Day 2

Finally able to get back into the groove of working out after missing most of last week. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal missing one day, but it's easy after missing one day to go "Oh, I'll make it up tomorrow." Then it turns into that every day. I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like at this point in my life, it's either do or die (in a sense of course lol). By become lethargic like that, I'm only setting myself up for failure. So even though I woke up later than I wanted to this morning, I still found time after my oldest left for school. One of the funniest things I have found since starting this is watching my kids try to keep up with me when they decide to watch Mommy exercise. My two year old likes to try and hand me the weights and after 20 minutes of watching me, decided it would be a good idea to try and do the sit ups with me. My six year old will actually try to do the whole workout with me, and he's pretty darn good at it. 

I'm trying not to get discouraged, but it is a little difficult when I'm trying to get my endurance up and feeling better and I'm slower than I was last Sunday. I could feel it. But I'm sure that it's just one of "those" days :) I am seeing the results already, which does make me feel better. They are just small little changes, but they are changes. Little victories right now are going to equal a big victory later on. 

I've started changing my eating habits a little at a time so that when I start this challenge on October 3rd, my body doesn't go through some horrible withdrawls. I'ts been tough, and I feel so bad for my husband and kids, but I know in the end it will be worth it :)

I start the 24 day Challenge on Wednesday. The closer it gets to that day, the more nervous I get about sticking to it. There are certain foods that I'm going to desperately miss when I start this, especially the Sunday night dinners my family does. But at the same time, I'm ready to make this change and start being better about it. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes this is going to bring.  

Day#? The beginning

So I know how difficult it is for me to find the motivation to actually get up and exercise, eat decently, and take care of myself for the long run. That is why I started this. I'm hoping that by posting this, someone will read this, feel encouraged, and maybe find some motivation. I watched one of my friends during her journey to get fit, eat healthy, and keep at it, saw the results and immediately thought "Why am I not getting off my hind end and doing this too?" So I started...back on August 12th. And I didn't keep at it...I got bored. I wasn't feeling any muscle soreness after doing my workouts and just generally wasn't feeling anything that would even hint at making a difference. After reading my friend's post about the workouts she was doing and seeing that she was seeing results (not right away because, really? That's an unreal expectation!), I broke down and bought one of the instructor's workouts. Not to my surprise, it was Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred that I picked up because the reviews I had read also backed up the change I had seen in my friend.
Let me put my disclaimer in now: not every workout is going to work for every person, nor will all of the products I am using will work for every person. We all lose weight, workout, and get fit in different ways. I have found a workout that works for me. The Zumba I was trying on Kinect was fun, but I wasn't feeling anything after. Maybe that is because it was working a different way with my body than what I was expecting. The same goes for the Cardio Kickboxing video I was doing too.
I needed something to kick me in the butt to get me going. My friend seemed to sense this after I had posted about doing the 30 Day Shred for the first time, and sent me some info on a 24 day eating challenge. Amazingly, I haven't actually started the challenge yet, but I have started seeing results with just the workout. I'm making changes in my diet and I am noticing that I'm feeling better. Granted with two kids running me ragged and a husband who works and goes to school, by around 8-9 at night, I'm ready to hit the sack. But that is normal at this point. I'll start the challenge on October 3, and I really am looking forward to it. I will miss the big Sunday night dinners of pot roast, potatoes, mac and cheese, and gravy. But I'm looking forward to feeling better and being healthy, so bring on the 24 day strict diet of no coffee, sugars, processed foods!

I started the 30 Day Shred on Thursday September 20th. The two days following, I could barely walk, let alone get out of bed. My legs hurt so much, I couldn't believe it. Finally, on day three (Sunday) I was able to actually stretch out enough to work out again. I felt great afterwards and even felt my endurance getting better. I also started using a soy protein shake and using it in the place of a smaller meal after my workout. Don't get me wrong, I knew that it wasn't going to be the greatest tasting stuff in the world, but my body is kinda telling me that it's just not enough. So I find myself snaking on homemade pico de gallo (cherry tomatoes, green and yellow peppers, jalapenos, Serrano peppers, and yellow onions with garlic). It's so good :) and it's all home grown, thanks to my father. It's already rubbing off on my 2 year old; he's sitting next me eating tortilla chips with the pico de gallo.
I did the workout again today, and am feeling even better than I did when I crawled out of bed. I find Jillian very motivating, and it's helpful. I'm really looking forward to seeing the changes and sharing them. So here's to Day #1 (I think lol) of blogging and Day #3 of the workout.