Happy Tracking Birthday Day!

To celebrate my birthday, I tracked, and took photos! Rock on! Here's the goods, photos-wise.

Front View: Belly is a bit more toned

Back View: So I apparently fixed the lopsided booty issue, and, do you see that? Do you see the disappearing back folds? Do you see them? Let me give you a better look at that.

Going, Going, GONE!!!!

Side View: I actually had to try a number of different arm positions so that you could see my waist and how far it's come, especially right at the back.

Numbers-wise?

My waist is down 5" from when I started in January! FIVE!

My hips are down 1", mostly because I'm toning that booty!

My chest is down almost 2", too!

Arms & Thighs are holding pretty steady.

I am loving the challenge I put myself to this past two weeks! The push to get all three metrics in a day is a challenge, and it's not easy at all. I have to stay conscious.

I didn't get all three in yesterday, but I did my workout & got 135% on my ActiveLink. I went 4 points over my intake.

Today, I have my workout done!

I'll get my activity in, too. 

But I'm totally having a good food birthday, or two.

Tomorrow, we're having a backyard pool party, with a medium sized blow up pool, water balloons, and squirt guns. Oh, and frosty beverages.

~Katie

Update: It's FRIDAY!

Guess who woke up in time to do 9/10 of her Fire 55 workout before having to get ready for work?

THIS LADY!

Guess who only has 4 more post-its to put on the wall before she reaches 32 goals met by her 31st birthday?

THIS LADY!

Guess who is determined to stay within points and reach 100% ActiveLink today?

THIS LADY!

Guess who will do her workout & reach 100% on ActiveLink ON HER BIRTHDAY tomorrow?

THIS LADY!

I am hoping that I fit into my dress tomorrow. I have not tried it on in a month, but I'm much slimmer this week than I was a month ago. I weigh less, too.  So there's that.

Still not fitting into my new jeans, so I'm wearing the ones I don't really like still. They've never been a favorite pair of mine. Something about the flared leg and the stretch in them just doesn't sit with me, but they'll do. I'm not buying another pair of size 32 jeans just because I don't like them a whole bunch. They work.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Not doing anything big (like no giant party where I invite 50 of my friends to join in on), but I will be going to a birthday celebration of a cutie patootie 1 year old who was born on my birthday (I graciously share it with him), and James is taking me to dinner at a place that neither one of us has been to and I've been dying to go!

I must peruse the menu to plan my meal tomorrow. I don't want to bust my points budget, but I do want to indulge just a bit.

Happy Friday!

~Katie

PS  Thank you to everyone who has joined the July Challenge Group! I think that it's full enough now that more might be too many, so perhaps an August Challenge Group is in the cards for those who missed out this time! Don't let that keep you from working out and eating right and reaching for your goals!

So, We've Reached A milestone!

Today is a good day! My work is paying off!

When I weighed in this morning, guess what, I was under 170! Just barely, but it started with 16!

And then, at Weight Watchers, I dropped enough that they cut my daily points to 29 points. 

So yay?

~Katie

Guess it's time to workout

This is how I feel about doing my workout and chores this evening. Oh well, how else will it get done?

Time to do HIIT15 & Sculpt 30.

Then: chores

~Katie

July Challenge Group

I've been toying around with the idea of leading a challenge group, both for my own accountability, and to help those of you who want/need some accountability.

I got started on this whole thing by committing to a Beachbody Challenge Group back in January, and I am SO happy that I did. It was a great group of people all struggling, just like me, but committed to improving our health. I honestly just want to pass along the favor and also commit to the challenge myself. You are absolutely not obligated to use a Beachbody program or buy Shakeology, but I do know how I've been doing with them, and I am really happy with the results. Leave a Comment with your email address, or mail it to katieworksout@beachbodycoach.com I will be creating a private group on Facebook (or email if preferred) for all of us to keep in touch through.

What's in a Challenge group?

It will be a small group of people who commit to getting a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day for 30 days, getting all of their vitamins and minerals, and making incremental changes to their diet to eat cleanly. I will be encouraging you through the 30 days.

Don't have a multivitamin?

You can get one at your local drugstore, or you can have a healthy shake that has all of the vitamins by signing up for Shakeology & forgoing your morning Starbuck's. You can order & research the benefits of Shakeology here. There's a brand spanking new Vanilla flavor that is getting some pretty rave reviews. Don't fret, though, it comes with a guaranteed 30 day bottom of the bag return & cancellation. This way, if you try it for a month & don't like it/don't think it works/etc. you can get your money back, even if there's nothing left.

 I recommend the regular chocolate flavor & using a blender.

Don't know what exercise to do? 

I can help you decide what works best for your fitness level, your likes, and your goals. 

Beachbody has programs that suit LOTS of people and they have built in schedules that are programmed to get your the results you want. The schedules usually last 90 days and beyond, so you're not just paying for a month of workouts, you're paying for YEARS of workouts. (Also, Challenge Packs come with a renewing monthly supply of Shakeology, and you save $$ by combining it all into one order)

Don't want to do a Beachbody program? 

That's fine, too! Really! I'm don't want you to feel obligated to try a Beachbody program if that's not your thing.

Make a schedule of walking/running/cycling and body weight exercises that only require a pair of shoes and some support clothing!

Join a gym (or use the gym membership you already have) and commit to going EVERY DAY.

The key is to have a schedule, and stick to it! If it's not written down, I know that I rarely complete it. If I just leave my daily exercise up to 'whatever I feel like' I will feel like sitting on the couch and doing 12oz curls.

Need help creating that schedule? I'm sure we can brainstorm some great ideas. I'm not a fitness expert, but I'm an avid researcher! We can find something that suits your lifestyle, your budget, and your needs.

So join me?
Email: katieworksout@beachbodycoach.com

~Katie

Holy Soreness, Batman!

Have I been working my tushy off for the past few days?

Yes.

Can I tell?

Yes.

Can I still move?

Yes.

Am I going to do TurboFire Fire 45 & Abs 10 after work today?

DAMN RIGHT!

After Push Circuit 1 & 2 in 2 days, my arms and rear end are letting me know, loud and clear, that they are repairing. It is the good kind of sore. The kind of sore where you know that your body is going into overdrive to repair the tissue and make it stronger, all the while burning energy.

I also know (from years upon years of cross country and track) that the best way to stop feeling sore is to work out hard. Tonight, I will bring it. I think that I may finally be able to do Fire 45 without the training breakdown sessions, so I'll be keeping my heart rate up for the whole time, rather than having small resting sessions to learn what to do next.

Today, I will reach all three goals:
1. Stay within 34 Points
2. Reach 100% on ActiveLink
3. Do my planned workouts

~Katie

5 Down!

After yesterday's clean sweep, today, I continued with a hefty ChaLEAN Push Circuit 2 & stayed within my points (plus 4) for the day! I did not get 100% on ActiveLink, but I will tomorrow!

I decided that my points goal was daily points (30) plus 4 from my 49 weekly flex or Activity points. This allows me to use 28 of my weekly points or earned activity points (since 100% on ActiveLink is 4 points). This is WAY better than my normal mode of operations (all the daily & activity points per day plus ALL the weekly flex points per week). 

So, HIGH FIVE! I have earned 5 post it notes towards my goal!

~ Katie

Tracking Off Schedule

I figured that with the advent of my new small personal challenge, that I needed to track my measurements. I knew in my head that I'd slipped since the last time I measured. I also knew it'd been over a month since I last tracked my measurements. So I did so this morning.

So yeah, it's not in my head. My waist, bust, and hips have all gone up by about an inch or two. Mostly around the belly. I expected this. I've been really slacking on my workouts. I've also been slacking on watching what I eat and drink.

However, interestingly, my thighs evened out and so did my arms. The larger one stayed the same and the smaller one joined it in size. I'm okay with this. I've always been lopsided in my preferences. Apparently, based on size, I prefer my right arm and my left thigh.

But, this gives me a good baseline to measure up my 13 day challenge against.

I do honestly think that this will make a huge difference. I'm already feeling better, after 1 day. I feel motivated to stay within points and to get in my workout. Since it's a ChaLEAN Circuit day, I know that I will have to move during working hours a lot more in order to get closer to 100% on ActiveLink and/or add in a walk or chores. Circuit training and ActiveLink just don't get along.

Yesterday, I hit all three!

It was my 'rest' day, but I used it as my catch-up day and did Saturday & Sunday's workouts: Push Circuit 1 & Fire 45.  Today, I'm back on track with Push Circuit 2, which I'm doing after work.

Onward!

~Katie

One Down!

I decided that instead of doing pennies, I'd use a little packet of post it notes to keep my motivation. This way, I always know how far along I am!

http://vimeo.com/68563624

1 down!

2 for the day to go!

~Katie

Two Weeks To Go!

I don't know about you, but I tend to use my birthday as my big goal-accomplishing time. I try to do things for New Years, but it just doesn't have the momentum because of all the holidays.  My birthday? It's a full 6 months after New Years (okay, so 2 days short of 6 months). There's nothing else really big going on, and it's the summertime.

I've had the goal to be under 170 by my 31st birthday. Well, yesterday morning, I hit 170. And then gained a couple pounds back because I didn't exercise & I had movie candy & popcorn, and brunch, and beers, and, well, I really didn't do much other than laze around.

So.

What gives?

I have a goal. I have a plan, but I'm not executing it well.

What can I use to motivate myself a bit better?

Well, I have a pair of jeans that I want to wear.
I have a dress that I want to be comfortable in.

I have a big vacation in August that I want to be in good shape for.

It's the day-to-day that I need to focus on.

I need to find rewards that help me complete my goals.

I have 13 days between now & my birthday (including today & my birthday).

There are 3 goals for each day:

1. Stay within my WW points for the day (plus 4 from the weekly points)
2. Workout for at least 30 minutes doing my scheduled workout(s) or more
3. Reach 100% on my ActiveLink (on days that I do a ChaLEAN circuit, I need to move more to make that goal)

I think it is reasonable to reach 2 of three goals every day, and all 3 goals 3 times a week.

So I need 32 items to count down to my birthday.
(I have pennies and a bowl for now, I'll put them in a bag for my purse)

When I have accomplished one daily goal, I will remove a penny from the vessel.

When I have removed all the pennies from the vessel, I will buy these shoes!

I'd normally want to give myself a food-prize, but I already know that I'm going to a good dinner for my birthday. Plus, I'd rather get away from giving myself prizes of food for losing weight and making better habits. Right?

~Katie

Fire 55

Yes, Fire 55 is 55 minutes of INTENSE cardio. Plus, I did the new to class version, which breaks it down for you, so it adds about 15 minutes. 

Yep. Totally knackered!

Time for a shake before getting all cleaned up!

~Katie

Oh come on!

I'm hoping for one of those days when my home scale & the WW scale are out of sync.

For the past few days, I've been down in the low 170's. I've gotten in a workout every day, sometimes twice a day. I've been tracking! And this morning, I'm back in the 173's. again. Where I've been for nearly a month.

And it wouldn't bother me, except that today's my WW meeting day. 

I woke up a number of times in the middle of the night to assuage Skitz, the grumpy older cat or to let him out to wander. So this morning, I did not get in my workout.

I do, however, have time for a workout later this evening between work & dinner. And that won't affect my WW weigh in.

And no, I did not skip my Shakeology breakfast. I feel like crud when I do.

So here's hoping that by lunchtime, my body regulates a bit and I can have a good weigh in rather than an up in weight one. I need to keep this small amount of momentum going.

~ Katie

What Keeps You?

What keeps you from working out? From eating what your body needs?

In the short-term, I make excuses.

I need more sleep (which I do), so I can't work out in the morning.
I want to spend time with friends and James, and right after work is the best time for that.
I can't work out AFTER I've had a beer and food, because then it has to digest so that I don't get sick halfway through my workout.

But here's the thing.
Not one of those is fully invalid.
And not a single one of them is fully true.

If I need more sleep (which I do), I need to go to bed at a reasonable time between 10:30 & 11:30 pm rather than 12:30 am, so that I can wake up in time to work out in the morning. If I can't, then I need to work out in the evening or during lunch.

Yes, right after work is a good time for socializing. But I'm not socializing all night long.
Which leads to:
I actually can work out at night after socializing. If I give myself some time to digest, and drink water, I will be able to work out in time to still get to bed at a reasonable hour.

And of course: planning.

If I plan to go out after work:
1. work out in the morning
2. work out at lunch
3. work out after the social hour & watch my food & beverage during this time

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Food:
again: prepare! plan!

I have found that I do much better when I make sure that my house has the following at all times: salsa, eggs, quinoa, almond milk, shakeology (I really must do better about the greens!)

I have found that I do much better during lunch if I make sure that my office has the following: ezekiel bread, laughing cow light, low fat turkey cold cuts, yogurt, bananas (again, I need to add in greens!)

After writing out what I pretty much live on day-to-day, I realize that I'm missing a rather large section of food: VEGGIES!!!!

What are your best, easiest, and quickest way to get more veggies into your diet, so that they don't go bad? I seem to be very bad about making sure that I'm prepared with them at the beginning of the week and through the week incorporating them into meals.

Oops. And my excuse? Because they might go bad and I would waste them. But if I plan the right amount, I won't waste them! So please, help me get more veggies into my daily diet!

What are your excuses?
How do you combat them?

~Katie

Getting the Sassy Back!

I've been making an effort to get to bed closer to 11 pm these days because it helps me wake up early enough to get my workout in. Plus, James usually wakes up an hour or more earlier than I do (and gets to bed an hour or two after me, how does he do it?!). This way, I can wake up at the same time as him.

I've been slacking on my chaLEAN/TurboFire hybrid schedule. After last week's mixup, I've decided to just stick with my delayed schedule, which gives me a bit more time before I track again.

Today's workout was Push Circuit 2. I rocked it!

I did not intend to duckface, it just happened.

I'm also stopping at the grocery for office foods today & bringing my workout clothes to take a walk at lunchtime. I figure that I'd been slacking, so I need to doubly make up for the time I've lost. I've been plateaued, so I am going to break through.

My goal: under 170 by my birthday & fitting in those new jeans.

This means: tracking & staying within my limits. Even on weekends, even in the evenings. Working out every day. Getting my house clean. Keeping on top of my work.

And I'm not trying to do this. I'm planning for it & DOING it!

~Katie

Stress Eating

Unless you have ever been a stress eater, you may not understand how important yesterday's behavior for me was.

I am running up against a deadline at work.

It's important.

I am duly stressed about it and spending longer hours at work.

Which means I'm spending less time working out, working on BeerSox stuff, cleaning up and organizing the house, and spending time with James than I want.

And it means that I'm combatting, moment by moment, my need to fill that stress with candy.

It has always been my go-to. When I was running against a major test or major paper in college: bust out the swedish fish and gummy bears and jelly beans and peach rings (all my favorites are pretty much gummy).

When working on big projects late at night, or into the evening, I go next door to CVS, and buy a bag. Or two. Or three. Every Day.

This time? I am determined not to cave for candy.

I went to the grocery store. I have bananas. I have slightly decadent yogurt dessert. I have food, but not enough that I will go overboard, just enough to fuel the brain and the fingers.

I have my workout clothes with me today. I will go for a walk at lunch and do some HIIT in the park. I may also do that when I normally go home just to reset my brain for more work.

I'm trying to create new habits that actually fuel my brain rather than creating more stress by making me heavier.

One day at a time.

~Katie

On Track, Again. Sortof

I went to go do my workout yesterday & realized that my calendar showed me being a week less along than the app through Beachbody. So I picked up where Beachbody said to.

I did Fire 30 & Abs 10 last night after getting home from work. This morning, I did as much of Push Circuit 3 as I could before I needed to cool down (now) and shower before hitting the road.

I figure, today's my WW weigh in day & I'd like to burn a tiny bit more so that I can hopefully be at 10 lbs down again. 

Yesterday, I did walk at lunch. In my work clothes & shoes. That was not brilliant. My heels are blistered now.

We walked to dinner, as well, after my workout, so yesterday was an activity-ful day, goal is to take the stairs a couple times a day today during work. 

So. While I didn't finish Push Circuit 3, I can do that after work. I did get in as much as I reasonably could with the time I woke up? Better than nothing!

~ Katie

Breaking Through

My goal right now is to break through the 170 barrier.

This morning, I weighed in at 170.8, which is about 3 lbs lower than I've been weighing all week. I think that this is mostly due to actually biking to dinner last night, making good choices in food, and tracking (even my little nibbles).

Today, I am planning on doing the 7 minute HICT (or walk the loop that is next to my office) at lunchtime and then walk over to the grocery store to get lunch items. I also plan on doing yesterday's strength workout that I missed because I was having date night with my man, and in the morning, I was putting together our new bed (oh my goodness, it is heaven!).

We are preparing for James to officially move out of his apartment (in which he hasn't stayed overnight in MONTHS) by redoing the bedroom in the house so that it suites both of us, and fits both of us. We are also rehauling the house, room by room, so that we have enough space and storage for all of his stuff, and all of my stuff.  We will probably need to have a garage sale, or several.

Anyways, back to the plan!

I want to fit into the smaller jeans in a couple weeks, if not next week. This means that I really, actually, have to give a care.

And in July, I will be leading a challenge group, both for my own accountability, and to help those of you who want/need some accountability.

I got started on this whole thing by committing to a Beachbody Challenge Group back in January, and I am SO happy that I did. It was a great group of people all struggling, just like me, but committed to improving our health. I honestly just want to pass along the favor and also commit to the challenge myself. Leave a Comment with your email address, or mail it to katieworksout@beachbodycoach.com I will be creating a private group on Facebook for all of us to keep in touch through.

What's in a Challenge group?

It will be a small group of people who commit to getting a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day for 30 days, getting all of their vitamins and minerals, and making incremental changes to their diet to eat cleanly. I will be encouraging you through the 30 days.

Don't have a multivitam?

You can get one at your local drugstore, or you can have a healthy shake that has all of the vitamins by signing up for Shakeology & forgoing your morning Starbuck's. You can order Shakeology here.

 I recommend the regular chocolate flavor & using a blender.

Don't know what exercise to do? 

I can help you decide what works best for your fitness level, your likes, and your goals. 

Beachbody has programs that suit LOTS of people and they have built in schedules that are programmed to get your the results you want. The schedules usually last 90 days and beyond, so you're not just paying for a month of workouts, you're paying for YEARS of workouts.

Don't want to do a Beachbody program? 

That's fine, too! Make a schedule of walking/running/cycling and body weight exercises that only require a pair of shoes and some support clothing! 

The key is to have a schedule, and stick to it! If it's not written down, I know that I rarely complete it. If I just leave my daily exercise up to 'whatever I feel like' I will feel like sitting on the couch and doing 12oz curls.

So join me?

~Katie

PS I was just reading my blog feed, and I ran across this article from Zen Habits and it is so applicable to the challenge!

Plateau

So, I seem to be sitting right between 174 & 173 lbs. All week long. 

Which is bad. And good.

I'm not gaining, which had begun to be a trend. 

I'm hoping that this evens out and I use it as a springboard to start losing again.

~Katie

7-Minute Quickie

I found this article through a blog that I follow. It outlines a 7 minute High Intensity Circuit Training method for fitness.

I've been missing workouts, and so this quick little routine is something that is great to have in my back pocket for when I'm just sitting around. For instance, I did about 4-5 minutes of it during my lunch. Closed my office door, set my phone timer (I found one that does the 30 seconds with 10 seconds of rest on repeat), and went to town. In my work clothes. Which is why I just did 5 minutes, because I could tell I was on the verge of sweating and this workout goes from barely sweating to dripping in 1 step. It gets your heart rate up, you need next to no supplies (a chair is helpful, but you could adapt it to use other objects or use modified moves).

Ben Wiseman

Here's the article:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/

Here's the research paper: http://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/HIGH_INTENSITY_CIRCUIT_TRAINING_USING_BODY_WEIGHT_.5.aspx

Here's the workout taken from the research paper

HICT SAMPLE PROGRAM
The following is an example of a 12-station HICT program. All exercises can be done with body weight and implements easily acquired in almost any setting (e.g., home, office, hotel room, etc.). The exercise order allows for a total body exercise to significantly increase the heart rate while the lower, upper, and core exercises function to maintain the increased heart rate while developing strength.
Exercises are performed for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds of transition time between bouts. Total time for the entire circuit workout is approximately 7 minutes. The circuit can be repeated 2 to 3 times.
1. Jumping jacks Total body
2. Wall sit Lower body
3. Push-up Upper body
4. Abdominal crunch Core
5. Step-up onto chair Total body
6. Squat Lower body
7. Triceps dip on chair Upper body
8. Plank Core
9. High knees/running in place Total body
10. Lunge Lower body
11. Push-up and rotation Upper body
12. Side plank Core

So, if you need a quick little workout and you have some space, this is a great tool to have handy.
The research paper notes that if you do it 6/7 days a week going through the circuit at least once a day, then it significantly aids fat loss (whee!)

No excuses, if you can't get your normal workout in, get in a circuit.

~Katie