seven quick takes friday - 10-11-13

*1*

last saturday i thought it would be fun to take the girls to a pumpkin patch.  the weather was beautiful and i knew it would be a great time to get out my real camera and take some pretty fall photos.  well, the minute we got to the pumpkin patch it started POURING!  we still tried to enjoy as much as we could, venturing into a scary funhouse, visiting the petting zoo and eating cotton candy.  but there was no hayride, no corn maze and of course no pumpkins to bring home.  instead we stopped at home depot on the way home from church on sunday and picked up two pumpkins for $4.00 each. 

I have more festive fall activities planned for this weekend.  I sure hope the weather cooperates this time around!

 

*2*

I'm starting to run regularly again.  I really love how I feel after I run, but it is so hard getting started in the mornings.  to help motivate me, I'm working towards #48milesinoctober with Marta - you can find her on instagram @hausofgirls_fitfamily.

*3*

Still Facebook free.  I'm loving all of the time I have now that I don't spend so much time mindlessly reading people's status updates online.  and after two weeks I'm starting to miss it less.

*4*

I finished Gathering Blue  this week and started attachments: a novel. both are ok, but not great.  i’ll write more about these books when i join modern mrs. darcy for twitterature later this month.  oh, and these links are not affiliate links because i cannot figure out how to do that :)

*5*

this past week I made yummy apple streudel muffins and  crockpot chicken and dumplings thanks to allrecipies.  I always forget how much I love to bake and cook until I try out new recipes.  to keep the ball rolling I just picked up two Pioneer Woman cookbooks from the library.  I cannot wait to try some of those recipes!

*6*

Hubby's coaching for our high school's football team this year.  high school instead of college so now the games are on Friday nights instead of Saturdays.  big sis dances on Friday nights, so we get to the games late, but we are trying to make it to as many home games as possible.  we were there this past Friday and saw them win 38-0.  woo-hoo!

*7*

we had our first family pet death this past Saturday.  back in march we won two goldfish at a carnival (named Goldie and Locks).  the girls were so excited as I've always told them they could have fish but never followed through.  finally, I had no choice but to go out and buy an aquarium.  unfortunately Saturday morning we woke up to discover Locks laying still at the bottom of the aquarium.  it was a sad day for us.  at first Goldie was pretty sad, but she seems to be doing ok now.  I think she actually enjoys having the whole place to herself :)

and that's all for today.  happy friday!  and for more quick takes, please go over to conversion diary!

i love it!

i started focus t25 beta phase yesterday.  so far i've done the core cardio and speed 2.0 workouts. i love them.  and the best part is that they aren't as hard as i thought they'd be.  they are fun and go by fast.  and i feel great at the end.  like a million bucks!

now i am a little sore in the arms and shoulders from the core cardio workout that i did yesterday.  there are some plank moves and burpees which challenged me.  my upper body's not the strongest.  i really hope to see a big difference in my strength by the end of these 5 weeks considering all of the planks and burpees.

i'm so glad i bought focus t25.  i think i'll be ordering the gamma add on next.  i guess it's more of a strength based workout.  that will be a nice switch.  overall, i'm just loving getting a good workout in every morning without it taking up too much time.  25 minutes is just right for me right now.  it's a reasonable amount of time that doesn't scare me away from getting up and exercising every morning.  and for now, that's most important to me.

i think i have to see some noticeable changes in my body and fitness level if i stick to this along with not going over my calories in myfitnesspal.  it has to work, right?  i sure hope so!  it may take a while, even a long while, but i'm sure results are on their way!

halfway

today i finished week 5 of focus t25 which means i'm done with alpha phase and halfway through the program.  i've really enjoyed the workouts, especially because you do something different every day and the schedule is different every week.  knowing i would be doing a different workout each morning really made it easier to get up and go.  monotony is a sure way to squash my desire to get in shape!

so, results?  not so great.  but i blame my vacation during what was supposed to be week 2 of t25 on that.  a week full of wine, frozen daiquiris, and delicious food isn't really part of the t25 plan.  that week really set me back.  i bet i'd have seen some real results if i hadn't gone on vacation but it is what it is.

here's how i did weight-wise:
start - 132.5
return from vacation -135 (yikes!)
today - 132

even if it's only a half a pound, at least i did lose something.

inches-wise i've lost 2 inches.  half an inch in my waist and the rest in my arms.  my arms?!?!?!  i really wasn't concerned about my arms.  i don't care if they get smaller.  next thing you know i'll be losing inches in my fingers or my feet. while my belly stays nice and fluffy.

but i really don't think that's true.  i have a feeling these next 5 weeks will be amazing.  no vacation to derail me.  the knowledge that i've already seen some results.  and the strength i've already built.  i cannot wait to post in another 5 weeks.  i may even share my before and after pictures then.  maybe.

but in the meantime the pictures you see here are some iphone faves from our vacation.  i still haven't uploaded the ones from my camera.  perhaps i'll get around to that someday...!

double day

we have a busy weekend ahead of us so i went ahead and did a focus t25 double day.  normally i just add a sixth day to get in all six workouts, but i figured i'd see what it was like to do two workouts back to back.

it was tough.

but i loved it.  maybe, just maybe, i'll try insanity soon.  i woke up ten minutes earlier but had no problem getting in the 50 minute workout.  i had to be more focused this morning and had less time to dilly dally, but it got it done!

today's double was speed 1.0 and abs.  i love the speed 1.0 workout because it isn't as intense as some of the other workouts.  you get to stretch between a lot of the cardio exercises.  i am terrible at stretching and have noticed some tightness in my hip flexors and hamstrings, so this workout felt really good today.

the ab workout kills me.  i cannot do v-sits very well.  i don't know if it because my legs are tight or just because my abs are weak.  needless to say, there were many modifications during the ab workout.  i honestly don't know if i'm getting stronger...

week four of focus t25 is now done.  one more week of the alpha phase and then its off to beta!  i'm really excited because there's at least one workout in beta that includes weights.  i miss my weights! so much so that i'm dying to get gamma as i think all of those workouts are strength based and require free weights.  but that time will come soon.

for now, i still have to finish the alpha phase!

double day

today was double day for me.  thankfully it's a saturday so i had time to do the workouts back to back.

the plan says to do lower focus and cardio.  i did lower focus and core speed (the bonus workout i received).  i already did cardio once this week and i like to mix it up to not get bored.  again, i had to modify parts of both workouts.  but even during the modified parts i felt i was getting a great workout.

after the first week, i'd say my favorite workout would be either the cardio or the core speed.  the ab intervals will be my biggest challenge and i'll be thrilled when i feel i've mastered it.  i'm already anxious to see how the beta workouts will be.

today is also stat saturday.  i took my initial measurements on  monday and measured again today.  the good news: i lost half a pound, an inch in my chest and a quarter inch in my thighs.  the bad news: i gained an inch in my waist.  which is my trouble area.  what's up with that?!?!?!  i'm guessing i'm retaining water.  i have not been drinking much water so i will be sure to up my water intake this week.

i'm not gonna lie.  when i saw my waist got bigger i wanted to give up.  it's so frustrating to see that.  but it has only been a week.  this is a ten week program.  i'll be taking a week off for vacation.  while i'll be running that week, i'm not sure i'll be eating very well. i will try my best to balance enjoying myself and not overindulging.  but when i get back, i'll have 8 more weeks of the program. i'm going to stick to the plan and not give up so that in mid-september i can see some sort of results.  even if it's only a tiny change. that's better than nothing.

in the meantime, i'm going to enjoy my weekend!

killer abs

today i did the focus t25 ab interval workout.  it was really tough.  again, i think i like that because i couldn't do all of the exercises perfectly so i have something to work for.  at the same time, though, i was a little frustrated because i didn't feel i was getting as good of a workout as i could if i did everything right.  but whenever i felt frustrated i tried to picture myself 10 weeks from now having mastered the workout.  what fun would it be if i did it perfectly the first time around, right?

i often feel so frustrated because results don't come quick, especially now that I am getting closer to 40. i like this picture above because it reminds me to not give up.  as long as i'm taking care of myself and staying consistent i will get there.  it will take longer than i like, but that's ok because i'm making positive choices every day.  and even if i don't look perfect, my health gets better every day.

since today's workout had a low calorie burn, the holiday is going to be a challenge.  i'm determined to not overindulge.  i will focus on eating fruits and veggies and will avoid the chips and dip.  i will stick to one, maybe two, glasses of wine, and i will drink lots of water.  i will not allow the holiday to distract me from my goals.

total body circuit

i stayed out late last night and was then woken up by big sis at 3 am and still did my focus t25 workout this morning.  it was a little tough, probably because i was exhausted before i even started, but i still did it!

one thing i like about focus t25 so far is that i cannot do all of the moves perfectly.  so i know i have something to work up to.  today there was a lot of plank work and push ups.  that's hard for me.  i know i will be super sore tomorrow.

food wise last night i went out and had two glasses of wine and some wings.  why i do that, i don't know.  i ate well all day so i don't feel completely horrible about it, but i still know that was really unhealthy.  this is where i struggle.  i was meeting up with friends.  and i wanted to enjoy myself.  i love wine and i love wings.  so how can i resist?  i guess the reality is that i need to work on the 80/20 rule where you eat healthy 80% of the time.  there has to be room in there for indulgences.  i hope last night fits into that 20%!

tomorrow will be another challenge with 4th of july celebrations.  thankfully the menu has lots of healthy options on it.  and i am pretty sure i'm going to do the double workout of the week tomorrow to help burn extra calories on the day i'll probably be eating more.  wish me luck!

my second day of focus t25

today i did the speed 1.0 workout. i have to admit i was a little disappointed in it at first.  the first 15 minutes you alternate stretching with speed work and it's a little slow going, you heart rate doesn't stay up for long and it seemed pretty easy.

but then i got my butt kicked in the last 10 minutes!

this is super sweaty me after speed 1.0!

so, although i didn't burn as many calories as yesterday, i did enjoy the challenge at the end.  and i can see what the workout is getting at.  you really do work your core in these exercises.  and i can tell my legs will be getting stronger.

a little less calories burned than yesterday, but that's ok!

i'm really excited to see what tomorrow's workout brings!

as for food, i did really good yesterday.  i was able to eat more than i expected.  i'm still nervous about keeping up with eating well.  but i know that's where success will be found.  my flabby tummy was created by a lousy diet.  i need to step it up and stop eating so much junk and i need to start keeping my calorie intake in line.  i'm not 18 anymore!

alpha

today i officially began focus t25 with the alpha cardio workout.  i'll admit i had to modify a few times because i wasn't ready for the intensity.  i think if i had been running regularly it would have been easier, but i've been focusing more on strength lately thus the high impact cardio was a little rough for me in parts.  but i did burn a decent amount of calories in 25 minutes.

before i did the workout, i took my measurements and some before pictures. i'm not ready to share those yet, but hopefully i will feel comfortable posting them in a few weeks when i show my progress from the alpha phase.

now, for me, the exercise is the easy part.  i really enjoy working out and have no trouble motivating myself to do so.  the hard part is the eating.  i love to eat.  and i don't really understand why i have to suffer to lose weight and look great.  but, as this past year has shown me, what you eat really does affect your results.  i've been drinking too much wine.  enjoying too many sweets.  not watching portion sizes.  and as someone approaching 40, i'm learning i cannot do this anymore.  so i've set my goal on myfitnesspal to lose one pound a week.  and boy oh boy is that a teeny bit of calories.  but i know i can do this.   it's going to take some adjustments, but i hope to see some major changes over the next 10 weeks!

here i go...!

last night i the new focus T25 workout from beachbody came in the mail. i am so pumped!  and this time i am giving 110% to the program.  i'm even going to follow the diet program as best i can.  this past year has been a bad year for me and i developed some terrible eating habits.  i think i've broken most of those habits, but being closer to 40 than 30 means the weight just isn't falling off, even with my commitment to working out every day.

although i could care less if i have a perfect set of abs and i'm not trying to be as tiny as i was in high school, i'd sure like to look like someone who wakes up super early every morning to workout, since that is who i am.  i'd like to feel a little more confident in myself and not so self conscious.

source

i didn't intend for this to be a fitness blog.  i'm no fitness expert, just someone who likes working out.  but i've decided i am going to use this blog to chronicle my experiences with T25.  hopefully it will help keep me accountable.  and hopefully 10 weeks from now i'll see major results!

*disclaimer: i am not a beachbody coach and i do not receive anything for talking about focus T25.  i just enjoy the beachbody fitness programs as they include a lot of variety within their great workout programs!