The Work-Out Blog

New workout idea

2008-05-24T08:58:00.003-06:00

I just found this new idea for an at-home, on vacation work-out. All you need is a deck of cards. Here's what you do:

Draw 5 cards.
Add up the numbers on the cards.
Do that many jumping jacks, crunches and push-ups.
Rest for that many seconds.
Draw 5 more cards.
Repeat the process until you work through the whole deck.

Here is an alternative deck of cards work-out to try too.

I haven't tried it yet but I'll let you know how it goes. I think it will be good for my nightly exercises. I like to do push-ups and sit-ups while I watch TV. That way I feel like I burn some of my many calories I eat during the day.

On a side note...I've almost reached my goal weight. I have to lose two more pounds by June 1. If I do I get to go shopping! Yay!!

My Inspiration

2008-05-18T14:46:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I was reading a short biography on Sister Dalton, the new Young Women's General President (who happens to be my 1st grade teacher's daughter.) Anyway, I read that when she was a young mother with kids at home, she wanted to start exercising. She decided she wanted to run, but she had never been a runner before. She started running 10 steps then walking ten steps until she could finally run a mile. She went on to run 18 marathons!! Now that is dedication! I have never been fond of running because when I get to about a mile, I am just beat. But I never thought about taking it that slow before. Those of you that know my husband know that he is really big into running. He has always wanted to run 5k's with me and maybe even marathons (we'll see.) Well, I'm just here to tell you that I have been inspired by Sister Dalton and I am going to start running. It might take a long time, but I can do it. I'm not promising any marathons, but definitely a 5k!

By the way, does anyone have any good ideas for rewards? I'm not the best at keeping up with exercise, so I need to reward myself. I was thinking a monthly reward. Preferably not food or anything $$$. Thanks!

Oh NO! Not the scale!!

2008-05-01T08:33:00.002-06:00

I know that some people will disagree with me but I had to share something with you guys. People keep asking me how I'm losing weight. I haven't been able to pin point exactly what I've been doing different. I'm eating smaller portions. I exercise 3-4 times a week. I try to drink more water. But I think one of the keys to my weight loss was weighing myself every few days, sometimes every other day. I used to dread the scale. I heard people say, just judge weight loss by how your clothes fit. That's not concrete enough for me. So I bought a scale and weigh myself on a regular basis. It motivates me to eat better during the day. This may not work for everyone but it has worked for me. I think it's better for me to be fully aware of what I weigh, rather than in denial. I gained a little on our recent vacation so I'm working hard to get that weight off again. I want to reach my weight loss goal by Jun 1st. I still have 6 pounds to lose. If I reach my goal I'm going shopping!

Anyone there?

2008-04-30T15:24:00.002-06:00

So, is anyone still working out? I haven't for a while, but my hubby and I are motivating eachother. Just wondering how you're all doing.

Notes from my Underbelly

2008-04-28T15:16:00.001-06:00

Snacking

2008-03-19T08:05:00.003-06:00

One of my bad eating habits is snacking. When I was losing weight I was only having two snacks a day and I made sure those snacks were somewhat healthy. I really like crackers so I found a semi-healthy low fat one that was pretty good. I get emails from a group that's doing "The Biggest Loser." They had already been doing it for awhile when I heard about it so I'm not part of it but I still like to hear their tips. Here is one of the emails I received recently...
"An excellent low cal snack for when you have a major sweet tooth!
Dieting really sucks when you're craving something sweet. Instead of hating life and going completely without, or caving in and eating something you're totally going to regret, here is an alternative which can satisfy you, yet not blow your calorie goals for the day! I saw these at Walmart and looked at the nutrition label and it isn't a bad snack so I bought them. They are so good! Problem is they are so good it's hard to stop. No that I'm suggesting it, but even if you eat the whole bag, its only 780 calories! 60 cals per serving (13 servings per 7 oz bag)
Quakes Rice Snacks - (I've tried a few flavors and the only one that tastes really good is Chocolate)"
I haven't tried them yet but they sound good. Do you guys have any yummy healthy snacks, that aren't fruits and veggies? ...I already know those are healthy.

Eating Healthy

2008-03-12T09:43:00.002-06:00

I need some help everyone! I am really bad at incorporating fruits and vegetables into our diet. With dinner, I always try to have one or the other as a side, but that's about the only time we have it. I was just thinking that we need to eat a lot more of it, and less junk (which I am struggling with.) Do any of you have any good tips or suggestions? If so, please send them my way! Thanks!

Stuck in a Rut

2008-03-05T08:56:00.002-07:00

I haven't been swimming for a week and a half. I did great for a month- never missed a day. Then last week I didn't go because of womenly things. This week I was supposed to start up again, but it just never happened. The truth is, 2 of my least favorite things are working out and waking up early! I know I need to work out though, I need to stay in shape! I like swimming more than any other work-out, but I really hate coming home and smelling like chlorine, and I hate sharing a lane with a stranger as I am doing my laps. I got chewed out this morning for not going, and I felt really bad about it. One thing I have learned about myself, is that negative criticism does not motivate me. When I was in high school, and I would get a bad grade, my dad would get really mad and tell me that I wouldn't do well at anything if I didn't shape up. That did not make me want to study more. It made me want to skip out! I don't really know what my point is here, I guess I just need some positive motivation. What other options do I have to keep in shape? Any suggestions?

I second that

2008-02-26T12:15:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to say I agree with Kellyanne. This weekend I was complimented quite a few times by my wonderful husband. He kept telling me how great I look. After all my hard work it's good to know that he has noticed. I've always been self-conscious about my appearance so I don't know that he realizes how much the tiny comments he makes mean to me. I'm grateful for a great husband who is supportive of me and never complains when I leave the kids with him while I exercise.

Thank Goodness For Husbands? :)

2008-02-25T00:10:00.001-07:00

I went jogging a few times last week. The second time I was totally NOT planning on it but my husband got me going, and I'm really glad! It feels so good! I'm hoping this next will I'll be pretty motivated to go, and I'm looking forward to it!

Happy Wednesday

2008-02-20T09:11:00.003-07:00

Today was the hardest for me to get out of bed and go swimming. I didn't sleep very well last night, so when the alarm clock went off at 5:45 a.m., I was so tempted to turn it off and go sleep on the couch (so Josh couldn't bug me to get up). Anyway, I don't know how it happened, but I managed to get out of my warm cozy bed, go out into the cold, frosty air and drive to the rec center. Then I had another temptation. I saw the hot tub in the corner. No one would ever have to know. I could relax in a hot bath for a half hour, come home, and still smell like chlorine as evidence that I went "swimming." Again, I don't know what came over me. My will-power must be getting stronger along with my arms, legs and tummy. Yes, I did my laps. I feel so good, tired, but good. If I can do it, anyone can do it!

Uggh

2008-02-19T23:08:00.001-07:00

This weekend I enjoyed myself way too much. It felt gross. I feel like I'm making up for lost time now! Ew! At least it got me on a walk yesterday and doing TaeBo this morning!

A Pretty Good Week

2008-02-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

So last week went pretty well. I decided to be tough and not buy or eat any treats all week. I was tempted so many times! Once I almost purposely took a trip to Albertsons just for one of their chocolate chips cookies. But I was strong. It's such a good feeling when you realize you can be in command over your cravings! It's like it gives you more power for the next time.
So then I had a really terrible day on Thursday, so during my shopping trip I bought some chocolate ice cream and started my "weekend" early! I decided to "reward myself" (that sound so awful!) and just enjoy the weekend. I didn't go crazy, but I did have some treats, and didn't feel bad about it!
I don't think that's a half-bad system. Eat healthy all week, then enjoy the weekend. It did seem a little difficult to start eating healthy again today though. But I'm going to try it again this week and see how it goes.
I also took the kids for a long walk in the stroller this morning. It was fun! Yea me!

Yoga

2008-02-12T15:07:00.001-07:00

Since I finished "The Biggest Loser" competition I haven't lost any weight. I think I kind of needed a break. But at least I know that I can do it if I try. I think after this week I'm going to start trying harder. We just have too much "fun food" at our house for the upcoming holiday. I went to a Yoga class this morning and it was really fun. I'm surprised how hard some the moves were. I'm also surprised at how much I could really do. At one point I didn't think I was able to do one of the moves and the teacher told me I was really close, so I tried a little harder and I was able to do it. It made me feel good. It was very relaxing too. So I think I'm going to try to go once a week. I also need to start drinking more water. I know that made a big difference when I was losing weight.

The Strong...and weak

2008-02-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to let you know about my week. I think I did pretty well...

I went swimming from 6-6:30 in the morning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It felt SO good! It really is a total body workout- I can feel it in every muscle of my body, but it was so fun! I am definitely going to keep going.

As for the eating no treats...well, I did great all week, until today. I was working this morning (decorating cakes) and a co-worker was making fudge. It was ooey, gooey chocolately fudge! She held a piece out to me and put it right in front of my face. Honestly, I didn't even think! The fudge controlled me! Yes, I ate it. Feeling horrible, I came home and confessed to Josh. He made me feel better. He told me that it's all about moderation. It's true. I decided I am going to let myself have one really good treat a week (instead of 5 treats a day), and keep working out. I was having sugar withdrawls this week. Seriously. I think I know what it's like for drug addicts to have their drug taken away. I was going crazy without it. But I feel much better now. :)

Sorry to ramble. I hope you aren't dissappointed in me. I hope I don't seem weaker in your eyes. I'm still doing a lot better than I ever have before!

Getting Motivated

2008-02-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

I'm Angie and I'm totally pumped about this workout blog! At the beginning of this year, my husband and I decided to make a "lifestyle change". I hate the word 'diet' so we use this term instead at our house. Since starting this new "lifestyle" I have already lost 10 lbs and my husband has lost 13 lbs.

Basically I've changed my eating habits drastically and have been working out 6 days a week. This is not easy with two little boys to take care of, but I've been faithfully sticking to it. I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight with baby #2 who is 4 months. I now need to lose another 15 to get down to where I was before baby #1, who is 3 years old. (agh!!)

I feel like the first 10 lbs came off fast, but now it is going to be difficult from here on out. I need all the motivation and support I can get! It is nice that my hubby is doing it with me which makes preparing low-fat meals easier. I have a ton of yummy, healthy recipes I am willing to share with anybody who is interested!

Anyway, that is my story. I'm excited to start this!

I Need Help

2008-02-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

As much as I wanted to NOT join this blog because I hate feeling obligated to exercise and eat well, I am going to suck up my pride and do it anyway. Why? Because I had a baby in October. Is it because I can't lose the baby weight? Nope. I lost that actually, even though my body has now taken on all sorts of new shapes. It's because I quit my job in January to stay home with my baby and I eat ALL DAY LONG!!! I love my food and I don't really think I can give it up. But, I am willing to consider cutting back and exercising. Can somebody please tell me how to get rid of the strange shape that now rests above my hips? It's really starting to annoy me.

Oh, by the way, I'm Carlee.

prego workout...

2008-02-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Well I guess I'd better introduce myself. My name is Amy Call and I am 14weeks pregnant. I have a sweet hubby and a darling little boy. I am not trying to lose weight at this time, but i am trying to keep myself healthy during this pregnancy. I have lost 6lbs so far, i keep throwing up. But I'm sure that won't last long. I gained 40lbs with my son. I do have a problem though I hate food, cravings??? what are those? I need to work out as much as possible though. I hope to be in good shape during labor after all isn't that what they recomend? Well, I will start keeping you posted on my workouts and ideas to help you all as you help me!!! Come visit my other blog http://thebrodycallfamily.blogspot.com Working out is fun!

Love all these tips!

2008-02-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

It's so great to have a support group here. It's nice to see we all have similar struggles!
I have finally found a little self control when it comes to eating sweets. I've been a lot better the last little while, but it has NOT been easy! I've had to make sure there aren't ANY treats in the house. Actually I have eaten some fruit snacks but NOT the kind of chocolatey treats that usually are my weakness. It's been tough, I'm not gonna lie. But every time I do resist it gives me better motivation for the next temptation! And I've had to just keep those healthier snacks handy, like baby carrots. If they're out, I'll eat them.
As far as exercising goes... I haven't been working out. But I have had some dance fests with my kids! That gets me going. I still do have good intentions for working out, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm motivated to do. You all have great ideas. I like the idea of walking kids to school. Unfortunately my daughter rides the bus or I would be all over that one. Anyway, I'll figure it out!
Keep up the good work ladies!

Discouragement

2008-02-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

So I realized last week that there was no amount of running that was going to get me to my goal by the time we leave for our cruise this Saturday. I felt discouraged so I didn't work out on Friday or Saturday. I also ate 3 pieces too many of a delicious pumpkin bundt cake last night.

This morning I realized that just because I'm not going to be wearing my favorite pair of pre-pregnancy jeans on the cruise ship doesn't mean I should give up. I ran today and it felt good. Sure I ate another piece of cake for breakfast and some Dorritos for lunch but at least I worked out, right?

Oh, and if you are running on a treadmill, make sure you are running full strides. Just a week ago I realized that for the last month and a half I hadn't been running correctly. For some reason I feel the need to run very close to the head of the treadmill making it impossible to stretch my legs out fully when I'm running. It makes a big difference! I think the front of my legs are actually being used now!

I did it!

2008-02-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

So we finished our "Biggest Loser" contest this Friday. I'm proud to say I reached my goal. I lost 12 pounds in 11 weeks. I was way excited. I didn't win but I was still way happy with my progress. It gives me motivation to keep going. Here's the depressing part, I celebrated by eating way too much this weekend. We ate out a lot. I have a hard time eating good when I eat at restaurants. If anyone has any good tips for eating out, please share them. We also had a Super bowl party today and there was so much yummy food. I'm totally feeling guilty right now. But tomorrow is a new day and I'm definitely going to exercise in the morning. As long as I eat healthy all week long I guess it's ok to have a day off.

Becky's Progress

2008-02-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Guess what? Today I ate my last sweet treat! I thought about swearing off sugar altogether, but, come on? It's me! And I am only doing it until my birthday which is the end of May. So pretty much, a sweet treat includes ice cream, cookies, cupcakes, pie (and it's even pie month at Marie Calenders!!) I can be strong...will you guys help me?

Also, I have thought a lot about what I need to do for my work-outs. Lately I have been doing pilates about 3 times a week. It has already gotten me more flexible and stronger! Then I remembered something I actually enjoy doing! Swimming! I was a swimming teacher for 5 years, but I haven't done it in like four years! I even have a pass to the rec center, so starting Monday, I am going to go swimming at least 3 times a week. And I can't wait for winter to end, because then I can finally start playing tennis! Anyone care to join me?

How are all of you doing?

Ashlee's Goals

2008-01-30T08:34:00.001-07:00

When I read about this idea on Becky's Blog I was really excited. I need all the motivation I can get to help me with my goals. If I'm accountable to someone I'm much more likely to do it. I exercise with some ladies at our church three times a week. We've been doing "The Biggest Loser" for two months now. Our competition ends this Friday. I don't think I'm going to win but I am very close to accomplishing my goal of losing ten pounds (Yay!) We weigh-in once a week, which is really good for me. I know other people say not to weigh yourself, just go by how your clothes fit. I agree that the scale can be discouraging sometimes because you may be gaining muscle and losing fat, but right now I need to see the numbers. One of my goals is I to lose another 15 pounds before June. Looking good in a swimsuit is definitely a motivation. My other goal is to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I really think drinking water has helped me lose weight. I like Becky's idea of filling up a pitcher of water every day. I am definitely going to do that.

I'm excited to be a part of this blog. I look forward to sharing my ideas with all of you and gaining more knowledge and insight from everyone.

**Shout out to "The Biggest Loser" TV show. They have lots of good tips during the show. It also motivates me to lose weight and work-out. The people on the show lose tons of weight. It's neat to see them changing their lives.

Water

2008-01-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know this might be kind of lame, but I just thought of an idea. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am SO bad at drinking enough water. I've actually gotten sick because of it. Anyway, you know how you are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day? I decided to just get a pitcher, and fill it with the right amount of water I would need to drink every day. That way I can actually see how much more water I need to drink. Then I would just fill it up every morning. Is that dumb? Well, I am going to try it today and see how it works!

By the way, I did horrible at working out this past week- but that's because I was babysitting my sister's kids all weekend. So- today is Monday, and I am going to work out EVERY DAY!! I'll let you know how it goes. How is everyone else doing with their goals?

KellyAnne's New Year's Goals

2008-01-26T11:24:00.001-07:00

Well I thought I had the fire for working-out but it's amazing how quickly it died out. I missed one day and then I didn't have the desire to pick it up again. And to make things worse, I have been TERRIBLE about what I eat lately. I thought I had pretty decent self control, but I keep buying treats and it's pretty much me who finishes them off by myself. I'm wondering if it has something to do with hormones because I didn't think I was usually this bad?
Anyway, I like what Lindsey said about how to flatten your belly. That's the kind of stuff I need to hear I guess. So thanks for sharing the tip!
I AM going to do better.
As for exercising, early morning run sessions are looking better and better. If I can just get myself out of bed... but hopefully the exercising will help that out a bit too.
Thanks for the support group ladies!
I have a goal to spend this whole new year NOT pregnant, so it's my year to get my body as healthy as can be. I'm excited!

Lindsey's goals

2008-01-26T09:18:00.001-07:00

If I am going to be a part of this work-out blog, I better start by writing my goals. Actually, my one single goal. It's pretty simple: I want to be able to fit into the pants I was wearing before I got pregnant with Madison. As of right now, I can squeeze into them but it's not a pretty sight. For the last month, I have been working out. I work out in the morning on my treadmill. I run for 3o minutes and then do a few exercises with weights followed by sit-ups.

I'm with Becky when she says that she "likes to watch the goodies and junk go from the plate in front of me, into my mouth." However, I was asking one of my friends who is a personal trainer how to get rid of my belly and he told me that it didn't matter how many crunches I did because the only way I was going to flatten my stomach was to watch what I eat.

I didn't want to hear that but if that's the way it's got to be, I guess I will try to keep the number of brownies I eat to two instead of five.

I'm excited to get to know all of you through this blog and hopefully we can all help each other out! Good luck!

Thanks Becky for getting this all started! What a great idea!

SparkPeople.com

2008-01-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

I found this website about a year ago when I was trying to get healthy before I got pregnant again. I recently saw it featured on the "Today Show". It is an awesome website and concept. It is all free! You sign up and fill out what your goals are, it will let you know when you can meet that goal. You can set up your personalized workout plan, and your personalized nutrition plan. They have recipes and all kinds of other wonderful, helpful information. One of my favorite features is that they will email you the things you are interested in. I had them email me new work out moves, healthy recipes, and inspirational motivating thoughts EVERY DAY. I think it is a fantastic tool in helping anyone meet their health goals! Check it out: www.sparkpeople.com
Good luck to everyone!

Welcome!

2008-01-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Work-Out Blog! I created this blog to help motivate my friends and myself to get in shape! My idea for this blog is to post your goals, your accomplishments, your ideas, healthy recipes--anything to do with getting in shape! We want to help eachother out. I call this blog my "support system."

It's hard for me to find time to work-out in between taking care of the kids and the house and other projects I may have. But I'm happy to say that I did a 20 minute pilates work-out today. I think that is what I will mainly be doing most days. Hopefully I can make it to the gym a couple times a week too. Just so everyone knows, my goal is to lose about 10 pounds before I have another baby, and mostly to get toned! Some of you want to start watching what you eat. For me, I like to watch the goodies and junk go from the plate in front of me, into my mouth. Maybe I'll work on that, maybe not. Let us know what your goals are and how you are coming along!