I Survived Cycle 1

Today is the beginning of Cycle 2 on my new exercise and diet plan.  Yes, I made it through Cycle 1, though at times I didn't think I was going to be able to.  The Fast day didn't kill me right away, it was the effects the day after that threw me for a loop.  I did okay on the whole water only thing, but the protein supplements got harder and harder to take as the day went on.  I was supposed to down a ton of pills that day, but I started to get sick of swallowing them every couple of hours, so I know I didn't get enough of them in my system.  That night I was so tired and worn out from the not eating, together with the 3 workouts I had to do that day.  Of course Michela was at a party so I had to wait until 10:00 to go get her.  When I finally got to bed I crashed.
Mike had to wake up at 3:00 in the morning the next day for his Marathon, so I got woken up too.  Unfortunately I could not go back to sleep afterwards.  I tossed and turned all night, not being able to get comfortable because my body was so sore and my stomach was turning.  I alternated between thinking I was either going to pass out or throw up.  My alarm finally went off at 6:45 and I laid there thinking there was no way I was going to be able to get up.  I was shaking so badly and was very dizzy.  I dragged myself downstairs and slowly made myself a protein shake.  (The day after the fast day is protein shake day.)  I lugged the blender out onto the patio so I wouldn't wake anyone up and blended up a much needed shake.  I gulped the thing down trying to fill the ache in my stomach and to get something in me.  I had the worst headache that day and felt so weak.  Of course I had to get all of the kids up, fed and ready to go because we were leaving at 8:00 so we could cheer Mike on at the race and then it was off to the soccer field for three games, one of which I was coaching.  As the day went on I felt a little bit stronger but I was so spent.  Luckily Sunday was coming up the next day so I could have a break from the workouts.
This time around I am going to have to tweak fast day a bit.  There is no way I can survive that experience again.  I'm thinking I will allow myself at least some veggies during the day and perhaps a protein shake after one or two of the workouts.  It's not like I can just sit around all day and recoup, I've got 5 kids to take care of and a billion things to do.  Hopefully I can avoid the exhaustion and sickness this time around.  The number on the scale did drop, but scales can be so touchy.  I'll wait to see if it drops again after this cycle is through before I can say if it is really working or not.  The funniest part of this whole thing is Michela's little comments every day.  "What can you eat today Mom?"  "Protein shakes all day!?  That  is so sad."  Couldn't have said it better myself.

Time to Fight the Flab!

I've been feeling rather unfit these days.  After having Laina, almost 2 years ago, I haven't been exercising too much and eating way too much junk.  When I got pregnant with Laina I got really sick and wasn't able to eat much during the pregnancy and felt too crappy to do much exercising.  All of my hard work of the two years before went up in smoke.  I felt my muscle tone slacking and saw the weight creeping back into places I had worked so hard to lose.  Let's just say when Laina was born I was so ready to start exercising again.  The problem came when I started to realize that my baby wanted to scream more than sleep and thought naps were for the birds.  I was exhausted, left with no time for myself, and incredibly depressed.  Enter the emotional eating.  I've always been an emotional eater, but I think I took it to a whole new level as I sunk deeper and deeper into depression.  I tried to put on a happy face, but inside I felt alone, sad, angry, and hated myself.  I lashed out at the people I loved and I had no energy to do much of anything.  I was in a serious funk.
The last 6 months or so I've been trying to pull myself out of the black hole I had fallen into.  I have started and stopped many an exercise regime, but have continued to fill the void inside of me with sweets.  About a week ago something inside of me just snapped.  The catalyst might have been a picture of me with Chase's soccer team that I have been coaching.  Let's just say I looked gross.  Of course I started cramming more junk in my mouth because I felt so bad about myself.  One day as I was eating a candy bar I realized I didn't even like what I was eating.  It tasted disgusting and I felt disgusting.  Something had to change.
I heard about this diet and exercise plan online and it is not for the faint of heart.  There are five cycles of five days each.  One of those days is a complete fast day, only drinking water and taking protein supplements throughout the day.  Guess what day I am on?  I figure if I just stay really busy I can make it through the day.  Let's keep our fingers crossed and say a little prayer for me.  Along with the diet plan there is hard core strength training and HIIT routines.  I will be working out 3 times today.  One down this morning, two to go.  Why am I taking such a drastic step?  Because at this point I need a big slap upside the head and a big kick in the booty to jumpstart my life back onto the path I need to be on.  Why am I telling you all about this?   Because I need some support and I feel like maybe I can be more successful if others know what I'm doing so I have someone to be accountable to.
So it is only day 2 of my 25 day plan and I know I have a long way to go, but I am so determined to see this through.  I guess when I had my birthday I realized I need to get going on getting healthy again, because the big 40 isn't too far away.  Along with getting healthy, I want to work on my style and get myself out of frumpyville.
So here's to hoping I can do this and don't turn into a grouchy beast while I'm doing it.  The good news is there is a cheat day every five days.  I should be able to hold out for 5 days, don't you think?

I Got My Booty Kicked

The other day I turned on the TV and Good Things Utah happened to be on. They were featuring a new exercise class called Ballet Blast. As I watched the segment I became more interested in it. I've been looking for a way to get myself back into regular exercise and I wanted something that would feel new and fun. I looked it up and found out the class was in Lehi. I was so excited to try it and convinced my sister, Tiffany, to go with me. We went last night and that was the biggest booty kicking I've had in a long time.

The instructor is INSANE! She is like the energizer bunny on crack, but in a good way. :) It was nonstop, heart pumping, head spinning action from the get go. The class is a combination of Ballet exercises at the barre, weight lifting, a little dance, and core insanity. I was sweating bullets and my whole body felt like jello when I was done. I can feel the soreness setting in and I'm sure by tomorrow I won't be able to even lift my pinky. The only bad thing is that the class is from 9:30-10:30 at night which means by the time I drove back home, showered and got ready for bed it was about 11:45. Even though I got to bed late and Laina woke up at 6:30 this morning, I still feel good about going. Am I crazy for contemplating about going again? Yes. Will I be there next Monday night at 9:30? You betcha!

I am the Biggest Loser

So I was watching the finale of "The Biggest Loser" last night.  I have not been a regular watcher of this show, but something about this season sucked me in.  I think I liked the whole dynamic of the couples, someone there to support you, cheer you on and help you through those difficult times.  I was totally bawling as I watched these people step on the scale for the last time and I was so excited for them as they saw their total weight loss.  A lot of these people lost enough weight to equal a whole other person!  Can you imagine having to carry all that around with you your whole life?!  I was amazed by the 18 year old boy who lost 207 pounds!  He's got his whole life ahead of him now.  What an amazing transformation!

I've never had to struggle too hard with my weight.  I danced every day for most of my life so I was pretty fit.  I wish I had appreciated what I looked like back in those days.  Why do we as women get so down on ourselves.  We can't ever be happy for what we have or for what we look like, it seems like we are always thinking we need to be more than what we are.  Watching these contestants last night I was thinking, "I weigh less than all of these people (well except Helen, way to go Helen!), yet I am not confident in the way I look."  What is wrong with me??

Last year I was totally unmotivated about losing the weight after Aria was born.  Thankfully my friend Natalie told me about the trainer she was going to.  I signed up knowing that I needed a kick in the pants to get out of my funk.  It was great having Natalie there with me, I loved having someone to commiserate with and help me laugh through the tough workouts.  I lost 20 pounds and I was in the best shape of my life.  After I stopped going I kind of slacked off a bit.  I kept exercising, but not as hard as I had been, and I started eating junk again.  Why do we do this to ourselves?  I swear I am sabotaging myself and I am doing it knowingly!  

Well I have been exercising very diligently these last four months but I can't seem to stop eating sweets.  I know better, yet I keep doing it.  Does anyone have any advice?  Does anyone have any healthy snack options that might be able to satisfy my sweet tooth?  Does anyone want to join me in my quest to master my food addiction?  What else can we turn to when we are stressed, depressed and feeling a bit lonely?  I could use all the help I can get, because I am feeling like the Biggest Loser lately and I don't mean that in a good way.  

Sweet Ride

Mike bought me a new bike a few weeks ago since I have been complaining about being all hunched over my old bike. I wanted a cruiser so I could sit up more so we found a beauty that had the capability to haul the trailer up some hills. I want to try and ride 1 to 2 times a week up the Provo Canyon Trail to Bridal Veil Falls. It's about an 8 mile ride. I've been able to go a few times now and I love it! It's a good workout having to haul an extra 30 pounds or so behind me. My goal is to be able to ride all the way to Vivian Park. Aria loves it too. Today she was singing little songs on the way up, it was totally making me laugh. On the way back down when we get going fast she always yells out, "Whee!".

I let her get out at Bridal Veil today but it was pretty windy so she didn't really feel like posing for any pictures. It was actually extremely windy on the ride up, I felt like I was pushing against a wall at times. I love the trail. It's beautiful, quiet and there aren't too many people around. All the hard core bikes fly by me, but I just keep on pedalling!

I've been trying to add some variety to my workout schedule by throwing in the biking and I've started going to a yoga class too. I actually enjoy exercising when I can mix it up. Yoga is great, it's tough but it's relaxing at the same time. My friend Chelsea is teaching it and it's just a small class so I really enjoy it. Last week was my first class and I ended up a bit sore, but I slept so good that night. :) Thanks Chelsea! (She's like 7 months pregnant but she's stronger and more limber than all her students.) Sometimes I wish I could just not bother with the exercising, but I know how great I will feel when I am done so I make sure I make time for it. My Aunt Renee said to me not too long ago when she was talking about exercise and getting older, "I walk so I can walk!" I will take inspiration from her and from my Mom who walks every day up and down those Kensington hills. Get moving everyone!