Sunday Night

I think for most people trying to start a healthy lifestyle, Sunday night most often serves as a "last night" of sorts. Many trying to drop some pounds think of it as their last chance to eat what they "want" and tomorrow be super strict. Others use Sunday as a day of rest before the BIG week at work.
I tend to see Sunday as a great day to KICK some calorie ass. While I don't always achieve a huge calorie burn on Sunday, for one reason or another, it is a day that I like to get in a longer workout. Today was one of those killer days. Today I threw all caution to the wind and hit "Complete Workout" when flipping to the menu items on my newest Jari Love video.

Who is Jari Love you may ask....she is a Canadian exercise instructor who seriously enjoys kicking me while I am down. Yet, I keep coming back for more. She mentions in the video that I did today "Extremely Ripped 1000" that she used to have a weight problem, later tonight I am going to look for pictures of this because it is just too hard for me to believe. Anyway, Jari (pronounced Jerry, but which I must call JAR-i) is a proponent of lifting light weights with lots of reps. Some may think they can lift an 8 lb weight forever, will be sorely mistaken once she gets a hold of you.

In each of Jari's videos she uses combination moves to keep your heart rate up and giving you a cardio affect. Her early workouts (Ripped, Ripped to the Core, Slim and Lean, and Ripped and Chisled) were strictly strength training, but she has more recently added ones that use a more combination of cardio exercises with strength (Ripped 1000, Extremely Ripped 1000 and Body Rock) all of which I own. I think I am a sucker for her humor and her blonde hair (who knew). And seriously sometimes you need someone to just kick your butt and make you cry, she does this to me and I just keep using her DVD's.

Anyway, today I did the Complete Workout on the Extremely Ripped 1000, and I burned 500 calories...yep HUGE burn, especially for me. I feel like Sundays are the day for me to get a big burn and realistically with that kind of program I am going to be feeling it all week. I can already feel pain in my legs. I hope I am able to walk tomorrow.

However, I have learned to create balance in my workouts. After this extreme burn today, tomorrow will be either walking or yoga which will help to keep my sore muscles moving and healing.

For me this week is off to a good start.

exercise

I have 2 days of pretty good exercise down this week. I am sore like crazy in my legs...so much it hurts to walk up the stairs, but I still do it.
the thing that always kills me about being sore is the fact that this isn't a new exercise program. I have Jari Love in my exercise library for a long time. She was the first strength training guru that I actually stuck with. I have yelled at her and cried for her to stop, but I can't get her out of my collection, I actually just keep adding more of her.
Yesterday, I did Extremely Ripped, today I am sore. I couldn't finish doing a higher intensity cardio today because of the soreness. So I had to switch to yoga...a dancey yoga. I feel good now that I am done and getting ready to go to bed, but I feel like I failed in the calorie burning. I wanted to have a GREAT BIG calorie scorching night...I guess such is life.

I did well with eating today. I am not counting calories, but I am sure I will get back to that. I feel good health-wise, I just know I could be doing better.

see

See what happens when I declare I have no determination? Yep, to hell in a handbasket. Ok not really, but I haven't been thinking too much about the whole weightloss thing lately.
I decided that I needed to give my "nazi" ish outlook on food a break and chill out. I really do have enough pressure on me right now. I also am really looking at my exercise. That is where I can get in control and focus on making changes. I think I have been letting the desire to workout 2 times a day get to me. I don't need to exercise for countless hours a day. I just need to get something in. I also need to realize that I need a break.
Otherwise honestly my whole time away from work ends up being out how I need to work out. I can't have that.
I bought myself 2 new DVD's and I am on the brink for more. This past week I got Jari Love's Extremely Ripped 1000 and Body Rock. I do like them both. I love to hate Jari and her crazy moves, but she works it.

For food. I know no weightloss expert would think that not tracking my food is a good idea, but it is what I needed right now. I can't keep looking at all the numbers all the time. So this week my approach was to make healthy foods and it their portions. Easy peasy. It works for me for now.
Later I can go all gang busters on food again, now I need easy.

Monday Again

Mondays always seem to be the easiest day for healthiness for me. I think I have more energy on Mondays, which I know is opposite of most people.
I generally like to get up and get to work early on Mondays. Lately I am learned to like to get up and workout.
I really do believe that working out in the morning is the way to go. I believe all of the things "the experts" would say about working out in the morning....you have no excuse not too, nothing will interrupt you, it won't get too late..... la la la.
I have found the best reason for me working out in the morning is that I feel better during the day. Mostly this is all mental. I am not a mental case, but working out in the morning makes everything else seem, well, easy. I can handle the stress a little more. My brain seems to come up with solutions faster. I love it!
I do also love working out at night. I like how I don't go to sleep so early when I workout at night and I don't spend the whole night in front of the tv wasting away.
My favorite time to workout...weekends either Saturday around 10 after breakfast and some chores are done OR Sunday afternoon.

10% goal

I just read this article about 10%. It really sparked something in me. If I could just look at this last 10, err 12 as small chunks of weight, maybe, just maybe it might seem more attainable.
10% of 142....1.42 lbs. That sound easier. Unless I can't do math and it is 14.2 pounds, then Houston we have a problem.
I found where I left my determination lately....it was in my shoes. Yep. I have been having a lot of problems with my feet and I have determined I am not destined to wear cute tiny shoes. I need to wear more practical things....in my mind this means tennis shoes all the time. I know I would burn millions of more calories in a day if my could walk without my feet hurting.

In my shoes, I also found that desire to work out. I had missed it.

I have to admit

I am sucking at this.
I can't seem to get it together. On Tuesday night, I felt like I had already been through the whole week.
The number on the scale yesterday did not empower me, it made me mad. However, not made enough to remember the lunch I had packed for myself. Not mad enough to stay away from chicken tenders at lunch, do mad enough to just say "STOP IT".
I have a real lack of commitment problem.
I mean somedays, I can be very gung ho. I can develop and follow my plan, others I just don't care.
I am trying to work on having a healthy balance, but I am not doing too well.
I do not think it is lack of motivation, I blame it on my commitment.

How I am going to do well tonight...I am going to bed. Sleep is very important to keeping the balance.

First Weigh in: a Starting point

Today I got on the scale, I honestly think it is broken, and I weighed 142. Last week I was at 139, so I am not sure what happened. To gain 3 pounds I would have had to sit and do nothing and eat 10,500 extra calories. While I sometimes eat too much I doubt that is the problem.
I think that the stress bug and little sleep bug is getting to me. Or I could just be bloated from too much sodium, whatever the reason, this has got to stop.
I hate getting to this point.

Today, it stops.

I have started off the morning with a good 50 minute cardio session. My heart rate averaged at 140 and peaked at 162. It feels good to have the energy to get a good sweat on this morning.
Now off to work!