Rachel's 18th week

Oops it's Thursday!

I'm doing much better on exercising. Last night I even played...oh wait that's for week 19 so you'll have to wait!

Marion I think that it is awesome that you are finding a way to have this program help you feel and be successful. Way to go!

I love my morphing caterpillars! We are going to be so beautiful!

Depositing $10

PS I havae to admit my posts are very boring!

Dedicated to Men Who Attempt Yoga . . by Jj

I've got one word for you (and then a whole bunch more) . . OUCH! Monday night I took a pilates class which wasn't too bad. I could feel it in my thighs on Tuesday. Then Tuesday night I took a yoga class. (That may have been a mistake but I'll get over it when I fit into a smaller pair of jeans.) And now I'm really feeling it. I slept with a heating pad on my back. Stupid degenerative disc disease. Who's bright idea was it to use alliteration to make something so painful still sound cute?

But, even though I was in a bit of pain through most of the class, I had to fight with myself not to laugh my way out of all of my balance poses because of the group of college age guys that were in the back of the class. Bless their hearts, they were trying so hard. The poor teacher kept having to go back there and correct everything they were doing wrong. She probably got more of a cardio workout than anything else from having to run back and forth. But hopefully they'll see the benefit and keep coming.

Oh, another random note . . about six weeks ago I'd gone to the gym on a Tuesday night and done some cardio before my yoga class. When I went back to the locker room to get my mat there was a woman in there who asked me what class I was going to. She'd never tried yoga before so I convinced her that she should give it a shot. And she's been in the class every night since! Look at me go, influencing the already skinny to try yoga and make me look chubby. I'm a giver, that's for sure.

As for this week, I did pretty good on my workouts and F&V's. I'll be depositing the max of $10. And when it comes to measurements and milestones . . . I lost an inch around my waist and my sexy muffin top. I would like to make a joker here about how sad I am that I now have less to hold onto but I just can't think of anything clever so I'll leave it alone. So my grand total this week is $14 plus $0.50 from last week since I was just guessing. Pretty good guess, I think.

And one last thing . . I found a body mass index calculator that I like better than the one we were using before. It's much simpler. Now might be a good time to recalculate where you are and what your weight loss goals may be so we can reassess and plan out our goals.

MJ Has Been Thinking! WEEK19

OK . . .


I've been thinking . . .


I need to make some changes .


If I don't, I might not be able to earn my vacation money in time. And I really need a vacation about now!

Our original guidelines allow money to be earned by doing workouts, eating fruits and veggies and hitting milestones. It's a great plan. However, because my hip injury is still haunting me, I can't work out as aggressively as I would like. Therefore, my vacation money isn't building very fast.

As you know, I am a big fan of fitness. I think exercise is essential. But I also think that nutrition, water intake, sleep and other factors have an invaluable impact on one's quality of life. I would like to factor these things into my personal fitness plan and earn vacation money with them. Most importantly, these things will help me in my quest to achieve balance in life.

So, here is my new plan:

*Toning and strength training = $1 each workout

*8 glasses of H2O = 25 cents per day
(Potentially $1.75 per week.)

*Staying within my daily carbohydrate limit = 25 cents per day
(Potentially $1.75 per week.)

*Meeting fiber intake = 25 cents per day
(You guessed it! Potentially $1.75 per week.)

*Getting 6-8 hours of sleep = 25 cents per night.
(Yada. Yada.)

I am not putting anything down about protein or fat because it will max my $10 limit. And the items above are the ones I tend to struggle with.
I love you, Mountain Dew!

As for milestones:

*Yoga every Saturday for a month.

*1 inch lost from trouble spots.
I won't count inches lost from my legs or my behind everywhere else is fair game.

*3 miles on the treadmill in one workout.
After I meet this milestone consecutively for 4 weeks, I will add a mile and work toward the new total for my next milestone. 4 miles, 5 miles, 6 miles etc. I'm going for distance rather than time because of what I affectionately call my old lady hip. Yep, I walk about as fast as a senior citizen these days.

And That, Ladies, Is My New Plan!!



$6.50

xoMJ

school.discoveryeducation.com

Maria Week 19

This was a rough week for me at work. Busy, busy, busy. But I LOVE IT! This was the week of our quarterly sales meetings and I got to hang out with all of my remote sales guys. Keeps me busy, but I am NOT complaining. It did, however, impact my workouts a bit. Don't get me wrong - I'm a freaking die hard! I still got in at least an hour everyday. And I found the time to take a few measurements.
I lost an inch around my ribs, an inch in my waist, half an inch in my hips. Fortunately nothing in my butt, but unfortunately, half an inch in my chest :-(
So...that's a milestone for my waist!
I took a bootcamp class on Monday. WOW! What a workout! Unfortunately I wasn't wearing the right shoes for the class and I now have two huge ruptured blisters - one on the bottom of each foot. Looks like I'll be taking it easy for a day or two :-(


RIGHT FOOT


LEFT FOOT

Depositing $10.50

Clowns to the Left of Me - Jokers to the Right . . . by Jj

So last week I was at the gym . . it was probably two weeks ago but whatever. I was on the elliptical and there was nothing on TV so I was people watching. On the front row there was this guy, probably 25 years old or so, and a good 30 lbs overweight (mostly around the middle, first time I've ever noticed a guy with a muffin top). He was wearing very large baggy basketball shorts (typical) and sneakers. And he obviously though he was pretty hot stuff. I could see him checking people out and watching all of the women around the gym. He had longer hair and he kept running his hands through it and shaking it out of his face. All of that is fairly normal, but the one detail I left out is the best part. He was wearing a skintight metallic purple shirt that was about two sizes too small. It had 3/4 length sleeves and a rounded bottom like a dress shirt so it kept riding up around his middle and he kept tugging it down (in between hair sweeps). I tried to take a picture of him with my cell but I was moving too quickly and it was just a big purple blur . . I think we shall call him "Puplur".

Okay, now onto the real post. There's something wrong with BodyDaemon at the moment so I can't log into to figure out exactly what my workouts were so I'm going to guess. I'm thinking it's going to be about $8.00 for workouts and diet (I'll figure it out for sure when I can get back in and correct it next week). I lost another pound this week but I still need one more before I hit another milestone. I lost a 1/2" around my waist which is good because I haven't seen any progress there since the middle of October and I really want my 26" waist back. Ohoh . . I also lost another inch around my ribs but it's not a milestone. I just think it's cool. I'm really hoping that I can lose another 4-5 lbs before I go to Vegas next month (planning on doing some shopping for some new jeans) but I don't think it's going to happen. I just don't lose that quickly and I'm leaving in two weeks. Oh, and get this! I gained another 1/2" around my chest! Seriously . . HOW does that happen? If I'd known it was possible I would have done this years ago. Maybe by the time we're done I'll rival Marion or Maria! HAHAHA! It's okay, you can laugh.

Next weeks story. . how Janis had to walk out of kickboxing half way through because she was having a hard time keeping her lungs down. When is this cough going to go away?? I blame el nino. Okay, it's probably the inversion but el nino is so much more fun to say.

PS I've got that song stuck in my head now. Hope you do too. ;0) Thank you Lynard Skynard.

Rachel's week 18

Wow we've been at this for 18 weeks!

It has been a very interesting time. I have discovered that I am mad at my body! Well, maybe that I just feel betrayed by my body and I think that it is broken. I've really only been "trying to exercise" because I didn't want to let down my butterfly girls. If it wasn't for this challenge I would have given into my ice cream self (plain Jane Vanilla for me!) and just let the fat hang! eww gross!! However, because of my Butterfly Girls I didn't. So thank you ladies! I'm not completely healed yet, which I think will take a life time, but I'm off my butt and trying to do it all. So some days I'll still just exercise to not disappoint but I'm beginning to do a little bit for me!

Thanks for the love and support!

$6 for work outs and toning
$0 for veggies/fruits because I indulged in too much birthday ice cream even though there was a banana included in my split with all sorts of sugary toppings!

MJ

As far as exercise goes, I feel like I'm in The Great Depression! I miss my daily routine. All of those endorphins that I was getting on a regular basis were so great! Plus, I really miss my workout buddies! It won't be long now until I'm back up to working out daily but it feels like forever when you can't physically do the things you are used to.

I need to give credit to my butterfly girls! If it weren't for you, I might have just given up and surrendered myself to a life of Ben & Jerry's and The Big Bang Theory. (I'm not a big dairy person but the New York Super Fudge Chunk is delicious!!! I'm also not a big nerd person but Sheldon cracks me up!)

Thanks girls. Even though I am unable workout the way I want to right now, this fitness challenge keeps me on track with nutrition and water intake. I am so excited for our vacation together! I hope we will make this fitness challenge a lifelong adventure! I would love to vacation with you girls every year for the rest of my life!





2.00 toning
3.50 fruits and veggies


xoMJ

Maria Week 18

I was thinking back about the week and felt like I hadn't been strong...but as I actually looked through my calendar I realized that it's really only been the last few days. I started off really strong. But Saturday my usual instructor wasn't there so I followed a different routine. Not as much strength and it threw me off. Then Monday and Tuesday evenings I had work meetings/dinners so I didn't get to do my two-a-days and missed my abs class so that has made me feel even more off. But prior to Saturday I was strong and so will finish this week out great anyway!
I am going to get to deposit the max for workouts and eating my fruits and veggies. Also, I not only hit, but surpassed my next milestone weight this morning! 116.6 That's puts me 1.6 lbs from my goal and 1.6 lbs away from my next milestone weight!
So depositing $12 for max workouts and a milestone

Fat Free Honey Mustard for Jj

HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE (FAT FREE)
8 parts Fat Free mayonnaise 2 parts Heinz mustard 1 part sugar 1 part honey Mix mustard, sugar and honey together. Then add the mayonnaise. Blend and serve. www.cooks.com

Maria Week 17

I have been trying to post - or at least start a post since Tuesday. Argh! So here it is ......
I love going to the gym. I get so motivated and inspired there. I am a serious regular and am starting to learn the names of and get to know the other regulars much better. I have my classmates from cycling and my other morning classes. They're a pretty tight group and I was accepted into their group some time ago. But I'm starting to get accepted into the night classes group now and that's an even harder group to get into because there aren't as many loyal groupies there. But the regulars I refered to above are the people who don't attend classes - the hardest group of all to get into because they really can't be defined as a "group" ... just a bunch of individuals working out alone together.
The other reason I love going to the gym .... people are starting to notice a difference in me. How can I not want to keep going when someone tells me that I'm starting to get "cut". Or that they have noticed a huge difference in me in just the past few months. Also had a lady comment on how strong I was - said that she was watching me in Powerflex and couldn't believe that I could lift that much. I told her to hang in there because 10 months ago I was ready to cry if I got to class and the 3 and 5 lb weights were all gone and I had to use the 8 and 10 pounders.
I hit approximately 6 miles running on Sunday. Nothing but sheer will power and determination. I know now that the first 3 miles are the hardest and if I can just get past them then I get into my stride and do ok for a while. But after 3.5 miles it wasn't getting any easier. At 4.5 it still wasn't easier. At 5.5 it was hard as #&!! but I kept going - determined to hit a new personal best - if only by .25 miles! And I did it. (Can't say I could repeat it any time soon, but I did it!)
Changing my milestones a bit - want to tailor them more towards my running goals so check them out please!
Also, will be contributing the max - $10

rachel at 17?

Well nothing exciting to report this week other than I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with everything I need to do, want to do, have to do. The classics of life. I haven't been keeping track of eating because something had to go. I think I even forgot to eat some days! Which is not good.

Depositing $4 for exercising and toning!

Next week is going to be better I just know it!

MJ

We all know that butterflies like flowers...


Well, this butterfly loves...

CAULIFLOWER!!!


Kind of a weird way to start a post but it is what it is.

While I love doing our fitness challenge and reporting in each week, I am finding myself kind of short on words as far as physical fitness goes.

I hope you each know that I'm so proud of you! You ladies are inspiring to me. Consider me to be your personal cheering section every time you do a workout. But I'm sorry to say that I won't be hiking any mountains or running any races anytime soon. Right now, my hip is not responding well to any exercises that I've been doing. I'm losing leg strength and my balance is getting worse. Never fear! Physical therapy will help me get better! But for right now, I have to face the facts. I won't be exercising for a little while. I have to focus on letting my body heal. So... I am going to work on another aspect of fitness, which I feel is equally as important as physical activity.

Nutrition.

That is why I'm going to tell you about my favorite vegetable.

Glorious Cauliflower

Serving size: About a Cup
Calories 25
Total Fat 0g
Sodium 40mg
Total Carbohydrate 5g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Protein 2g

And, it will give you 100% of the daily Vitamin C you need. I know that a lot of people think cauliflower is bland. (Kisses to you my dear Jj, who is thinking that it has more to do with the texture.) But I LOVE IT. I like to eat it raw, tosssed with a little bit of fat free Italian dressing. A friend of mine actually substitutes cauliflower for half of the potatoes in her mashed potato recipe. And mashed cauliflower can be substituted for mashed potatoes in the South Beach Diet. So, there you have it.

No more free days for me since I am not exercising regularly.
$3.50 for F&V -- Every day this week!
$2.00 for workouts.
$4.00 stretching and yoga milestones met. I forgot to post those. Yay.


Oh, and get this, I lost another pound. Hmmm.

xoMJ

Being sick isn't all bad . . by Jj

So even though I haven't worked out nearly as much as I'd like in the past two weeks, I haven't been able to eat much either. So, whoohoo to that. I've managed to lose 2lbs and an inch around my hips. AAANNNDDD . . to make things even better, both yesterday and today, I've been able to wear jeans from my skinnier days to work! I was so throwing a party. Of course the real test is my other skinny jeans that don't have any stretch in them. Need to lose another inch or two around the thighs before that happens but I'm working on it.

So my new goal for the next (forever) few weeks is to get more strength training into my workouts. I've been doing well with my cardio but have been slacking on the strength because I don't like hanging around all of the smelly muscle men at the gym. They can be very intimidating. I guess I'm just going to have to get over it.

hhmmm . . just realizing that the skinny jeans I'm wearing today aren't nearly as comfortable as the ones I wore yesterday. I think I may need to lose another pound or two before I go back to these ones again. Sad.

Anyway, I'll be depositing $9 for workouts and diet and $4 for milestones so a grand total of $13.00 Almost makes up for last weeks disaster.

Target Heart Rate - DON'T Be Still, My Heart!

Ladies, I've been thinking about Target Heart Rates. Maria commented about zones after my last post. In case anyone doesn't know what heart rate you need to burn fat, you can click on the Fox and Haskell chart below to learn more about this important subject.

Hope you have a fabulously fit week!


















Thank you, Wikipedia!

xoMJ

Latest Addiction . . . Robitussin

So this week has TOTALLY sucked. It started out okay when I left work early on Wednesday and hit the gym before heading down for New Year's Eve. But as I'm sure you ladies probably notice . . I got progressively worse as the evening went on. And by the next day I was borderline dead. I didn't get out of bed again for the next four day. So much for a long weekend break, huh? I've been back to work this week but have accomplished very little. Aside from the one cardio workout on Wednesday I haven't worked out at all. Well, that's not totally true. Twice this week I've attempted strength training and made it about half way through the workout before I was on the floor gasping for air and unable to get up again.

However, on a happier note . . I've still managed to lose 2 1/2 lbs this week. I'm betting it's water weight and I'm still a half pound from a milestone so I'm not counting it yet but I REFUSE to gain it back, dang it! I'm going to the gym tonight! I don't care if I have to crawl on the treadmill, I'm doing something! And poor Chuck has only had one walk this week (thanks to Melissa who felt bad for him and took him out in the rain). However, we did discover that he's not the brightest and got quite a workout in by getting him to run up and down the stairs. It's better than nothing so don't judge me. ;-)

And with that I've hit a record low for deposits this week .. a whole $2.50. Ugh.

Maria Week 16

I was feeling pretty down thinking that my 4.5 miles from December 20 was just a fluke or a miscalculation on my part because I was really struggling to get there again. Well, I've done 4.5 miles twice now! So ... nope, no miscalulation. YAY! Hey, maybe I can do this half marathon after all! 73 days from today. Yikes!
I'm also thinking of signing up for another one in April. Perhaps this will be my new thing. I'll be a half-marathoner.
Oh, and I have two new running partners - I'm stoked about that. One of them is my favorite instructor as mentioned in Week 15's post. She recently ran a marathon so I expect her to have lots of insight and information for me. Also, my Aunt Pam is training and has sent me a lot of great information from her trainer.
Geez .... NEVER in a million years did I think I'd be a runner. Guess I shouldn't get ahead of myself - not really a runner yet. Just a bit of a jogger training to do some running soon.
Good week, I think. No significant weight loss - darn holidays! Darn plateau! But got a new phone - it's awesome! No information lost - yet. And worked out pretty hard this week. Seeing some nice definition in my shoulders and thighs and even a tiny bit in my abs if the lighting is just PERFECT! (Perfect = bad...hehe)
Oh! And I tried on new jeans - the exact same brand and style that I've been wearing in a size smaller and they fit! Actually, I tried on two sizes smaller and could probably get away with them as well!

Depositing ... Max $10

MJ..........-1

Doing OK this week. My water intake has been good and so has my fiber. I'm happy to say that I've been doing great with balance in my diet. And I've really been working on getting more sleep. For some reason my body doesn't want to lay down and relax and so I am awake for a long time at night. I have gone off of caffeine, thinking that it might have something to do with it but I haven't noticed a difference as of yet. (Mountain Dew, I miss you!) I'm still stretching at night and have tried taking a hot shower to help me relax before bed but I still seem to be up until really late. Suggestions anyone?

OH, AND I LOST A POUND!!!!!!!
How's that for craziness? Stop doing the intense incline on the treadmill and lose a pound.

$9.50
xoMJ

week 16 for rachel

Suffering from insomnia so I decided to post because I will forget or not have time later. I have lost inches but nothing of note. When I measured my waist I initially read 25 inches and was thinking WOW those crunches are working! Then I remeasured to discover that measuring and typing in the middle of the night isn't such a good idea. Wait a minute it isn't. I'm going to be so smashed tomorrow from lack of sleep.

Doing much better on water intake thanks to my new awesome H2O bottle- thanks mj Loving the bag too!

Depositing $8 for this week.

Rachel Finally logging in on week 15

Now that we are halfway into week 16....

I did fairly well with my food intake which was a good thing because even with only one workout over Christmas I lost 1 pound. I haven't measured inches for a while so that will be the main focus for next Wednesday!

Water intake was some what of a challenge to monitor but I tried!

I'm stilling seeking balance in my life. I'm doing better on my physical care but I need to work on some emotional and mental stuff. I've have discovered that there is something wrong. I don't know if it is hormonal, depression or who knows what but I don't like the person that I am around family. So I'll continue with my internal inspection and be talking to my Doc.

Depositing $5.5o