Leave it to her to rain on my parade! Well, rain on my “I am going to try to walk/run/whatever this morning” idea. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. I need my workout area finished so I can just use the treadmill and my DVDs. If this baby gives me a moment of relief I am thinking that I will go to the gym for a little bit later. We will see how that works out.
Today was Emma’s first day of the First Grade. She was surprisingly this morning. But alas, she is off to school and all is well. There were tons of friends from last year in her class, so I am sure she will lose those butterflies quickly. I can’t wait to see what she has to say about it this afternoon!
I did eat a yogurt parfait from McDonald’s this morning without an issue (other than nausea so I will take it) so I am thinking I should go get the stuff to make and have them at home. Yeah, yeah, McDonald’s is bad but we were out and about and I needed to eat now!! Could have been a value meal.
Emma on her first day of First Grade. Not sure why she chose to have her picture taken while standing on the dog bed, but hey, whatever. Kids are strange!
We leave tomorrow for vacation. So today I need to do laundry (2 loads), sweep, clean cat boxes and get snacks and stuff in the house for our house sitter and pack. Exciting stuff. So all in all there is not much to accomplish. Thank goodness. We were up LATE last night. I checked the weather and the temps will be cooler than what is forecasted here in MI. Still not sure if that is good or bad. it has been easy to get used to this 90 degree plus weather we have been getting every day. Call me crazy but I enjoy sweltering temperatures. It will probably be better for the runs though!
While on vacation the plan is to work out a five times, interval run three times, eat 85% clean and not gain a pound or inch in that week.
I better get packing. At some point I am sure I will do a little post here and there, nothing long, fantastical or anything amazing. But for the most part the Robinson’s will be MIA until the 10th.
So, I was Debbie Downer on here yesterday, and everywhere else. I don’t like to air my dirty laundry on the internet so I will just say life sucked yesterday but all is good now. Sometimes things just come to head and explode and dealing can be hard. Everything is taken care of now and I am hoping the issue does not pop back up. I really felt guilty for not getting my workout in and I didn’t eat all day or really drink anything either, then later binged on a Culver’s burger, fries and a root beer. Yikes!
To change the pace of the day we went and did some clothing shopping for our upcoming vacation, Emma needed an entire new summer wardrobe due to her last growth spurt. We have to buy her a new wardrobe 4 times a year. Why do kid jeans cost as much as adult jeans? We are going broke Anyhow I bought a bunch of bottoms, a top and a dress without trying on because I just didn’t feel like it at the store. So today I need to try it all on and see if anything has to go back and be exchanged. I still need to find a pair of neutral sandals that I like and a jacket. And another pair of sandals for Emma. Fun, fun.
Today the plan is to do a double workout to make up for yesterday (or as much as I can do without killing myself), do the billion loads of laundry that needs to be done to catch up on what we normally wear and the piles and piles of stuff that I need to rewash to donate. I probably have 5 or 6 trash bags of stuff to donate once again. Try on those clothes, eat food and hope to get some time in outside. The wash won’t get completely done today but it needs to be done by Thursday so I can concentrate on getting everything ready for vacation. I’d rather take up the invitation to go sit pool side but I guess being an adult is what I have to do today. Boo-hoo!
On the workout agenda I have: Hard Core Abs, Pump Challenge, Step and a Run. Oh my! I better go get my Pump on.
As you all know I have started Round 2 of Les Mills Pump. There is no hybrid Schedule out there that I have found that incorporated Running as well as the Les Mills Pump Ultimate Cross Training workout plans. Using the Round One Phase One Schedule I added the Running, UCT workouts, The Yoga I like to do on rest days to reset myself as well as a couple other things that I just plain enjoy doing. I kept the weight training segment part of the schedule exactly the same as it was before and just switched out the walking days with other things and added runs and other workouts seeing I am at a higher fitness level now and can push myself harder than I could when I started Round 1. Just to keep myself accountable here is my Round 2 Phase 1 schedule.
PHASE 1: TE WERO: The Challenge
Today is Day two, So….. it is time for me to get my Yoga in and I will run later this evening once it starts to cool down. I have found that I really like running and walking outdoors at night. It is serene. Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend. I have a weekend of house guests again so it should be fun!! I am glad they don’t think it is rude when I disappear on them to work out. I have even gotten some of them to work out with me!
Today is day 30 of my 30 day Les Mills Pump Ultimate Cross Training and Day 130 since I started Les MIlls Pump. this past 30 days so far have not been as heavy on results as I would have wished. But there was a little progress.
Here are this weeks results:
Chest: 31.5 inches (-0 inches)
R Arm: 12 inches (-0 inches)
L Arm: 12 inches (-0 inches)
Waist: 32 inches (-0 inches)
Hips: 41 inches (-0 inches)
R Thigh: 23.5 inches (-0 inches)
L Thigh: 23.5 inches (-0 inches)
Weight: 165 pounds (-1 pound)
Pant Size: 12
BMI: 29.4% (-0 %)
Not a ton of change but I will take what I can get!!
This is where I started the 30 days at:
Chest: 32 inches
R Arm: 12 inches
L Arm: 12 inches
Waist: 32 inches
Hips: 41 inches
R Thigh: 23.5 inches
L Thigh: 23.5 inches
Weight: 168 pounds
Pant Size: 12
BMI: 29.5%
So the over all change for the past 30 days is:
Chest: – 0.5 inches
R Arm: -0 inches
L Arm: -0 inches
Waist: -0 inches
Hips: -0 inches
R Thigh: -0 inches
L Thigh: -0 inches
Weight: -3 pounds
Pant Size: -0 sizes
BMI: -0.1%
Since I have started Les Mills Pump results:
Chest: -6.5 inches
R Arm: -0 inches
L Arm: -0 inches
Waist: -11 inches
Hips: -4 inches
R Thigh: -5.5 inches
L Thigh: -6 inches
Weight: -15 pounds
Pant Size: -2 sizes
BMI: -22.6%
Tomorrow I start Round Two of Les Mills Pump. I hope it goes much better than these past 30 days.
That is where I am, after a good portion of this week leaving me feeling guilty (and fat) I am digging out my sneakers and hopping back on the fitness train. All my meals were to par and today’s workout I made sure I pushed hard. I plan on hitting it once more to make up for not working out yesterday. The entire day and night I spent at a friends Bachelorette party, so I didn’t make time. Tisk, Tisk. Anyhow, no more of that. The house is coming back together, school and sports are ending so I am looking forward to upping my workouts and getting ready for The Color Run. My tulle came yesterday so I can start with the tutu’s and I am starting C25K over (well, in the middle) so I can do my best for the race. Even if I can’t run the entire 3.1 I plan on running as much of it if I can. But am hoping I can run it.
Now, I must be off to put together a book shelf, get the kid ready for bed and do some Les Mills Pump Revolution. See you tomorrow after my morning activities are finished!
Things around here have so busy between the kids stuff, the yard, painting, new flooring, volunteering and my back going out. The good news is the carpet is in and I absolutely love it, today is the last day of swim, my back is better, one more week of school and there are only a few baseball games left. The bad news is I have to bathing suit shop today and now that my back is feeling better (just a little sore) it is raining and I have plants that still need to be planted. I am sure the rain will keep them alive. So all in all my complaints are no big deal, minus the bathing suit. UGH. I went and tried on about 15 the other day. Still really unhappy with my legs, but I know that will change in due time. It is kind of weird that I am more upset about them now than last summer when I was wearing a 18 and not a 12 like this year? Maybe it is that they are lumpy now? The lumps are terrible. Another thing I know will change in time but I would really like for it to change now!
I have a bachelorette pool party to attend tomorrow, it is supposed to be cold and there is a 50% chance of rain. Let’s hope that the Weather Channel is wrong about this one. There is always a good chance that it is just for the fact that this is Michigan and the weather loves to be erratic. 90 degrees and clear one day 58 and rain the next then maybe some snow. Either way the weather goes I am sure we will make the best of it. Still buying the dreaded bathing suit just in case and I get to find a fun bachelorette gift to buy and very, very inappropriate card. Good thing that there are plenty of naughty” stores in this small town.
A noose: how I feel about the measuring tape after this week.
Along the subject of diet and exercise, this week I feel really guilty about. I had one day where I ate the worst dinner ever, hotdogs and chips (crisps for my UK friends). Granted that day I could barely stand and we had to eat. I decided on the one thing I could make in five minutes so I could sit back down. I really regret that decision even though I do know that I didn’t have many options giving my physical state. Along the subject of my water intake lets just say that I really should be ashamed. And calorie consumption even with the bad for me meal was way, way to low. I didn’t eat much at all through the week. All in all I was not on my best behavior and slipped into some bad habits I used to have. I got exercise in but I didn’t want to push it so I only did what I had to and modified like crazy in order to not hurt my back more. Thank goodness there were no weight training days on the LMP UCT schedule. I don’t want to miss and have to start over. Also, the getting back to running thing didn’t happen. Between getting what I could in with my back out and having no choice but to move furniture so the carpet could come out I just couldn’t swing it. I have no problem pushing myself outside me comfort zone but not to the point that I will cause injury. Hopefully I don’t see a bigger number when I get on the scale and bust out the measuring tape on Tuesday’s weigh and measure in! I am so paranoid!
Well, I don’t think I really have much more to ramble on about right now so I will bid you all adieu. Happy Friday!
I’ll be posting before and after pics of my new flooring soon!
I threw my back out last night doing pretty much nothing. Oh the joys of Fybromyalgia! So today I am going to talk about stretching to relieve back pain. Even with a chronic pain disease I have found that stretching can make quite a difference in pain levels. Plus stretching daily can help lengthen and strengthen your back muscles, improve posture and make it less likely to injure yourself in the first place.
I know what you are thinking, my back hurts no way do I want to exercise, stretch or even move. Everyone knows that exercise is important for our overall health but people sometimes forget the importance of stretching. The back and spine are made up of muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments, it is made to bend, twist, and carry quite a bit of our body weight. Stretching on a regular basis helps reduce stress on joints, improves blood flow and adds flexibility. Also, stretching before exercise helps prep your muscles for activity and reduces the risk of injury.
Not everyone hurts their back during exercise or vigorous activity. I know this and I have hurt mine doing what? I have no idea, I was standing in the Little League Concession Stand volunteering, at that time I was bagging popcorn. Popcorn is not heavy, neither are teenie popcorn bags or the scoop I was using. It just happened. Maybe there was a moment where I twisted strange or maybe it is because I am a cripple. Either way, it hurts and it is improving because of stretching it out.
Here are a few things to keep in mind while you are stretching:
Start at the top, if you stretch your neck then work your way down you use already stretched muscles in the rest of your stretching routine.
Don’t stretch until you are in pain, go slow and only until you feel a bit on tension.
Be sure to stand steady, no bouncing around. Think strength in stillness.
Hold in your stretch for 10 to 20 seconds and do not forget to breathe! Be sure to inhale before the stretch and exhale during.
Small sets of 3 is enough, do not over do it! You can always add more as you are more flexible.
Personally I stretch daily, more than once in the instance that I am stiff or sore. Today there will be a few sessions of stretches going on to get this pain worked out of my back. You do not have to do it daily but I really would recommend doing it a few times a week (personal opinion, I am not a doctor.)
Here is the routine I use. I do believe that I first found it on http://www.webmd.com. I do not have a link to their direct article, but the routine is now in my memory.
Neck Stretch
Stand with your feet flat , knees bent just a little bit.
Tilt your head slowly forward, bringing your chin toward your chest.
Turn your head to the left until your chin is lined up with your shoulder.
Do this again on your right side
Tilt your head to the left so your ear is to your left shoulder.
Do this again but on your right side.
Shoulder Rolls
Stand with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent a little bit.
Roll your shoulders forward 10 times starting with small circles.
Roll your shoulders 10 more times in large circles.
Roll your shoulders backwards 10 times starting with small circles.
Roll your shoulders backwards 10 times using large circles.
Hamstring Stretch
Lie down and bend your knees.
Grab one leg around the thigh and slowly bring it toward your chest.
Pull until you fee a light stretch.
Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.
Repeat with you other leg.
Hamstring Stretches 2
Stand with one leg out in front of you, straightened and put your leg on a table or chair, I use the stairs.
Bend the leg you are standing on until you feel a little stretch under the thigh of the raised leg. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.
Repeat with your other leg.
I also like to do Sun Salutations for a sore back. Here is a video for you to check out that will show you how to do a Yoga Sun Salutation:
On today’s workout menu I have Les Mills Pump Step as well as getting back on the horse with my running. I know I may not have the best run (I usually kind of stink at it anyhow) but I am going to get out there and do what I can. Hope you all have a fit and healthy day! Time for me to go stretch out this sore back and work on getting my workouts in.
So yes, today was day 1 of 30 days of Les Mills Pump Ultimate Cross Training. On the schedule today was Step. I did not watch the video ahead of time so I was not sure what exactly to expect. Honestly I figured it would be a basic step routine. It was more than that for sure! Step of course began with a warm up, I found that it went through enough of the movements that would be used throughout the DVD to learn proper steps and form while moving through the rest of the workout. The entire thing was pretty intense. My legs are still on fire and I was sweating for over an hour after I finished. Even the cool down was crazy! i had to do a round of yoga afterwards to get my heart rate down and to stretch out my legs, and they are still on fire!! All in all I can not wait until I do it again and to try Combat and Sports Attack! Tomorrow is Flow and I will add some light cardio and maybe some abs on the balance ball or Hard Core Abs (we will see). To sum it up, I had to push to get through it, I wanted to quit at times but I didn’t. Getting through made me feel accomplished and I can see Step making a huge change in my legs and butt.
I want to thank all of you for all your kind words, words of encouragement and complements. It made me feel a little less embarrassed about the pictures. I am too shy about some things. Especially my body so it was nerve-wracking for me to do. Everyone made it easier for me and I love you all for that. Today the Les Mills Pump Facebook Page put up the link to my blog (I posted it yesterday, they re-posted) My blog has had major traffic from that. So now I feel the whole world has seen them so I am over it. LOL!As far as weigh and measure in I did not do one today I am just using my end results from my LMP 90 day challenge it was yesterday so I figure what is the point in a remeasure the next day. I will start posting results each Tuesday again starting next week.
So here is where I stand right now:
It has been decided that if I am going to successfully do The Color Run 5k I should start running outdoors, on the cement. The treadmill was good to get started on but experiencing and getting better a the real thing is probably a good idea. Without the treadmill pulling my feet along lets see how I do today
Today is day 88 of Les Mills Pump, that means two more days to go! It is almost unbelievable that it is this close to the end the 90 days of Round One! Sometimes it surprises me that I was able to stick it through! Hoping my hormones don’t mess with my final weigh in, I know, TMI, but for a few days I am always 10 lbs heavier. I am sure that it will work out fine.
I do not think I will be blogging tomorrow (may squeeze in another today though). I have a wedding to attend. It will be the first time I will be wearing my new dress. So excited. I love dressing up. I have to wash and curl my extensions, get ready, you know the usual. Have to get ready early because the wedding is two towns over. I am sure I won’t be home until the wee hours of the morning. So I will see all of you Sunday!
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Anyhow I bought a bunch of bottoms, a top and a dress without trying on because I just didn’t feel like it at the store. So today I need to try it all on and see if anything has to go back and be exchanged. I still need to find a pair of neutral sandals that I like and a jacket. And another pair of sandals for Emma. Fun, fun.
