Day 22 of 120 Days of Les Mills Pump Finished

8 days until weigh in and 98 days until I am thorough Les Mills Pump and Les Mills Pump Ultimate Cross Training Deluxe. Wow, that is a mouthful to say! Once I am completed I think I am going to treat myself to Les Mills Combat. After looking into most things offered on Beachbody this one appeals to me most right now and is not as extreme as lets say Insanity. Lord knows that lots of people make it through Insanity and even harder stuff like Crossfit but being disabled I just don’t see those things in my future. Don’t take it as me saying the workouts are easy, they are quite a challenge and I am sure that Combat will be tougher than Pump and UCT. But more than likely easier to modify on my “bad” days. Plus I just really like Les Mills classes. I wish they were still offered in my area. My doctor already say no way to the Crossfit, and to other things so I follow the rules. Personally I am not a doctor so I just listen and follow the rules.

Today’s workout was Pump and Burn. Got threw it with no changes in the weight I was pushing today. I tried to up it for the Legs and Back Track but had to readjust down to my original weight. Maybe next week?? Or even next time?? We shall see!

Tomorrow is a rest day but a friend wants to come over and do something. So I am going to go really low impact. Maybe yoga and walking or low impact aerobics? Nothing crazy so I can recover a bit.

Well, dinner is just about done. Roast beef, roasted carrots & onions and brown rice / veggie pilaf. Yum!

 

Feeling like Jello on Day 8 of 120

The workout scheduled for today was Pump and Burn. It is a really enjoyable one due to the lack of lunges. Lunges are my mortal enemy along with my undying need for cheesecake. But avoiding cheesecake is easier than avoiding the lunges.  I don’t have to make or buy cheesecake but many of the Les Mills Pump workouts have lunges and I wouldn’t be trying if I skipped them.

After finishing Pump and Burn half of my body feels like Jello. Typing this feels awkward because my arms don’t want to be held up. I guess they go the burn part right 🙂

As of today I decided I need to be more mindful of my water intake. Some days go great and on others it is like I forget to drink. No more of that! I understand the importance of drinking enough water and have blogged about it in the past, should take my own advice. Even if it was something from over a year ago!

Anyhow to sum it up. Good workout today, need to drink more water and it’s time to hop in the shower so I can go to the fitting for my bridesmaid dress.

Measurements and goals

I am finally getting to the part I hate the most about blogging about weight loss and such. Telling the world just how heavy and round I am and them showing terrible pictures of myself in a sports bra. But accountability is accountability and what is the point of all this if I don’t make my self accountable? There really isn’t a point if I don’t.

So here is my plan. Prepregnancy when I was blogging my weight loss I weighed and measured in weekly. This time around the plan is to do it at the end of every 30 day phase. So every 30 days an updates set of measurements, updated progress photos as well as current weight. The plan was to do it weekly but this time around I just want to do it differently and to stay away from the measuring tape and scale as much as possible. Honestly I am not mentally prepared to put myself out here like this. The will probably be a meltdown as soon as the Publish button is hit.

So here are my stats for the beginning of Phase One:

	Day 1	Day 30	Day 60	Day 90	Day 120
CHEST	36”
WAIST	42.5”
HIPS	45.5”
BUST	42”
NECK	13”
R. FOREARM	9.5”
L. FOREARM	9.5”
R. UPPER ARM	13”
L. UPPER ARM	12.75”
R. THIGH	27.75”
L. THIGH	27.5
R. CALF	15.75”
L. CALF	15.75”
WEIGHT	189.7
BMI	30.6 (obese)
PANT SIZE	14

And the always dreaded and super terrible Day 1 pics:

 

 

My goal for the first 30 days is to lose 5 pounds and 5 inches. But if I lose more that would be great 🙂

Wish me luck

It has been days since I have gotten any sleep, well I should say  more than 2 consecutive hours at night. Is it sad that the thought of getting three hours gets me excited?

Emma won an Adventure Time with Fiona and Cake pre-screening party from http://www.houseparty.com. She is super excited and it is going to be a ton of fun. I am looking forward to it because she is so very excited, I am not excited to entertain 9 kids 7 years old and under when this tired and cranky. Thank goodness I can slap a smile on my face and get through just about anything. I work fairly well when sleep deprived and I know someone is watching. I just need to get my butt up and get stuff done around the house. I have all the party stuff done so it is just cleaning and finishing painting the bathroom. It’s been hanging out 80% finished for a while now, and I would like the painting stuff out of that room before guests come.

On another note I found a 10 minute prenatal yoga video on Pinterest, I called the resident nurse to see if I can get approved to at least do that. I could use a bit more flexibility for labor and it may help with the sciatic, round ligament and fybro pain I have going on right now. Just waiting on a call back. I emailed her the link and she is going to review it when she has time and get back with me.

Wish me luck today. And to all you parents sending your kids here. Don’t worry all my over tired violent thought are focused in one direction so your kids are safe. LOL!!

Carb overload!

Since the beginning of pregnancy I have been haunted by the worst case of morning sickness. Nothing helped, the mass doses of Zofran, Vitamin B, Tums, ginger, nothing! Not too long ago I was given Zantac to add to the Zofran and vitamin b regime and finally some relief  Granted there are good and bad days but there are more good ones than bad now.

Given the fact that the morning sickness was pretty much debilitating and every smell on the planet made it worse there was not much cooking going on in my house. The things I did cook and eat mainly consisted of carbs. Breads, bagels, crackers, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, pancakes. You know everything that is bland and a complex carb. Now we are cooking more and eating a better variety of foods but I find myself constantly drawn to bread and potatoes. This habit really needs to be broken. But I freakin’ love bread and potatoes more than ever right now!!! Why can’t I crave spinach?

I am really trying to get my food intake back on track before the baby comes so it is easier to do. In a couple of weeks I plan on buying a mass amount of food and bagging it up and freezing it for crock pot meals. Then there will be no excuses for not cooking something healthy after the baby comes exhausted or not. I can pour something in the crock pot in my sleep if I need to!

So far at 30 weeks and 5 days there has been a 28 pound gain, most of it is baby bump and I gained what I feel like is a good portion in my thighs. Not too bad but more than I was hoping to gain. I still have a while to go and can potentially gain 1-2 lbs a week. That is another 9 to 18 lbs. Hoping for the smaller number but it is what it is. The weight won’t stick around forever and if all goes well delivery wise I can get back to walking about 2 weeks after and in full swing at 6 weeks. My jogging stroller was purchased months ago and I plan to get a sling for days I don’t want to push a stroller. No excuses!! can’t knock the calorie burning benefits of breastfeeding either!

The fact that everything I no longer fit as I lost before is good motivation to get it done. There will be no purchasing of larger sizes to accommodate my post baby body, I will be stuck in maternity clothes until the 12’s fit! I have to be in a party dress by July and a bridesmaid dress in October. I will look good in them too. There is no choice because I refuse to give myself one. Having a baby will not be an excuse to not get moving and take care of myself. Taking care of myself, being healthy and energetic will make taking care of a baby easier. Plus feeling good about myself and having a good attitude will help cope with any stress.

30 week bump pic, notice the lack of hair? Went and got a “mom” cut! No tiny little fingers torturing me with hair pulling while nursing!

I will be back in this dress for my July event! Promise to myself and to the blogosphere!  The last and only time I ever wore this was in June if I remember correctly. Then I went and got knocked up 🙂

Adventure to Fitness – Interview with a 1st Grader

Emma came home from school yesterday raving about Adventures to Fitness so of course I asked her tons of questions about it. It actually is a really great program. Here is how my little interview with her on Adventures to Fitness went:

Mom: What is it?

Emma: It is a show we watch at school, the characters go places all over the world.

M: So you just watch the show? What do you learn?

E: (makes annoyed hissing sound, rolls eyes at me) No, we play it too.

M: Oh, how do you play it?

E: There is this guy make laze’ but it is pronounced the fancy way because there is a thing over the e. But it is really lazy. He wants the whole world to be lazy. So they go on an adventure to help make people not lazy. We run around and jump and stuff with it.

M: Oh that sounds fun. Do you do that in gym class.

E: No, we do it in Mrs. Sanchez’s class (the class she is in)

M: Awesome so you get to do that and gym. That sounds like fun. Do you learn anything while you play?

E: They learn about places in the world. Today we did one about Egypt. Mr. Laze’ had this necklace that looked like one of those bugs from Egypt. It make everyone be lazy so we had to help get it back so people wouldn’t be lazy. People can’t be healthy if they are just lazy all the time.

M: You are right Emma. People can’t just be lazy all the time.

E: Yeah, it makes you fat.

M: What else is it about?

E: Sometimes it talks about healthy food.

M: Like eating more of it?

E: you make me eat enough vegetables mom.

All in all it sounds like a good program. I like how it is not PE time but extra physical activity for kids during the school day. Emma wants me to find it on TV so we can do it at home but from what I have found it does not come on TV and you must have a school email to access the videos online. Bummer. It sounds like it would be a great Saturday morning activity. Maybe there is something similar out there that can be found.

In this day and age with childhood obesity, too much TV and too many video games some extra get up and go is great for kids and I give kudos to Adventures in Fitness for bringing more physical activity into schools. So many schools have gotten rid of PE, cut recess times or nixed recess all together and there are so many parents who do not encourage kids to get moving. Granted Emma does not spend a ton of time playing outdoors in the winter because my Reynaud’s makes it hard to spend time in the cold we do move things out of the living room and break out the hula hoops, jump ropes and find things to run around and do and she participates in swim most of the winter.

Hoarders = me?

It takes 6 years to fill up 2000 sq feet of house (not including the basement and garage), ONLY 6 YEARS!

Have you ever seen the show Hoarders Buried Alive? You know the lady with so much crap that her house is hazardous and they need shovels, dump trucks a cleaning crew and a therapist to get it cleaned out. Well, lately I have been wondering why no one has ever turned me in to be on that show. How did I end up with so much stuff? Where did it all come from? will you help me clean it all out? Okay, okay, maybe I am being a wee bit over-dramatic, but I feel like a hoarder lately.

Over the past few weeks so much stuff has left the house via trips to the Salvation Army and annoyed sanitation workers. I am not talking a bad or two, I am talking a full SUV and multiple bags at the curb weekly. The worst room in the house was my “office” AKA the room where I shoved everything I don’t know what to do with. It is now a nice, clean and decorated nursery but the process to get there took weeks and a ton of black trash bags. I have been going through the rest of the house and getting rid of anything that I have not used in over a year minus some holiday stuff and some kitchen gadgets I can not let go of. Holy crap! so much work and so much stuff! As of today the entire downstairs will finally be finished and only 2 bedrooms, a closet and a bathroom will be left. My bedroom scares me. I don’t want to go through my clothes. last year after the pounds started to fall off I went through my clothes and donated an entire SUV full to the Underground Railroad. I am talking a full SUV you could not see out a window or sit in the seats and they had a “crew” unload the car. I get attached to clothing so it is the hardest thing to get rid of. Well, when I got rid of Emma’s baby clothes that was harder, every little outfit had a memory. I cried when I packed up that stuff. I had pretty much every piece of clothing she ever owned boxed up in my basement to the tune of over 10 big bins, plus bags and boxes. Those also went to the shelter. I only saved her holiday outfits. Those now hang int he spare room closet. It may sound sad but I still go look at them and touch them. A promise has been made to myself not to hoard all the baby stuff with the new baby and to only save special things. I learned my lesson!

The plus side of getting rid of all the clutter is the fact that the house is looking much neater, and that helps with the current nesting panic I am in. Ahhh nesting. oh what fun. NOT! I got to the point where I have a calendar made up with housework to do in order to get rid of all the clutter and have all of the spring cleaning done in a 30 day period. sticking to it has not been hard. Tomorrow the carpets are being cleaned that would officially make it so everything has been scrubbed floor to ceiling downstairs. Pat has to go out-of-town though so I am going to be stuck here with the carpet guys by myself. I usually never care about that stuff but for some reason I have no desire to be alone in the house with a crew of strange men. Maybe pregnancy has made me paranoid? but that is an entirely different blog post. The second plus is that I am getting some physical activity in. Not as much as I would like but something is better than nothing. Damn I miss being active. I can’t wait to get back on the horse. My legs are packing on the poundage!

12 Reasons to Exercise During Pregnancy

When I talked about getting back to a workout routine once I can do it without getting sick (all day sickness stinks!) people acted like I was a crazy person. I know that rest is a good thing during pregnancy but exercise is as well. Honestly, I think there should be a health balance of rest and exercise during a pregnancy. There are multiple benefits of staying active or getting active during your pregnancy. I am slowly getting back to more activity and it is going well. I think it may be about time to step it up a little bit.

Granted every person and pregnancy is different and I won’t tell you to go out and get moving without the supervision of you OB/GYN. They know what is best for you. I had to wait a while to get the okay to get started with working out again; in all reality during the period I had to wait (for medical reasons) I would not have been able to do anything. All daily activities were hard to do because I was so ill. Now most of my illness is in the evening through the night so during the day there is no reason I don’t try to move a little bit. Now you may be wondering what the benefits of a prenatal workout are so here are a few things I dug up and that my doctor told me.

• Improved posture: The extra weight you gain up front can cause you to have curvature in the spine and cause compression in your back increasing back pain and discomfort
• It can increase strength and stamina and that can help you through labor and delivery
• Enhancement of circulation and flexibility
• Reduced risk of gestational diabetes
• Just an all around feeling of well being
• Can help you sleep better at night
• Calcium absorption can increase
• Fewer varicose veins and stretch marks
• Less risk of abdominal separation
• Your body will bounce back quicker after you deliver
• Stress reduction
• Improved self image

Be sure to consult your physician before you start a workout regimen. Even if you have never worked out in your life starting during pregnancy is still okay for most people and a good idea!

Tomorrow is the Big Race!

Today marks the last day before I become zombie bait! I can’t wait! I am a little scared because the announced that there will be a huge hill to climb as well as rounds of steep stairs to maneuver while being chased by the zombies. So I am sitting here eating my yogurt and wondering. “Am I really ready for this?” Hell no! I am not ready for this race! If I were to be running the entire thing I would die! But I know I can handle a mix of walking and jogging and the doctor has given me the okay to do it

The dreaded hill!

 

I already stated before that the race is not 3.1 miles but 3.5. They announced the huge hill and stairs the other day. And today it was officially announced that there will be 1,140 runners and 443 zombies. That is a lot of zombies per survivor. Let’s say goodbye to my life strips now! Even though the stats are a bit intimidating and I know my strips will be all gone and I will be deemed a zombie at the end I am really looking forward to this. My friends will be there and it is going to be a blast no matter what. I am excited to see how everyone does.

Afterwards there is a awards ceremony, costume contest and concert at the finish. Of course beverages for those who can have them. I think I will bring a thermos of hot tea. I hear fetuses don’t care for beer so much. LOL. I am totally kidding. I know they don’t!

The race shorts are pretty friggin’ sweet!

Today I HAVE to find some running pants and a sweat shirt that will fit me properly. I am kind of kicking myself in the butt for not keeping any of my larger sized clothes from my weight loss. But, their presence could have been a crutch that would make it okay to gain once again. I really can’t say anything bad about my gain now. It’s just what happens when you grow humans. Can’r forget to get batteries for the headlamps either! Can’t race without a flashlight or headlamp.

We are leaving town early in the a.m. and we are all meeting up for breakfast and driving down. There will be plenty of time to grab lunch in GR, check into our hotel, check out the area and head to registration for bib/shirt pick up. I will not be blogging tomorrow but you can look forward to reading all about it after I am back in town.

Have a fantastic Friday and a Super Saturday! Wish me luck! I may not be the best there but I will try my best!

Have a Haunted Halloween Weekend!

A Guide to Vitamins During Pregnancy

Today is Pat and I’s 4 year Wedding Anniversary. Time sure does fly by! So today no long winded blog post. Just a quick infographic on how certain vitamins benefit you and baby during pregnancy. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!