CrAzY Working Mom: exercise

Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

One Week In - My Adventures With Fitbit

Watching the sunrise on a morning walk. Breathtaking!

I posted last week about being discontent in my own skin. I decided to make some changes. One of the major changes included a minor purchase. I began with a Fitbit Charge HR. If you are unfamiliar with the Fitbit and it's benefits, I'll give you a quick run down. This is how Fitbit is described via their website: "When it comes to reaching your fitness goals, steps are just the beginning. Fitbit tracks every part of your day—including activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep—to help you find your fit, stay motivated, and see how small steps make a big impact. Track activity, exercise, food, weight, sleep and more, for real-time information about your day and night. Sync stats wirelessly and automatically from your Fitbit device to your phone or computer" Everything is literally at the touch of your fingers. I can track caloric intake (and it keeps up with how many I'm burning according to my heart rate and steps). I can put in how much water I'm drinking. Oh, and my favorite part is that my Fitbit tells me how well I slept each night. I love that part.

Okay, I realize I'm starting to sound like a commercial and that is clearly NOT why I'm writing this post! I have not been paid a single thing by Fitbit or any affiliates. It's just a product that I have purchased and come to love. I like to share the love. <3

So, today marks a week of my new journey. I have been trying to avoid sugars and carbohydrates. I have averaged 11K steps a day which totals out to 5 miles!!! I am stoked about that. I have been motivated to get up early each day (before sunrise) and get at least half of my 10K goal under my belt. I enjoy the quiet time to listen to music and get my Jesus time in. Since I homeschool my kiddos, time to myself is rare. I do enjoy it. In 7 days, I feel better, I am excited to be moving, and I have shed two pounds. I know that's not much, but if I can do two pounds a week for the next 6 months, I'll be a happy camper.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Week One Wrapped Up

The first full week of Twenty-Eleven has been great for me. I managed to work out 4 days with EA Sports Active 2. I really do love it, but it is surely a work out. I have found that with this program's warm up and cool downs I am much less sore than I was when I worked out with the first EA Sports Active. I enjoy being able to keep up with my heart rate with the heart rate monitor, although with my very last work out it stopped registering. Hopefully it was just a minor glitch and will work fine next time.

Dieting with Weight Watchers new Points Plus has been a bit easier than I thought it would be. Since fruits and (most) veggies are points free now it's harder for me to get all of my points in during the day, especially with my activity points added in. I tried some new recipes and some old favorites. Next week will be even more of a fun challenge!

Since Friday is my official weigh-in day, I thought I would go ahead and step on the scales to record any progress I might have had since Monday. Boy was I ever glad I did! They say that the scales don't lie, but I stepped back on and off for a couple more times just to be sure. Low and behold I had shed 5 pounds in (less than) my first week! What an awesome feeling that was to accomplish!!!

Needless to say the first week of my New Year, New Me program has been fabulous.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

New Year, New Me Day 1

Yesterday I explained how I am working on a new me this year. I am incorporating a lifestyle change including eating healthier and working out. I have really let myself go over the last few months and it is something I really have to work on! I can and WILL lose weight, get healthier, and feel better! I've done it before and I will do it again.

Yesterday was Day One of my new lifestyle. It was a great day in spite of a killer headache. I'm not sure if it was diet related or if it was the PMS fairy visiting. Either way, I managed to keep it under control most of the day. I had to go grocery shopping and I got all of the ingredients I needed for some new dishes as well as some old family favorites that we ate before when we were doing Weight Watchers. The house is fully stocked with LOTS of fresh fruits and veggies. I did find today that I had way too many points left over at the end of the day. As it turns out, fruits and veggies (for the most part) are all points free now so I was trying to find enough things for dinner to make up all of the points I needed. Tomorrow and going forward, I will adjust my menus to compensate for this.

I started the 9 week challenge on EA Sports Active 2. I am excited about this new program as well. I am really digging the new work out format. I love that there is no nun-chuck cord to get tangled up in. The heart monitor totally rocks! I am looking forward to getting back into a work out regimen but not looking forward to the way I will feel the rest of this week. I remember last time I started the EA Sports Active work out, I was so sore from all of the squats, rows, etc that it hurt every time I moved...even squatting on the toilet! Oy!

I did my measurements this afternoon and took some "before" pictures. I have decided not to post them here today because quite frankly I am just not ready. Maybe in the future when I lose some weight I will be able to post them proudly. But, as of now this is the way I look and I'm just not proud so I am not posting them here.

In the mean time, through hard work and lots of dedication I will be working on those "after" pictures!

Happy New Year!!!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Feeling Fit on Friday

I finally gave in and bought the new EA Sports Active - More Workouts for Wii. I have been debating for a couple of weeks now on whether or not I wanted to give it a try. I am SO glad I did. It has been an awesome addition to my diet and exercise plan. I am doing the six week challengeWii Fit Balance Board and so far I'm loving it. I totally dig the warm up and cool down sessions. You do not need to use the wii remote or nun-chuck to do these exercises so you can be more relaxed and at ease while you are cooling down. The only problem I seemed to discover while doing the floor exercises is that my 17 month old daughter wants to come sit on me while I am doing them so it makes accomplishing them a bit more difficult. You can also weight yourself using the so this will help you keep track of your weight in the game in addition to the extra activities you can add and the journal survey. The work outs are more intense and I feel like I am getting much more of a work out than before. I am really hoping that I can step up my weight loss with this new program. Instead of reading relacore reviews or looking for the next best diet pill, I am working out and dieting. Hopefully these lifestyle changes I am making will not only have good results for me, but in teaching my children the new healthy eating habits, it will help them make the right food choices in life as well! I have decided to change my weigh-in day to Friday. I think it will make things easier and less stressful for me to do it this way because I tend to stay on the wagon more during the week than on the weekends. My rest days for the six week challenge are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday so I think things will just be easier for me to weigh in on Friday. My Friday results were good. I have lost 3.5 pounds this week. This brings my total weight loss to 13.5 pounds. I'm so stoked to be losing weight and feeling great!

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Time to Upgrade: Wii Fit Plus or EAS Active More Workouts

Last week was a good week for me. I stayed on the wagon in spite of being "snowed in" with the kids and hubby for three whole days and my wireless router playing out for a few days. Thankfully we did not have any tempting foods here, like chocolate to torment me. Since the first of the year we've traded in our greasy potato chips for baked ones, our candy bars for fiber and protein bars, our sugary sweet snack cakes for fruit, our white bread for whole wheat bread with extra fiber. Well, you get the point. The whole family is going through a transition. The kids have been a bit reluctant with a few things but for the most part, they seem to be adjusting pretty well and hardly notice the difference between 2% milk or low-fat cheese. This is great for me because it means I don't have to buy separate things or cook different meals. It has been fun experimenting with different low-fat recipes.

This week when I stepped on the scales, I was another 2lbs down! This brings my total to 9lbs lost since January 4th when we began our healthy eating lifestyle. I am super excited about the change that my body is going through. I have moved a notch in my belt (a bit tighter) and I have noticed that m pants hang a bit differently on me as well. THAT is the kind of changes I like to see! Numbers on a scale are good because you can see the progress, but to actually feel the progress, that's bliss!

I am still working out using the EAS Active for Wii but I am seriously considering purchasing a new program. I've looked at several message boards for the EAS Active More Workouts ($39.95) as well as the Wii Fit Plus ($19.99). Both seem like great additions to the original work out routine. As for the originals, I always prefer the EAS Active because it has a structured work out. The only downside to it was that I couldn't weigh myself like I did with the Wii Fit. Apparently that has changed with the extension. With the new Wii Fit Plus, you can do customized workout routines, which the previous game lacked. It also has a calorie counter as does the EAS Active. I think that eventually we will probably end up with both games since the kids really do love to play the original Wii Fit. But, for now I am torn between which one to purchase. So, chime in...what are your thoughts on weight loss? What fitness programs do you currently use?

Monday, January 11, 2010

"Weighing In" on Some Things

This post is going to be completely random with no specific target 'cause it's Monday and, well I just don't feel like being composed today! Proceed with caution as you've been warned. ;)

* I have been on Weight Watchers for one week today. I have GAINED 1.5lbs.

* I have been doing the EAS Active for Wii 30 day challenge for one week. I am hoping that this is the reason that I have gained weight. I worked out 6 out of the 7 days last week.

* If you haven't entered to win free pizza, courtesy of Pizza Hut and CrAzY Working Mom, click HERE!

* My Best Friend was diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago and has started a new blog, please go visit Becca and tell her I sent you. Single White Diabetic.

* I found out last week that I am doing the lay-out for my daughter's class in this year's edition of the year book. At first I was worried 'cause I've never done it before. But, then I realized that I am lucky to be able to do something like this for my daughter and her classmates. But, I might need to go snap some more photos. The good thing is that I can do it all from the comforts of my own home. There is a website that I can upload the pictures to! Another mom has already sent me some great shots. One more has promised some. Now, I'm pretty excited about it.

* Emily is doing a bit better with her RSV. She still has a terrible cough, but probably will have for a while. She and Tyler broke out in some sort of rash over the weekend. Tyler's eyes almost swelled shut and his entire body was covered. We thought we were going to have to take him to the ER but, Benadryl did the trick. This morning the rash was gone. My sister has been fighting a similar rash for two weeks. She's been to two hospitals and the doctor twice. They keep telling her there is nothing they can do for her. Supposedly it's viral. I'm not sure if my children are battling the same thing, but it's a high probability, I'm sure.

* Tyler spent the night with his Grandparents on Friday night. He called me and informed me that he wanted to move in with them and just visit us. This was during the day. Saturday night at bed time, he called and said that he wanted to come home!

* I'm not sure how posting your bra colors, hair style, and shoe size on Facebook has to do with Breast Cancer Awareness, but it sure was fun getting comments from people who were out of the loop!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Weight Loss: The slow, hard truth

Since hubby and I are both living a low carbohydrate lifestyle at the moment, we've been eating a TON of beef jerky. I love to keep it around for a snack when I get the urge. I've always had a sweet tooth and it's hard to satisfy that urge on low carb. I do keep around sugar free jello, but it's just not the same as a big ole hunk of chocolate. My kids like beef jerky as well, but there is a new sort of jerky that they love. Pineapple jerky is available online from jerky.com. Yes, you heard me right, a fruit jerky! I did have a few nibbles last night and it is out of this world. If you like pineapple then you've gotta give this stuff a try. Jerky a great snack for traveling. We had a play date Thursday and I threw in a few pieces of this for an afternoon snack and the kids were thrilled when I pulled it out. It's dried pineapple with all it's glorified sweetness with a touch of honey. It's naturally delicious and simply gratifying.

I've lost nine pounds in the last three weeks. I've also logged a fascinating 10 hours on the Wii Fit. I'm super excited about the progress I'm seeing, all be it slower than I am accustomed to. There's something about having three kids and being in your thirties that slows down the weight loss process. Anyhow I'm trudging on with happiness that I am at least seeing some results. Now, I'm off to find some beef jerky to nibble upon. I think I've flung a craving on myself...and since I can't eat chocolate, the jerky will have to do.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Wii Fit - Update

Some of you have asked how I'm enjoying my Wii Fit. The answer is I am loving it!!! Brien snapped this picture of me tonight as I did my work out. Flattering isn't it?! It really has been the answer to my work out woes. Every day I play new games and work outs are unlocked. Today when I worked out, I unlocked boxing which I really loved!! I think it might be my favorite one so far. I was once addicted to Taebo and this takes me back to those days!!! If you're debating on getting the Wii or Wii Fit I will say that it is a great investment. Not only do I love it, but my children do as well. Who needs ellipticals when you have an awesome system like this right at your fingertips?! My only rproblem is that I have to hear, "Is it my turn yet? When is it my turn? Can I play now?" about one thousand, five hundred and sixty two times while I'm trying to get in my measly 30 minutes!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Wii Fit

I splurged yesterday. I stopped by the video game store on the way home and looked around a bit. I asked the salesman if they had any Wii Fits and he informed me that he did, so I am now a proud owner. I didn't get to spend much time on it yesterday, but the body analysis wasn't pretty. Since I have Emily with me all day at the office I can't really join a gym right now, so I thought this was a great temporary alternative. I'm pretty excited about it.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

My Motivation

So this is the motivation that I needed to kick myself into high gear on getting back into shape. There are two piles of pants here. One pile is two sizes too small on me (the larger pile) and one pile is one size too small for me. I want to get back into these pants, one pile at a time. Emily is 10.5 weeks old now. Honestly I have not stepped on a scale since her birth with the exception of the doctor's scale when I went in for a check up. I couldn't tell you what my weight is, but I do know this. The number matters not to me. It's the fact that I'm uncomfortable in my own skin. I feel self conscious when I put on a pair of tight fitting, low rise jeans. I want to feel good about myself again. I loved my body when I was working out three times a week. and that wasn't very long ago. I am certain that I can regain this self confidence although I know it will take lots of hard work on my part. It's work that I am willing to do without even the best diet pills. It'll take help, though. I am going to have to talk to my MIL to see if she can keep Emily for an hour a day while the older kids are at school so that I can go back to my work out regimen. Hopefully my sister is going to be able to join with me and we'll work out together. Either way, I am going to change.

CrAzY Working Mom

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