TurbOHMYGOD this is hard!

Damn.

12 minutes of Cardio Party Mix 1 and I'm wiped! I gotta get into a regular routine again!

Back in the Saddle Again...

...Out where a friend is a friend... Sorry. Got carried away with the song. :)



They say that it can take anywhere between two weeks and two months to create a good habit and I say it takes just one day to break it. As I documented very well on these pages, I started the very good habit of eating well and getting exercise back in the spring. And with one walk through the sliding doors of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport last May 25th, I broke with all the good I'd accomplished.



Here I sit in the middle of October and I'm disgusted with myself. I fully believe that it is perfectly okay to cheat on a diet. You should not deny yourself the treats you love as long as you enjoy them in moderation. I just wish I'd followed my advice more carefully and precisely. Instead, for the past almost five months, I've been more sporadic in working out and eating well than I have been in indulging my bad habits.



Until this past week. I'm far from perfect, and I have a love of eating bad things, but I worked out three days. On Friday, I got my cholesterol test back and for the first time since I'd started getting tested, I'm below 200! Well below 200 with no medication. I realize I have to keep it up and I'll admit that I didn't do so well so far today, but I'm proud of myself.

Skinny B!tch

So, I've heard a lot about this book in recent weeks.

My husband even picked it up and read the intro and thought it was funny. It has been on my "must read" list for at least two weeks, too.

Last weekend, I paid a visit to my hairdresser. He had it on his counter and I picked it up and started reading. Yes, these girls are funny, witty, skinny, and make some excellent points.

Sadly, this diet will NEVER work for me for the following reasons:

• It asks me to give up over the counter medicine for colds, etc.
• It asks me to give up caffeine.
• It asks me to give up diet drinks.
• It asks me to give up all alcohol except for organic red wine.
• It asks me to give up all artificial sweeteners.
• It asks me to give up sugar.
• It asks me to give up all meat (beef, poultry, fish, pork).
• It asks me to give up eggs.
• It asks me to give up dairy.
• It tells me that the only places I can find what I need are over-priced markets such as Whole Foods and Sun Harvest.
• It tells me I have to be a vegan to be a skinny bitch.

Sadly, this diet is unrealistic for me in so many ways. I will just have to go back to eating a balanced diet with a focus on eliminating junk food and adding more veggies, fruit, and lean protein into my diet.

Sad but True

I have done very little in the way of diet and exercise from the moment I stepped on the plane to Mexico back on May 25th. I thought I had finally conquered the laziness with my single-minded determination to get into the best shape of my life. I was wrong.

So here I sit, on August 13th, and my physical activity is laughable. My diet is an artery-clogging, cholesterol-raising joke. It is too hot to exercise outside, and after more than a year of Turbo Jam, I’m just not all that excited about indoor aerobics.

But enough of beating myself up. I have been doing some good things:

I swam twice last week. Actual swimming. Not much, but it’s something.
I play the Wii. Don’t laugh. I have backup that this is actually a calorie-burning workout! See?!?!
I still eat lots of salads.
I haven’t managed to gain back the weight I lost.

So there’s a silver lining in my black cloud. The truth of the matter is that it will take minimal effort to go back to my early-summer self. So why am I still so damn lazy???

Stress Eating?

Yeah, I'm a stress non-eater... Seriously. My best diet is to put a ton of pressure on me.

Right now I'm really wishing we hadn't sold our punching bag prior to moving into the house we live in now. It would be very useful at the moment.

You CAN go back!

I'm getting back on the wagon, slowly but surely.

Last week, I ran/walked and went swimming.

Yesterday afternoon, I ran/walked in the HOT! HUMID! heat.

Now. If I can keep up with that and start back to eating healthy food, well I'll be all set!

24 Days And Counting...

It's been 24 days since I even came close to a hint of a workout. My hiatus ends tonight. I'm sick of myself.

Time to get back into the swing of things...

Okay people, it's been two and a half weeks since this body has ingested anything remotely healthy or done any physical activity over and above the normal movement from bed to shower, car to desk stuff.

I looked at my vacation pictures over the past three years and I do realize that I mistakenly thought I was in rock-hard shape last year. I definitely looked better this year. I really want to keep it up.

BUT... Here come the "buts"...

It's so HOT!
I've not been feeling well since we got back
I've been so busy
I'm exhausted
Did I mention how HOT it is?
Who has the time?
I'm sick and tired of salad and of cooking.
It's so much easier to microwave a burrito.
I've taken my bikini photos. Why bother anymore?

I'm totally boring myself with my excuses. I need some motivation, people. Something to move my bone-tired ass off the couch and out the door while listening to some good tunes on the IPod. Should I attempt to get up early and do my workout in the morning? Stop laughing, Dr Pop! ARGH!!! Maybe I should insist we go to the pool after work each day and just swim some laps. But what about laundry? And cooking dinner? What about those??? I need some help and I need some advice and I need some freaking motivation!!!

What are y'all doing?

Countdown? To What?

Even though summer won't officially begin for a few more days, for me the season officially begins around Memorial Day Weekend.

Now that the "countdown to summer" is at an end, and I completely revised my eating and exercising habits up until the plane to Mexico took off, I'm in need of something else to work towards.

I didn't exercise at all on vacation (unless you count the numerous strolls in town I did, or the half mile sprint through the airport on Saturday in order to just miss a flight) and I ate a lot of BAD but YUMMY stuff six times a day. I guess my new goal is to go back to my healthy self. Sigh!

Three more months of swimsuits...

Goals

So. Everyone who reads this (all three of you) knows my goals...

1) Make healthier food choices
2) Exercise regularly
3) Get bikini-ready in time for my trip (in 9 days...)

And guess what? I'm doing it! I slip up from time to time, but I have really been making a solid effort to eat right (no McDonald's, pizza, junk) and exercise 3 to 4 times per week.

While my butt and abs could still see some improvement, I'm so happy with myself and the results I've been seeing. And every time I feel lacking in motivation, something pops up to get me right back on track.

Keeping up with things on here has been a tremendous help! This is a lifestyle change for me. And I think it may be working. :)

Seriously. Why?

Two f-ing pop tarts at 4 PM. That would be 400 calories. And I ate them both in under 2 minutes.

ARGH!!! I have 10 days left!

Did You Know?

Alcohol makes you retain water?

As does PMS?

And foods high in sodium?

Yeah. I'm de-toxing from the weekend right now. I had to get my system in shape for the massive amount of indulgence that will be occurring in less than three weeks! ;-)

Wagons

I've fallen off the wagon...

I've gotten back on the wagon...

I've been half on and half off the wagon... Like today for instance when I was healthy up until the "Dragon Spicy Beef with Egg Drop Soup and Eggroll" at the Chinese place by the tanning salon.

I've drug the wagon down to the park with child in tow a couple of times, too. But that was literally.

22 days from this exact moment in time, we will be on the beach. My body still isn't quite ready.

So tonight, and for the next 21 nights, I'm going to be super strict and regimented. Salads! Running! Weights! Dips! Lunges! DVD's!

And I'm NOT going to indulge in today's proffered snack of apple pie and strawberry shortcake. Nuh-uh. Nope. Not me!!!

Are you out there?

My first week of seriously stepping it up went pretty well. I got in a solid aerobic workout as well as a 30--40 minute jog/walk Monday-Thursday. I got on the eliptical machine on Friday night and did an hour. It was so crazy fun to do something different. I was so crazy sore the next day. I didn't do anything the next day as a result. Or on Sunday... I lost a couple pounds and finally officially dropped that pants size I've been working on. I should be pleased but I'm being hard on myself and being pissy that it isn't happening quicker. Monday found me back on the eliptical do-hickey for another hour. I am not so sore today. I hope to get another round done tonight as well as at least a short Turbo Jam workout. I'm still banging it out. You?

Setbacks

As I predicted, the family visit has been hell on my plan...

No workout for me Tuesday or Wednesday. Also, while I've been able to eat very well during the day, at dinner I go a little crazy. Last night we had Mexican food. Chips, queso, tacos, refried beans. The works! I ate too much.

My only saving grace over the past two days has been the fact that I've done some cleaning and laundry, and I've walked around more at work. That is good.

Oh, and last night, I did an upper body strength workout. Not too hard, mind you, but it was something at least!

One month, five days until I'm on the beach!!!

Trudging.

Is that a word? Trudging? Am I spelling it correctly? Either way, it suits me just fine. I'm trudging along. I finally got a good grip on the new pace of the new Turbo. I decided this week to add some running into my everyday workout too. Hopefully it'll push me over the hump or rut or whatever I'm in. Also a plus, when running, I don't have to see the young girl with the swan body on Fatblaster. It's funny, I've been doing the original workouts for so long, I'm all "Who are these people? Where are my friends?". Thank goodness for Mindy is all I can say. She's still there doing her easier workout, same as always. And when I say run, I really mean jog. A slow jog.

I'm trying to burn off as much as I can between yesterday and when we go to Disney (on the 28th). Then I'll take a break (fortunately you never gain weight at Disney for all the walking) and go hardcore again for another two weeks. I think this'll be good. I'll let you know how I do.

Oh and in case you're interested, my new favorite song to work out to is Suga Mama by Beyonce.

And with a single-minded determination...

I have turned working out into a habit. Hooray!

Now, I just have to find the time and inclination to work out while my parents are here. It's so easy to fall into the trap of eating all the time and sitting on the couch when they are around. I will just have to force the issue. I have one month and one week until I leave for my trip. I plan to be cut. up. before then.

And I'm on a new calorie-counting kick. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not, though, because I am becoming slightly obsessed with tracking every molecule of food. Hmmm...

Working out at home...

Yesterday was a rough day...

I got home from work.

I relaxed a bit.

I changed and put in "Punch, Kick, and Jam."

I made it through the warm up and a couple of punching sets.

"Mommy!"

I stop working out and spend some time with my family.

Little Pop goes and watches a movie.

I put in "Fat Blaster."

"Mommy!"

I stop working out.

I go play with egg-shaped chalk out on the back porch. I drew rainbows.

I decide to at least get an ab workout in.

I put in "Ab Ripper 200."

I make it through 85 of the 200 reps.

"Bootyhead..."

I stop (partially because I cannot speak and also do crunches at the same time, partially because I couldn't possibly do another rep).

I did spend about half an hour stretching, though. That must count for something, right?

At least I ate well*

*If you don't count the fact that I finished Little Pop's ABC's and 123's with meatballs... It was only a few bites!!!

I'm Back.

(Ha. I posted this on the artsy blog I belong to on accident. Oops. They probably think I'm crazy talking about work-outs and sneakers on the craftyfunstuffblog. Oh well. Maybe I deleted it before anyone saw it.)

Well I made it through a long weekend vacation without gaining weight. So that's good. Now that I'm back I started working out again. I tried out my new FatBlaster today. It was strange but fun. Hopefully I'll "get it" more next time.

A question for you: What kind of sneakers do you wear? I have literally worn my old shoes out. I bought new ones just like the old ones but they make my feet hurt sooo badly. I actually had to take them off half-way through my work out today. So I'm in the market for new ones and I'm unsure what to get. After watching the silly "In Da House" tour of Chalene's house and seeing all her Nikes maybe I'll just get those.

I hope I can stay on track here. I really need to step it up and KEEP it up. Throw some inspiration my way.

Switching Gears

Last week, I didn't work out very much. I think I went a little nuts the week before and needed the recovery time. I did about two days of cardio, a little bit of abs, and some tricep dips.

Does house cleaning count as exercise? I worked up a sweat and used muscles, so I hope so. If it does, then I got three days of cardio. :)

Yesterday afternoon, after I woke up from a nap and inhaled a donut, I decided to run. I did a warm up walk, then ran 1/2 a mile, walked 1/2 a mile, ran 1/2 a mile, and walked another 1/2 mile. It took about 25 minutes in all. I then did the free gift ab video that came with my original TJ purchase. It was a six minute ab workout that is a killer. You do 20 reps of 10 different crunches. Today, my legs feel so weary that I'm rethinking the workout I'm getting from TJ. Either it's not doing it anymore for me, or I'M not doing enough. I'm thinking I'm the problem.

I have a month and a half to lose my belly and gain some arm muscle. I'm focused. I'm driven. And the bitch that I hate, who is my motivation, is looking pretty fat. I love it!!!

Fake Boobs...

Emily,
I've heard that the fake ones do not move like real ones, so you're probably right. As a girl with small-ish and droopy ones, I still feel the movement on some portions of the cardio unless I am wearing an ace-bandage-type jog bra.

Ellen

"Not so good Chalene"

That's what I usually say when she asks "How're you doin'?". I've been trying to find a new swimsuit the past couple days. We're taking a trip in a while and I need one. Last year I struggled with my old one all summer long and this year I just can't do it again. It has no support, it's two sizes too big. I just can't. While it should make me feel good that I don't fit in it anymore, it means I have to shop for a new one. I have to have an underwire bra in it (remember what I said about big boobs) and it's really hard to find them. There were 8 swimsuits at Nordstrom that had them. 6 of those were one pieces (which I can't wear because I am oddly shaped). And the other 2 were horrible. Same situation at Dillards. I did buy one at Dillards but when I brought it home My Man said "It's cute. It's not like...Super Cute. But it's ok." And I don't want to feel like that's what he's thinking. So anyway. I've continued working out. I did the 20 Minute Cardio and Ab Jam yesterday. Oh, and I don't really mean "not so good" when she asks. In general I really like these workouts. They're fun and not entirely annoying.

Hey a quick question...you guys said her boobs are fake, right? Is that why they don't move? Do fake boobs not move? The other girls are either small chested or they're chests bounce when jumping around. But hers don't. I was just curious.

Calorie Counter

Pitter Patterson told me about www.sparkpeople.com as a place to track calories and exercise, etc. I have to say that I was skeptical at first. I was doing South Beach. I didn't need it.

Well, I registered. Just as I created a spreadsheet to track monthly spending and find patterns in it, I need to track what I ingest and look for patterns. Yesterday, for example, I consumed 3000 calories. Actually, that is a low estimate. It makes me slightly ill to think about, but half of those calories came from the "healthy" choice I made for lunch... Chinese food with BROWN rice instead of white. Ugh!

You know something, though? It would be wrong to 100% cut oneself off from all food favorites. It's the perceived deprivation that leads to downfall on any plan to improve your health and fitness. My problem yesterday was not that I ate a 1500 calorie lunch, but rather I came home and ate Cheetos, Taquitos, and handfulls of Golden Grahams instead of something a little better for me for dinner. No vegetables entered my system at all yesterday.

Come to think of it, the "Breakfast of Champions" was probably a better choice for breakfast than the one I made for lunch.

On the exercise front, I'm not necessarily seeing results from my 6-day all-out blitz, but I'm also not seeing the results of my aforementioned lunch, either. Must be a correllation there somewhere. What I am noticing in myself, though, is that I am starting to look forward to the workout. I'm looking forward to rolling my eyes as Chalene asks me if I'm having a good time. And when I'm done, I want to do more. And I feel so much more relaxed afterwards.

Overdoing It.

I have worked out for at least an hour a day since Saturday.

I really should have taken today off. But I didn't. I did Turbo Sculpt instead.

I'm tired.

Dear Ab Jam:

I. Hate. You.

I've been having trouble with cardio since I got the flu. This happened last winter too. I went to the doctor (last winter) and she said I have asthma and gave me medicine. I took it, the problem cleared up and I stopped taking it. Yes, I know that's not what you're supposed to do. However, I've been doing cardio since then and haven't had a problem until I got sick again last week. Now I can't jump around for more than 15 minutes without having a coughing fit.

So I did 15 minutes of my good ol' CardioJam. Then I did the Ab Jam and thankfully, no coughing. Just pain. I'm good usually until about the third "walk your hands up and snake back". Then I'm ok until the "sit up and lean back, lift your legs and pulse right, center, left etc". Those things kill me. But! I can do them all. So that's good.

So...do you guys recommend getting the 2nd or 3rd sets of TJ? I'm weighing it still. I still think I should make myself do more of this stuff before I buy more. I just get bored with the same old routines...maybe I'll pull out the old Windsor Pilates DVDs.

Suggestions? Advice? Motivation to get my big ass moving?

Breakfast of Champions...

It actually sounds really good, but honestly, I cannot imagine consuming the amount of calories that are involved...

At the checkout at my work cafeteria...

Two women
Each with a large Coke
Each with a bottle of full fat chocolate milk
Each with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs

I am a sucker for sweet stuff, chocolate milk, chocolate cake, cookies, donuts, you name it. And I do not believe in denying myself as that only leads to me eating an entire pie in one sitting (not that that's ever happened). But I know several things that are guaranteed for those two women today...

1) They will have a ton of energy for a very short amount of time
2) They will crash and crash hard
3) They believe that the cereal and milk choice (as opposed to bacon and eggs) makes them "healthy"
4) They will probably over eat the rest of the day because they were so "good" for breakfast

Yes. I'm judgmental. Didn't you know that?

Four in a Row...

Fat Blaster and 3T. I'll feel this one in the morning.

59 workout days left until I go to Mexico... Maybe I should do a Cardio Party soon...

I feel like I'm not doing enough...

Working Through the Soreness

Today was the second day after I did strength and boy, did I ever feel it! I was planning on doing strength again today, but since I gorged on Chinese food, I decided that I needed to burn calories so I did Fat Blaster and Ab Jam.

I'm still sore. But I really want to do strength. But it's time for Prison Break. You see where my priorities lie?

Back in the Saddle Again...

At least on the exercise front...

Yesterday, I did the 3T strength workout (32 minutes) and the 20 minute cardio workout.

Today, I did Punch, Kick, and Jam... It's around 50 minutes long, 42 minutes of cardio and 8 and a half minutes of tubing/strength. I didn't do the strength stuff because I'd just done it yesterday, and I wussed out of about 5 minutes-worth of the workout, so I did about 37 minutes.

Ms. Patterson, you could totally do the Punch, Kick, and Jam if you can do the Fat Blaster. Just FYI...

Last week, I bought one of the Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease DVDs at Wal-Mart. It was a waste of my money. It is SO slow!!! It's created for people who have never, not once, ever even looked at a workout before. Bo-ring!

Oh, and I'm eating like a pig. I've effectively undone the good that South Beach did in a matter of two days. Literally.

So, What's Been Happening?

#1, I'd like to see some entries on Janna and Pitter Patterson's pages. ;-)

#2, I'm so far off my diet, it is pathetic. I will get back on and I will start working out again. On the bright side, my illness made me drop a couple of pounds. :-)

#3, Emily, are you feeling better?

Welcome Janna!

Welcome to motivation central, Janna! I look forward to reading your blog, too! You need to start posting stuff. :)

I've been out of pocket for the past couple of days and my workout/diet program has suffered... I did really good at the lake on Sunday, barely cheating (only with whole grain bread and a little chex mix, while those around me snacked on chips and fattening stuff). Then we got home and no dinner was made.

Yesterday and today, I've been down with a bug so no working out, and no diet. Basically, if I could keep it down, I was eating it. I think that tomorrow, I'll be back on track.

Two Days Off

So the last time I did the South Beach Diet, I cheated every day. And I cheated with bad things... Chips, Hostess cup cakes, chocolate cake, well, you get the idea.

This time, while I haven't been 100% faithful to the plan, I've done much better. The majority of my cheating has been via alcohol (pom martinis, wine) and a little too much fat and maybe a bite or two of dried cranberries and bagel chips. But I am very serious about the eating plan and the philosophy of the plan, so even my cheating has been sparse and wracked me with guilt.

What has been my salvation this time around has been the exercise, namely Turbo Jam. I took Thursday and Friday off, so today I really got into it. I completed Fat Blaster!!! It just about killed me. Then I did about 15 minutes of 3T, stopping only so my husband could record Cops (then I never started back).

I have to say, I am very proud of myself. I'm almost smug with it. I know the smugness will be my downfall, however, so I'm trying to temper it with issues of Shape magazine. ;-)

And on Thursday, I was bad...

On Wednesday, I cheated on my diet. I cheated with three martinis. Three Pomegranate and Pineapple martinis. But at least I worked out.

Yesterday, I didn't cheat on the diet really, except for a bottle of red wine (oops!), but I didn't work out at all. I now have a wine hangover.

Eating Out.

Another day, another gripe. We met The Man for lunch today at a local restaurant called Wingers. They do all kinds of chicken and burgers, their specialty being wings. Eating out kills me because I love to go out and I never follow the rules. I don't ask them to half my portion, I eat bread, sometimes I even go for dessert. I did ok though today, I think. I got a turkey blt sandwich. I know bacon isn't great and neither is the mayo, but it's waaaay better than a fried chicken sandwich or even the salad with chicken on top. But even though I made a (fairly) good choice, I feel horrible about it. I tend to get to the point when I'm dieting when I feel bad about eating at all. Which is sort of not a good place to be... Did I mention I ate fries too. I did.

Anyhow, I worked out tonight. I did the 20 Minute Cardio and the whole Turbo Sculpt. I've been using 5 lb weights. What are you using? Am I chumping out here? I don't think I can pull off 10, maybe could try 6 or 7 lbs.

Even though I exercised for more than an hour, I still feel crappy because of the big lunch. I should've done the Ab Jam too. Something tells me I won't be thinking that in the morning though.

Maximum Results

I just did the 3T (Totally Tubular Turbo) and I loved it! It's a shorter (30 min) version of Turbo Sculpt, but it is a little bit higher intensity. You can use either the resistance band or hand weights or no weights at all.

I then did 10 minutes of Fat Blaster. VERY good. I'm just a wimp. It's an interval workout with a higher intensity warm up than on the first group of Turbo workouts and then four intervals of low intensity/high intensity aerobic training. I can't wait to make it through the whole 30 minutes.

I'm still a big fan of my old standbys, though... Turbo Sculpt, Cardio Party Mix 1, and Ab Jam. For a diverse, complete workout, these three cannot be beat.

I Think I May Have Cheated...

Today, my group brought in barbecue. Mmmm! I thought I was being so virtuous, forgoing the cole slaw (my favorite!) and pickles and sauce. I had chicken (I pulled the skin off), lean brisket, and pinto beans. I didn't eat the cookies. That's a HUGE thing for me. But somehow, I feel like I did bad. Maybe because there was no salad. I don't know. South Beach is HARD to do, y'all!

Just means I'll have to work out that much harder this evening. Bleh. I'm planning on trying T3 (Totally Tubular Turbo) tonight. It's the one with the resistance band and weights. I should do cardio, but I need some muscle definition and haven't focused on weight training at all yet.

No work out!

I didn't work out today. It's a combination of cramps and major soreness after two days of the Ab Jam. I'll get back on it tomorrow. I did eat well, so at least I did that right.

I'm down another pound. Not ideal weight loss for a week, but I ate pretty much awful crap all week long. Better than nothing.

Dear G*D, I'm out of shape!

Turbo Jam Maximum Results came today. I think I may have been a bit too big for my britches with this one...

I made it through fifteen minutes (fif-teen. 1. 5.) of Cardio Party Mix 3 before collapsing. I couldn't even do the other side of the first punch and kick series. It may have had something to do with the weighted gloves, but seriously, I thought I was going to die!

I then tried to do Ab Jam. 5 minutes. That's it.

At least I haven't cheated on South Beach. Yet. That's saying something. Usually by Day 2, I've already eaten a twin pack of Hostess cup cakes. ;-)

To the back, baby doll!

I'm here. Thanks very much Ellen for letting me play. I did end up fitting in a Cardio Jam last night after the kids went to bed. And again, I hated it until the last 15 minutes or so. I think it's a combination of being a bit bored with the same old routine, it still being a hard work out, and me generally feeling crappy. I try to work out during the day because first thing in the morning, I'm entirely useless and after the kids go to bed I turn into a zombie. Oh well. I see now why they make several different workouts.

There's a point about half way through when I always start talking back to the t.v. Chalene says "Hey, Ho" and I echo her. She asks "How're you doin?" and I say "Not so good, Chalene." Like I'm insane. My kids asked me "What does 'to the back baby doll' mean?".

Whatever gets me through the workout, right?

Welcome Emily!

Thanks for joining the team. See your name to the left? Cool, huh? ;-)

If any other bloggers would like to join the "need to work out" team, send an email to mrspop007 at gmail dot com.

I promise I'll check it!

Ouch!

I. Am. Sore.

Saturday was spent planting and pulling weeds, although I didn't do much of the pulling of the weeds.

On Sunday, I cleaned house for two hours, then took the little one on a wagon ride to the park. We ran around for a while, then it started raining. Dr Pop came and picked us up, but I chose to run/walk home in the rain. I then did the "standing abs" portion of Ab Jam.

I. Am. Sore. Today.

On another note, Dr Pop and I are going to do South Beach phase 1. Well, a modified version of it. We're going to cut out bad carbs, and eat lots of lean protein and greens. But we'll still enjoy our alcohol. ;-) It's 9:42AM and so far, so good for me. Not sure what Dr Pop had for breakfast, though.

Turbo Jam

I received notification that my Turbo Jam Maximum Results is on the way complete with resistance band and weighted gloves... :)

I've been walking to the park and back with my son for the past two days and running around the park. On Wednesday, I did the standing abs portion of Ab Jam, too. Today my obliques are still sore.

This evening, I won't be able to work out because I have a hair appointment. My last thought before falling asleep last night was that if I happen to wake up before my alarm, I will get out of bed and do Turbo Sculpt. Yeah. That didn't happen.

Tomorrow is Turbo Sculpt and a long walk/run for me.

Motivation

I've seen several posts around about lack of motivation... So tell me, what inspires you to make healthy food choices and work out?

Is it an upcoming vacation?
Do blogs like this help?
Seeing other people who look good?
Seeing other people who look bad?
A spouse?
What?

For me, it's all of the above. One of my guilty pleasure TV shows is The Girls Next Door and seeing Holly and Kendra (not Bridget, because, well, frankly, Hef could do better) make me realize that I have work to do. And seeing people in real life whose bodies are better than mine, especially if they are people that I absolutely cannot stand (I'm shallow, sue me), fuels my determination to step away from the cookies. Getting a release from the frustrations in life (petty and major) is a pretty major motivation factor for me. Lately, I've been extremely stressed out and I see a direct link between the stress and not finding an appropriate release for it all. Also, having a husband on my ass to make better choices helps... Sometimes... I work better on positive reinforcement, so when I get it, I am encouraged to do more. And keeping a journal on it helps, too.

So what inspires you? And if you'd like to be a part of this and track your progress online with me, post a comment and I'll make you part of "Team NeedToWorkOut". :)

What is this?

*This* is a self-motivation tool.

*This* is a place to be held accountable.

*This* is a place for lists.

*This* is where I plan to track my progress toward getting beach/summer-ready.