Weighing-in Wednesday :: Elf4Health & #mycommitment

Remember when I mentioned Elf4Health?  Last week we started round 2, and I was assigned my new elf partner.  She's another Emily, and I just immediately liked her!  She just recently made the commitment to "get skinny" & make a positive change in her life.  Emily posts awesome recipes & eats a lot like I do.

I'm going to breeze right past week two, and focus on last week's challenges.

Monday - Track your water intake and drink your body weight.  If you're a teacher, you know the difficulty in this.  I have very few bathroom breaks throughout the day, and the ones I have can be sporadic (not at specific times each day).

After working out that morning, I started my day with a pint of water to down my vitamins.  I've tried to continue this habit in order to ensure I take my vitamins daily.

At work, I started my day with 32oz. mixed with Emergen-C (I can not afford to get sick before vacation), although I prefer my water sans flavoring normally.  I ended up downing two of these within the work day and finishing getting in my water at home.  The additional water left me feeling much more full, but I definitely had to go to the bathroom way too many times.

Tuesday - Clean out your fridge & pantry.  This was going to be a crazy busy day with a training and event with D after work.  I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time.  I had some extra time after working out to throw away a few old things in the pantry that had been there for way too long.

Wednesday - Eat 3 servings of vegetables by 2pm.  I'm usually really good about this, loading about 2-3 servings in my smoothies for breakfast.  Unfortunately, we started running out of greens & I didn't have much time for a smoothie.  Didn't quite accomplish this...

Thursday - Buy coffee for the person behind you in line.  I'm not a typical coffee buyer.  I make my own at home before work (yay saving money!).  I did hit up Starbucks on my lunch break to surprise my co-teacher with a Gingerbread Latte.  This was really a great feeling!  I'm so happy I did it.

Friday - Work out with a buddy.  Nope.  D and I had to hit the road Friday am for a holiday party in Georgia (um, hello 5.5 hour drive).  I count it as a success that I even worked out at all.  I'm almost done with Ripped in 30.

Weekend - Donate to a charity.  D and I sponsored a child through the angel tree at my school.  I love doing this every year!

It's about time to start thinking about New Year's resolutions.  I briefly mentioned I'm signing up for Commitment Day in Raleigh.  I would definitely encourage you to check out what Commitment Day is all about.  It's a movement that I am really excited to be participating.  I've already determined what #mycommitment for 2013 is going to be.

#mycommitment is to be more selfless.  I think this is going to be a way to make 2013 the year for me.  2012 has been an amazing year of change for me.  Keep an eye out for more on my Commitment Day goal!  I'm really excited about what's to come!

Weighing-in Wednesday :: Jillian's DVDs.

Long ago, I used to do a "weighing-in Wednesday" series.  While I'm not technically weighing in these days, I figured I would try to utilize the occasional Wednesday to hold myself accountable (especially throughout the holidays).

I've become a fan of work out DVDs since becoming health conscious.  It's nice to wake up in the morning or get home in the evening & just pop-in a DVD.  Sometimes the hassle of going to the gym discourages me: packing a gym bag, dealing the crowds, not getting a "good" spot in a class, having to get ready in the locker room, additional driving time/less sleeping time, etc.  That being said, I'm a lover of the DVD.  I only have two fitness DVDs that I use on a regular basis.

Almost a year ago, I started tried to start Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.

It took a long time, but I eventually finished the shred.  I continued to do the shred on and off when I wanted something to use at home for toning up.
The details: Jillian focuses on the 3-2-1 methods.  This is 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.  In the shred, there are three circuits.  There are three levels in the DVD.  I decided to do each level for 10 days.
Pros & Cons: This shit works.  I felt like I could see a difference in my abs & I definitely shed some pounds back when I did it.  On the flip side, lots of specific exercises are repeated.  Also doing each level for 10 days can get really boring.

I finally moved on to Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30.

I've started Ripped a few times but have yet to follow through completely.  With Mexico on the very close horizon, I made the commitment to finally get this shit done!  I'm currently on Week 3, so I can only comment on where I am so far.
The details:  Same thing.  Jillian's 3-2-1.  There are four weeks of workouts.  I'm not too sure how Jillian's math adds up in this one.  She recommends working out 5-6 days/week for four weeks.  Obviously, this does not add up to 30 days (Personally, I'm doing 6 days/week for five weeks and plan to repeat week 3 & 4 work-outs for the fifth week).  Intensity increases as the weeks progress.
Pros & Cons:  I like Ripped much better than the Shred.  Ripped does not repeat any exercises.  You don't repeat within a circuit, a week level or the entire program.  The variety definitely has me on my toes & interested in what each new week will bring.  Ripped is also more intense, so I feel like I'm getting more out of it than I did the Shred.  Conversely, the intensity & variety makes the exercises a bit more difficult.  I find myself closely eyeing the models and wondering if I am doing some of the exercises correctly.

All in all, I'd recommend both DVDs!  Beginners should start with the Shred.  If you're a bit more in shape (although I certainly wouldn't have said I was toned or "intermediate"), go for Ripped!

The other things on my plate that I am so excited about are...

[I'll be giving weekly updates on this awesome idea that Meghan introduced me to]

[I came across Commitment Day via Allie & am thrilled!  Seriously check out the deal on the day & sign up even if it's not in your city.  Our New Years plans are in the air, but I totally want to participate since there is one in Raleigh.  It's an amazing cause that I definitely want to get behind.]

Weighing-in Wednesday :: Lifestyle & confidence.

It's that time again, and I made it on time.

Well, this week was sort of a let down.  I got right back on track (as evidenced by my half training update) and unfortunately lost nothing this week.  I haven't been eating wonderfully, but I've been counting calories and eating tons of water.  I'm not overly bummed though.  Why?  Well, I've made this more of a lifestyle change.  I like to chart/blog my progress not because this is a "diet," but because it's encouraging to see my progress.  I still eat a lot of what I want, while being conscious of the calories I put in my body.  I'm aware that on days that I do not work out, I often eat over my recommended daily caloric intake.  I know that if I want to stay at a "happy" weight, being active will be a necessity for a lifetime.  That being said, I've been consistently running since April.  That's probably the longest I've ever stuck with running or working out.  I've been less consistent with counting calories to actually lose weight, but that activity saved me.  I feel confident saying that I have made a lifestyle change.

Now what is my "happy" weight?  Well ideally, I'd love to be down to 120 (which is healthy for my 5'2" stature) with 115 being the ultimate fantasy.  I think that ideal has changed over the past few months.  After losing some weight and being active on a regular basis, I feel way more confident and comfortable in my skin.  I like wearing shorts and skirts a bit shorter.  I don't mind going out in a bikini.  I don't necessarily mind taking off my shirt and looking at myself in the mirror.  I'm proud of the athletic (yes, ATHLETIC!) girl I have become.  I flaunt the fact that I call myself a runner.  I'm proud and feel superior telling people I'm running a half marathon.  I don't love every part of me and will continue to work to get down to that original "happy" weight.  I have been a size 10 for as long as I can remember.  Back in Georgia two years ago, it was a lose 10, and barely an 8 in some items.  When I went shopping (like really shopping and trying on a lot) last weekend, I picked up 10s.  They were WAY TOO BIG.  I fit into 8s and even some 6s.  Honestly, this almost makes me cry talking about it.  I certainly can't remember the last time I fit into a 6.  While the pounds lost doesn't sound like a lot in my head, the clothes say it all.  I got a major boost of self-confidence and it spurred me to work hard all week to get more results.  Even though I didn't see those results, I know what works and I'll keep up this lifestyle!

Ps. Sorry this is so wordy!  These posts are mainly for me but if you read through...thanks!

PPs.  Wow.  I am dying for a massage.  I haven't gotten one since I started running and I can tell there are knots galore in my body!

Weighing in Wednesday :: I started half training!

Well, well, well.  It's about time, right?  I was nervous to see the number on the scale.  I hadn't weighed in since 7/14 and that was a long time ago.  I knew the number would be up considering the stress and lack of consistent running, not to mention all the food and beer consumed when we headed down to Atlanta and then to the beach.  When I did an impromptu weigh-in on Sunday, I was up 3 pounds and back into the 130s.  That was discouraging, but I knew the whys.  With school starting last week and having no food at our house, I ate particularly bad.  Running won't always eliminate those terrible calories, and I believe I wasn't taking in enough.

This week I am back to counting calories using Myfitnesspal.  I hit up the grocery store and bought lunch and snack essentials.  I'm drinking lots of water as well.  Unfortunately, the official weigh in tells me I am still up by 2.5 pounds.  I'm not bumming too much.  I know stress and stress eating has been a major factor for me.  The first step is identifying the problem, right?  Now I just need to fix it.

Source: penniespoundsandponderings.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I already mentioned it, but I am ridiculously excited to report that I officially signed up and paid for the Outer Banks Half Marathon in November!  I'm already noticing that it is going to take a lot of dedication to keep this up with school going on.  My training plan calls for activity 6 days/week.  I already skipped the strength/stretching on both Mondays and delayed last Tuesday's run to Wednesday (which meant skipping on cross training).  I got right back in the game by running last Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.  It is definitely difficult to rush out of work at 4, drive half an hour to the gym, and not get home until 7ish.  Since the heat is insane, I am going to have to stick with the gym/treadmill.  I will be happy when the weather cools a bit and I can resume training outside like I did in April with my 10k training.

I'll be updating a little more in depth about my training and running over at a little running blog some great ladies and I have started. While I think the three of us are finding it is harder to keep up with half training, two blogs, work, and life, it's an outlet where we can share much more in depth about our running.  This way I don't bombard you all with technical running jargon (because I obviously use it all the time). 

Weighing-in Wednesday ::

I'm not too sure why it is so difficult for me to get a post up on Wednesdays.  You know I don't go all official on numbers here, mainly because I don't think it's the actual number that counts.  Everyone's body is different, and certain areas of my body will always be larger/not in proportion to the rest of me.  I keep a track of my own number on the scale, but I do want to be more diligent about including my tracking of measurements.  Anyhow...

The week before last, I gained weight.  Honestly, I don't even remember the number because I immediately jumped off the scale.  It didn't freak me out as much as it normally would.  I partially attribute that to knowing that it had been a bit of an off week with running, and much more drinking was involved considering D's boss was in town.  That sparked a mini fire under my ass and got me back in the routine.  That week I had two weeks of Couch to 10k to combine in one week.  The runs were also amping in time.  Week ten started with 4 sets of 10 minutes of running separated by walking 1 minute.  Day two of week ten jumped to two sets of 20 minutes of running with one minute in between.  That was intimidating.  I totally rocked it though!  I'm crazy slow on the treadmill because I am mainly trying to complete the length without 1) injuring myself and 2) not walking, no matter how slow I go.  Including the 5 minute walking warm-up and cool down, I completed 3.5 miles within 51 minutes.  I know I could have easily knocked out another 2 miles...and I didn't even have tomato face after!  By the end of that week, I had already lost what was gained back.

As for this week, I lost ANOTHER POUND.  That puts me at around a complete loss of 8.4 pounds.  Seriously, running works miracles.  It probably also helps that my stress level is at an ultimate minimum, and I get to fit in not only running but typically strength training and other classes at the gym.  Although I wasn't diligently running (and certainly not these distances) last summer was working working out 5 days/week and didn't lose this much. 

As for running, our relationship is still love/hate.  Most days are good.  I'm getting bored with running on the treadmill, but can't brave this heat.  Since I'm getting all wordy, I'll save the running update for another day (plus my half training plan!).