than frustrating, because now there is no good reason for a late period, and we are still in this holding pattern. then i thought, well, i;ve probably at least lost some weight, so let me step on the scale. NEGATIVE! i was UP 3 lbs from monday instead of DOWN 5 or so like i;d expected. ARGH! i went in the kitchen, made my steak (it;s steak day on the diet) and ate it, while listening to "running to you" by the newsboys. (i love my newsboys, and get to tell them so in person in 3 days, YAY!) the song renewed me a bit, and got me thinking that God loves me jsut as i am, and His plan is so much greater than mine. maybe He's giving me time to lose this weight and get my cycle more regualr so i can have a healthier baby, maybe i'm up a few lbs today because my period actually is coming, maybe i jsut need to chill the crap out and enjoy the beautiful day. i shared this thought on Facebook, and some dear ones backed me up with encouragement. i texted a friend about the weight thing, and she told me to grab some dieters tea to help my digestive system. well, i thought, i have 2 choices. i can either tell scott i need this like a bum, or get myself out into the fresh air and walk a mile or so! i did the latter.

i'm definitely feeling renewed on a few levels, and am so thankful for the husband, friends, and family God has blessed me with! more soon!

Fitness Gear

I Talk a lot about my gear when i write about my workouts but i never really explain what i have or its particular purpose. so here's a rundown of the equipment i use in my workouts.


first: The electronics:

• In the top of this picture you see the best piece of exercise gear i have ever purchased- it is the amphibix armband-which comes in sizes to fit any MP3 player- and surge headphones this makes it possible to listen to music while i swim!!!!. i'm a huge fan! having this makes my swims go so much faster and judging from sunday- more productively! HUGELY reccomended!
• Next is my heart rate monitor. this one is an older reebok model that they likely have replaced with something better, but in a cardio or circuit workout it's indespensable for tracking calories burned and being sure your heart rate is in the correct zone.
• on the bottom left is the Nike+ipod gear i got when i got my Nano back on 06. it's very cool. the armband is made to fit the nano when you are using the sensor and reciever with it- most armbands won't accomodate the sensor. the sensor and reciever kit is great for use with your ipod nano and any Nike+ sneakers- these sneakers (mine are the pink ones featured in a previous post about shoes) have a place in them for the sensor to fit. i've not been using this stuff much lately because Nike+ has come with an app for the iphone that tracks tyour run the same way but uses GPS and the accelerometer.
  
• on the bottom right are my ifrogz earbuds. i love anything made by this company. period.
  

Next, we have my vast and lovely collection of resistance training gear.

• Beachbody B-lines resistance bands- love these. the handles are interchangable and each band provides a different level of resistance.Versatile and fantastic for travel and strength training on the go.
• dumbells. i have them in 3,5,8, and 10 lbs. i prefer the neoprene coated ones as they are not cold when you pick them up and don't get rusty!
  
• small medicine balls. i think these are 5 and 10 lbs. i haven't used them recently but they are awesome for adding some variety to your workout! passing them back and forth in a number of ways with a partner can be a really fun way to tone up!
• beachbody hand weights-at one pound each, these can add some resistance to any cardio workout! LOVE!

Yoga/Pilates gear

• Mat- totally neccesary for any workout of this type.
  
• strap and blocks- helps provide form and stability for harder moves
  

Last but not least- recovery gear! i tend to injure myself and i have past injuries that flare up- for this reason i have ankle braces, a knee brace (not pictured) and this micowavable back hot pad.
So, there's my gear. next week- ill give you a rundown of the DVD programs i own and love and the ones i've been unimpressed by. :-)

Last night's Swimming Experiment

Well, the results are in! I can swim even with nerve issues in my leg. Scott (possibly unwittingly) motivated me to give swimming a shot despite my nerve pain in the most effective way possible- he put on his workout clothes. i HATE being left out of anything- especially something that is *my* thing, like the gym. so, with a little whining, i went and put on my swimsuit, let him massage my leg where it hurt, and we were off! i'm still having issues with my swim cap and keeping my earbuds in, but i felt like it wasa decent swim overall. i swam about 45 minutes again and because i was tired i managed 600 metres. not great at all, but i think what counts is that i did it. YAY!

well there's this...

this is a few weeks old, but nothing has really changed, so here it is.
starting at size 14/16 200 lbs.

day 2 always sucks.

whenever i start a new workout program- and yesterday was a new start for all intents and purposes- the second day is hell. today was no exception. i got up at 6 am, had my coffee and yogurt, and at 6:45 i started my Biggest Loser workout. i was really lightheaded the whole time, so i took lotsa breaks (after each Circuit) to catch my breath, but i still only made it halfway thru. i guess i was too tired, or i needed a better breakfast, or something. i took my gym bag with me to go play with Timmy, and fully intended on going to the gym. i knew halfway through the morning though that wasn't happening. i was feverish with exhaustion. i did however jump on the trampoline with Timmy for about a half hour, and that was fun. somehow i seem to have landed wrong or something, because my sciatic nerve is going bonkers in my left leg. hooray! i may swim tonight, but i kinda feel like maybe i should take it easy and start again tomorrow.

Follow up

i did the Biggest loser DVD at 10 like i planned. took me about 10 min longer than it shoulda but i finished. i didn't do amazing, but i did it and that counts. then i almost immediately laced up my sneakers and went for a walk0 this walk stated incredibly- every time it told me my pace it was in the teens/mile: 14. 16, 17... awesome! best ever! my ankles rewarded me for this new power by hurting so bad i only lasted 22 minutes. still, i did 2 workouts this morning and that is awesome. i may go swim tonight, and i may not- i'm really overtired from last night, so i may just pick up the slack by swimming extra tomorrow afternoon.

Not the best start...

I knew at 10:00 last night that today wouldn't start well. i had just turned down the blankets on the bed and started to put on my jammies when my wonderful and adorable brother in law showed up at the front door (long story about why he was unexpected) to hang out. I LOVE Mike, i really really do, but i knew this was not gonna help me start this workout week right. Yes, i could've just gone to bed, but if you know me, you know i'm very social, and frankly, i don't get out much. so, i stayed up till midnight, and when i finally got in bed, i was so jazzed from social interaction (i'm such an extrovert) that it took me a good hour to fall asleep. Then, around 2 am, i woke up with a violent cough. i think i was asleep again by 3. all that said, i was OBVIOUSLY not getting up at 6 am like i'd planned, and for up at 8 instead. by 8:15 i was standing in front of the TV ready to attempt the workout that i was 2 hours late for. i knew in the fisrt minute that i was gonna have to eat first. great- now i'm running even more behind. i remembered that it was Tuesday, and that means a weigh in. i went to the scale, expecting to be down a pound or 2 since i'd been so active and eaten so well- especially the past few days. Ummmmm NO. i was up 5 lbs since my last weigh in and i swear it better be hormones, because otherwise i may as well just give up. Needless to say, that really made my slow start of a morning just plain stink to high heaven. it's 9:23 now, and my plan is to give my Biggest Loser workout another shot at 10, then go for a walk before lunch, and to the gym to swim and walk after lunch. i'm sure i'll be back tonight to share how all that goes...Sigh.