Quick Little Update

• Monday -- 3/31 -- Drank sludge, ate reasonably well until nighttime when all bets were off, spent 45 minutes on the elliptical going absolutely nowhere.
• Tuesday -- 4/1 -- Drank sludge, ate reasonably well until nighttime when all bets were off, took a nap, played a little with my dumbells. But I did envision myself doing the entire Turbo Sculp DVD while I was in a semi-awake state. Does that count?

Today, I've done very well so far with the eating, but my measure is how much of Boy Pop's Easter candy I consume after I get home. I'll more than likely do a Turbo Jam as Dr Pop will be driving home from a business trip during our normal gym time.

Still the One

More than the gym, more than the free weights, more than the ipod and neighborhood running path, Chalene is the one who gives me results.

I did Turbo Sculpt twice last week (once all the way through and once for 20 minutes after a 30 minute run). For the first time in quite some time, I see some results.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy going to the gym and using those machines. I completely see and recognize the value and I do not intend to stop.

But for a good, fat-burning, cardio blasting, make-you-sweat workout, give me Fat Blaster, Cardio Party Mix 1, and Turbo Sculpt!

I've hit this wall and I am getting a little discouraged. It seems that no matter what I do or what I eat, I am stuck. I keep comparing my body this year to my body last year, and frankly, this year's isn't adding up. It's like I'm the poster child for the reason you DON'T stop working out! I have 53 days to whip myself into shape and looking at it from that perspective, I don't have enough time!

Of course, looking at it from the other side, my vacation cannot come soon enough, but that's another story for another blog.

Here's the past week in review:
Monday -- 3/24 -- Ate reasonably well. Drank sludge. Went to gym.
Tuesday -- 3/25 -- Ate reasonably well. Drank sludge. Did Turbo Sculpt (entire thing!).
Wednesday -- 3/26 -- Ate reasonably well. Drank sludge. Walked to park, played at park, walked back with son. Spent 4.5 hours in the AM at the emergency room with Dr Pop. Long story.
Thursday -- 3/27 -- Ate reasonably well. Drank sludge. Did not work out as spent entirely too much time at office of orthopedic surgeon (another long story).
Friday -- 3/28 -- Ate like a pig. Drank sludge. Did not work out as was too lazy.
Saturday -- 3/29 -- Ate reasonably well. Drank sludge. Snacked a bit too much. Went on aforementioned 30 minute run in neighborhood and 20-minutes of Turbo Sculpt.
Sunday -- 3/30 -- Ate like a pig. Did not drink sludge. Did not work out.

Monday -- 3/31 (so far) -- Got on scale and had gained 4 pounds since Thursday. Depressed. Eating reasonably well so far. Drank sludge. Have plans to go to gym with gimpy husband.

You Really CAN'T Go Home Again! And Better Sludge!

Not if you're trying to be healthy, that is!

This past weekend, we traveled to my hometown for Easter. I ate like a pig! Thanks Mom for making those cupcakes and cookies and then holding me down and forcing me to eat them (no, not really, but I did eat too much)! Oh well.

I have some sludge news!!!

I have been using Greens Plus (http://www.greensplus.com/) because it is available at my local vitamin store. The taste has been completely gag-inducing, but the powder was very convenient. Well. My parents decided to try the other recommended product, Greens First (www.doctorsfornutrition.com) and they bought an extra can for me.

WOW! All I can say is WOW! It tastes good! You read that correctly. It tastes good. Sort of sweet and minty. So for the past two mornings, before I leave for work, I mix a scoop of the powder with three teaspoons of Benefiber and 4 ounces of water, drink it, then chase it with another glass of water and I feel terriffic!

I'm not putting in the spirulina powder because it just tastes like skanky pond scummy water (or how I imagine skanky pond scummy water would taste) and instead I'm taking spirulina tablets with my vitamins.

I have an amazing amount of energy!

Even though I did not eat well over the weekend, I did manage to get a three mile run/walk in on Saturday morning. My mom and dad were impressed with my ability to do that!

Last week was pretty terrible as far as working out goes. I worked out Monday and Tuesday, Boy Pop was sick on Wednesday, and we went to the carnival (for a second time) on Thursday. Friday was spent trying to get out of town and actually driving 3.5 hours.

I have a ton of pictures from the weekend that I'm going to post on my main blog and some shopping news, too.

We leave for Mexico in under two months and Dr Pop and I are stepping up our efforts to get into swimsuit shape. We went to the gym yesterday for an hour. I'm buying protein bars and eating lots of fruit and salad and lean protein and whole grains.

If I could only get rid of my bloat...

I Think I Prefer the Treadmill

Which means I should be doing more Turbo Jam!

I just had my ass kicked by Chalene Johnson. But I made it all of the way through Cardio Party Mix 1, which is a feat I haven't accomplished in a year!

So that, um, snacking I did right after work might not stay on my middle today.

Going...

Two months and six days until "B" day (that would be bikini day)...

Last week, I went to the gym on Wednesday and Friday. I walked to the park and back with my boy on Tuesday. I walked/ran to the park and back by myself on Thursday. I shoveled poop yesterday. That counts, right?

I think I'm doing something wrong, though, and I cannot put my finger on it. I'm eating lots of fruits and veggies, mostly drinking that sludge, eating lean meats and low-sodium foods. I'm exercising 3 to 4 days a week and have been for a month or so now.

And yet... I look the same! If it's possible, I look bigger in places I shouldn't. I'm bloated. Maybe it's an instant-gratification mentality, but I want to see results! Like yesterday.

I'm still motiviated to keep going, but I feel pretty discouraged. Yes, I'm still snacking, but hell's bells! I've cut WAY back on Diet Coke, chips, candy, and cookies. A woman cannot live on lettuce alone.

Oh. Um. Hi. Is this thing on?

...
Silence
...

I've been neglectful of my little workout spot. Wanna know why? LIFE! Stupid life, getting in the way of living and writing and stuff!

Oh, okay, I've been lazy.

Sue me.

I haven't been back to the gym since the free trainer visit. I know, I know... Whatever. I did manage to walk to the park and play with my boy on Saturday and yesterday, though. It's something. Not much. But something.

I just looked at my countdown ticker. I have two months and 11 days. That's it.

Last year, prior to our trip, I worked out literally 5 to 6 days a week. I didn't do weights every day, but I did some sort of aerobic activity (Turbo Jam, walking, running) almost every single day.

I'm going to have to bite the bullet again. It's time to be ACTIVE again. It's time to start obsessing.

But I did start drinking the sludge again on Sunday. Ugh. It's still as nasty as ever. But whatever works, right?

And I'm giving up junk food. Except for tortilla chips. And party foods.

This bod will be TIGHT by the end of May!

But I still contend that the best part is my newfound workout buddy who will make sure I go to the gym even if he has to drag me there himself. I love that we are doing this together.

Gym Update (and general update)... A "State of the Process" if you will...

I haven't yet gotten into the routine I was in last spring, leading up to my Mexico trip, but I'm *this* close...

Last week, I only worked out two days (Tuesday and Saturday). There was simply too much life going on around me, you know, it being my birthday and anniversary week and all...

Dr Pop and I gathered up our boy and went to the gym Monday and I ran! Two whole miles! Non-stop! On the treadmill...

So, um, yeah, running on the treadmill is slightly easier than running through my neighborhood, it would seem. Who knew? Of course, I didn't run on an incline at the gym, so that might have something to do with it.

I also made some decent food choices even though we spent a lot of time in restaurants over the end of the week and through the weekend. Lots of salads and seafood and wraps. I'm sure the butter I drowned my crab claws and crab legs in wasn't that healthy, but Hello? special occasion, who cares? ;-)

Yesterday, I met with a trainer for my "free introductory session" which was really "we'll tell you stuff you already know, make you laugh, and try to get you to sign up to pay $35 an hour for more of our services." I did enjoy it, but it took forever! They showed me how to use some scary-looking machines and I worked my back, arms, shoulders, and abs. I'm feeling it somewhat today, but I'm a "Day 2" soreness person, so I fully expect to not be able to move tomorrow.

I enjoyed the trainers that I worked with, but I don't think I'll be signing up for any further sessions. The truth is, I know what I need to do. I know how long I need to do it. I know what my nutrition needs to be. I know I need to steer clear of fast food, salt, sweets, and junk food. Duh. And having a person call me and get on my ass about what I'm eating and how much I'm exercising seems a bit extreme. I have one of those living with me already. Hi Honey!

For now, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, incorporate some of the moves they taught me yesterday, use my DVDs every now and then, and just make healthy food choices.*

*This includes the green sludge that I can only seem to manage to drink for a week at a time.

I Could Get Used To It

After work yesterday, we all loaded up and headed over to the gym. Boy Pop was a little wary of the children's area at first, but was soon writing all over the dry erase board and watching Charlotte's Web.

Then Dr Pop and I went our separate ways... Him to the weight equipment, me to the cardio equipment. Now this is where we really need two IPods because I hijacked ours for myself. I have to go off on a tangent now. I love my workout playlist!!! I made it kind of long, so in half an hour I didn't get through it all, but I love the order of my songs:

1. "Bad Boy for Life" -- P.Diddy
2. "Piece of Me" -- Britney
3. "Puke" -- Eminem
4. "Ayo Technology" -- 50 Cent/Justin Timberlake
5. "Hips Don't Lie" -- Shakira
6. "Kryptonite" -- 3 Doors Down
7. "Crank Dat" -- Soulja Boy
8. "Fake" -- Pushmonkey

Those songs took me to over 30 minutes of cardio. And the ebb and flow of the music really made me get on it.

Sadly, my new gym does not have any classes to take, but that's okay. I get a session with a personal trainer instead. I already have my appointment made.

I cannot give up my Exercise on Demand or my Turbo Jam, but going to the gym with my family was fun. I'm glad we are doing this.

The Gym

So. Dr Pop gave me an early birthday present, namely, a membership to a nearby gym.

I'm very excited about it, actually. I've been a member of my work gym for almost two years and have only gone about three times. I know that this stat does not bode well for my new membership, but I have compiled a list of reasons why the new gym will be better:

• It is not at work
• They have a children's area
• Dr Pop and I can work out together, which has been a goal of mine
• Cool classes that I can take on the weekend that are not offered by the work gym **I hope**
• Lots of cool equipment for me to try without being intimidated by the whole, I'm at work thing
• Personal trainer

But there are also a few cons about going to the gym, even if it is nearby...

• Drive time
• It's easier to pop in a DVD or go outside and run
• I'm fairly lazy

I think, though, in the long run, I'll have Dr Pop riding my ass enough that I won't be able to help but get my buns over to the pretty new gym and use the equipment there.

Wish me luck!

Oh, and this week will be light on the exersize, I'm afraid... I didn't work out yesterday as I was too busy celebrating the new membership (yes, I know this is weird). I won't work out tomorrow as I will be sitting in a salon chair getting my roots touched up. I won't work out on Thursday as I will be preparing for a lovely birthday dinner.

That leaves today, Friday, and Saturday for the workouts. I plan to check out the gym tonight.

Good Girl

Dang, I was good last week and this past weekend!

I drank that demon sludge for seven consecutive days.

I worked out. A lot. And I worked out every day of the weekend.

I maybe didn't make the best food choices, but damned if I didn't burn off what I could!

Regarding my workouts, I've been trying very hard to mix things up.

Friday, I did the Turbo Jam Fat Blaster.
Saturday, I did a slow walk to the park and back with my son, and played with him while there, then did the Turbo Jam 3T (Totally Tubular Turbo) DVD.
Sunday, I ran/walked two miles.

I think as long as I put some variety into it, I'll achieve the results I want without being bored. The walk/jog deal really gives my knees the best definition. The Turbo Jam is great for my ass and thighs. The slow walks to the park and playing in the park, well, that makes my son happy.

I just really need to make sure I do Turbo Sculpt a couple of times a week as that works my arms and shoulders so well (much better than 3T).

And that is all for today. I'm hoping to get a workout in today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, as I cannot imagine I'll be exercising on my birthday or Friday for that matter. I'll have birthday money to spend on that day!

Focus

Last spring I was focused on dropping a few pounds and toning my body...

This time around, I'm less-focused on the weight aspect of things. My goal is overall health and fitness.

That being said, I'm working very hard to cut junk out of my diet. I see these questionaires asking if I prefer sweet or salty snacks, and my answer is always "YES!"

I love McDonald's and enchiladas and salty potato chips with green onion dip the same way I love chocolate cake, cookies, and candy. I really don't favor one over the other. That is what makes this, this lifestyle change so damn difficult. I have to give up literally everything that I adore in order to make the healthy choices.

And don't try to appease me with those 100-calorie packs of all my favorite things. I've tried 'em. They give a taste of the goodness and leave me wanting more. ARGH!

Oh well. I'm working now on finding new ways to make my old favorites. I am not going to give up my vices completely. That only leads to utter failure (see my tragic downfall last summer where I ate salads and soups and greens for two and a half months straight and then the moment I started my vacation, I loaded up on pizza, hamburgers, and very fattening food choices).

If anyone has any ideas for making pizza healthy, I'd love to hear them!

Meanwhile, I WILL work out. I WILL eat the right foods. I WILL drink this damn green sludge.

Better People Than Me

My mom, my dad, and my friend Amy. What do they have in common?

They can drink the green sludge.

Me? I started it up again yesterday and managed to get half of it down before I started gagging just like the people used to do on Fear Factor.

Um. Yeah.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

In other news, I did do TurboJam Fat Blaster last night. Good stuff!

Redoubling My Efforts

Yesterday, Dr Pop and I researched vacation locations.

Even though I've been trying to focus more on eating the right things and exercising regularly, I haven't been that good at it. One of my resolutions for 2008 was to eat right and exercise frequently without thinking about a trip to the beach. Unfortunately, that ship may have sailed.

Gotta get bikini-ready again. My new goal is to whip this old body into shape and then not lose my mind once I set foot on tropical soil. The job doesn't end when I reach my goal figure. Last year, I didn't pay any attention to maintenance. This year and from now on, I will...

That being said, today is a new start to the new, healthier me. I'm going to start drinking sludge again, make healthy food choices, and exercise.

Speaking of the sludge, my friend Amy emailed me Friday night... She had this to say, "I'm assuming this is what they mean by "glow". My skin is so smooth and shiny! Seriously - and I am heavily skeptical. I don't even know what day number this is - I intend to keep drinking this stuff forever at this point!" The sludge worked for someone I actually KNOW. In REAL life!

On another note, the site where I go to track my calories and exersise has now officially been blocked by my company's firewall. I'm on my own.

The Joke's On Me

Well, I drank the sludge minus the powdered spirulina on Tuesday... And it tasted the same! ARGH! Oh well. Not much longer to go...

Except I was sick yesterday and did not drink it at all...

Sludge, Day 6 (5)

I drank it. With apple juice. And a straw per Pitter Patter's suggestion in my comments.

It was easier.

But...

I'm giving up powdered spirulina for a while and I'm going to take the tablets. Six a day. It's gotta be better than the powder.

And I did another Exercise on Demand workout... A Tae Bo one.* I did it. I'm proud of me.

*So far, I haven't found any workout that is better than Turbo Jam, but I need some variety and so I'll keep scrolling through my choices. It can't hurt!

Sludge

I could not face the sludge, even with *amy* telling me that it was tolerable with apple juice. I simply could not face the fifth day of gagging it down.

But I did work out! A 25 minute walk/run through my neighborhood to my favorite songs...

I'll try to drink the sludge tonight...

NOW she tells me!

This is what I get for starting a program without reading the entire book first...

After I drank today's sludge, my mom called me to tell me that the author suggests taking the spirulina in capsule form if the taste is making one gag.

Maybe tomorrow... I've already had DAY 4.

Green Sludge With...

So. On Day 1 of the sludge project, I mixed it with water and pom juice. NASTY.

On Day 2, I mixed it with water. NASTY.

Today, Day 3, I mixed it with orange juice. Yep. NASTY.

I am truly not sure how much more of this I can take. Three days down, 11 to go...

In Demand

So. Here in these parts, our local cable provider is Time Warner. I was doing a little channel surfing yesterday afternoon and decided to see what free In Demand channels we had.

I hit the jackpot! We have the "Exercise Free on Demand" channel! It has a multitude of workout programs including, but not limited to: Carmen Electra, Billy Blanks, Biggest Loser, Girls Next Door, and on and on and on...

I chose the "Tank Top Arms" workout. 20 minutes later, my shoulders, biceps, triceps, and abs were shaking.

Love it.

Oh, and I drank the green sludge again. Two days in a row. I'm not "glowing" yet, like the author of the book says I should, but I'm not giving up. That shit is totally nasty though. Ugh.

Stop Aging and Start Living

My mom and dad have been in town (just left today) and my mother brought this book with her. I glanced through it (Stop Aging, Start Living) and there was this one part that really stood out.

Basically, our bodies' ph levels are all way too acidic and that affects everything about our health (from skin to energy). She had a recipe for what she calls an "Alkanizing Cocktail" that looked interesting. My mom and I decided to commit to drinking it for two weeks.

Here goes nothing... I have re-named this drink "Green Sludge."

• 3 tsp powdered greens (we're using the Greens+ brand)
• 3 tsp powdered fiber (we're using Benefiber)
• 1 tsp powdered spirulina
• 8 ounces of water

Put it all in a little shaker, shake for 15 seconds, and drink.

Apparently, you get 10 servings of organic vegetables in one shot!

It is totally and completely disgusting, but I'm going to do this for two full weeks. They say that it is an acquired taste. I'm not sure it's one I really want to acquire, but if it will make my skin glow the way she says it will and if it will give me more energy and make me feel better, then it is worth a shot.

Last night, my mom, dad, and I each mixed up a little cocktail and chugged it. At least I didn't have to go it alone, eh?

And no, I have totally not been exercising. But I did load a workout playlist on my iPod!

• Hips Don't Lie
• Bad Boy for Life
• Gimme More
• Piece of Me
• Cup of Life (La Copa de Vida)
• Kryptonite
• Crank Dat
• Puke
• Ayo Technology
• There are more, but I cannot remember them off the top of my head...

Hopefully having the new playlist and the green sludge in my system will get me off my ass and out the door running...

More to come...