TurboFire: Day 18

Things are plugging along nicely and I'm getting further into the groove of my daily workouts. Unfortunately my knee is still hurting; however my foot feels better so that's a plus. I should try and look for my old knee brace though.

Another good Stretch 40 today; I think I'm further improving my plank and the amount of pushups in good form I can do :) A few of the moves bothered my knee though because it was pressing into the floor so I tried to modify a little. Because of my trip to North Carolina on Friday I am going to have to designate my travel day as my rest day, even though my rest day has always been on Saturday. I'm also going to have to move my next week's rest day up as well to next Monday instead of next Saturday since that's also a travel day. I don't like having rest days so close together but what can ya do - I'm going to be in the car for about 15 hours on those days.

I'll be back on here next week to report how managing TF while taking a massive road trip went! I am determined to not derail myself.

TurboFire: Day 15

Today marks exactly two weeks ago that I began TF and halfway through my portion of Prep Schedule. I had a good Stretch 40 workout on Friday and enjoyed my rest day yesterday, but my left knee has been a little sore for a few days. I'm not sure why...maybe bad form, maybe overworking it. I was still able to do a really good Fire 45 EZ/Stretch 10 today. It went MUCH better than last Sunday. I really struggled with it last week and had to stop it like 3-4 times to catch my breath. I only stopped it once this time. I still have to do some of the modifications towards the end because I'm so tired I can barely lift my legs up. This time I didn't do the 'new to class' option either and it was fine...except for the damn final combo. I don't know what it is about the last combos but they seem much more complicated than all the previous ones. I definitely had an improvement though today and I felt terrific afterwards.

I keep reading that chocolate milk is one of the best things to eat/drink after a hard workout (at least for weight lifting/strength training) because it helps you burn more fat and replenishes what you lost or something. I have been drinking my iced coffee with milk thing after every workout for the past 5 days and it works much better than when I drank it pre-workout. I'm still trying to figure out the best things to eat before my workouts that will give me energy. I usually have to wait at least an hour to an hour and a half after I eat breakfast before I workout because I will get really crampy otherwise. However, I've noticed that waiting this long causes me to be hungry right before my workout, sometimes almost to the point of shakiness because my blood sugar is so low, which is no fun because then I had to eat again, then wait to digest again before working out. I'm hoping that when I get Shakeology in a few months that that will solve this issue. So in the meantime I'll keep experimenting until I find what I need pre-workout.

Doing alright with my calories too. My roommates brought home some homemade meatballs, cheesy potatoes, and some cake and I really really wanted some. I had calories left so I made a small bowl. It made me nervous because I didn't know how many calories was in it but I tried to be judicious in my serving size. The longer I go counting calories the more I don't want to derail myself. I don't think I overdid it though. It made me think what's the point in doing all this if I can't feel ok to indulge once in a while in something not-so-good for you? Are three mini-meatballs and small scoop of cheesy potatoes going to mess up everything I've done for the past two weeks? I'm not trying to be a professional body builder or anything, but I do want to get into great shape. I'm sure there are people that would say to stay away from that stuff completely, and I'm sure there are people that would say it's ok to indulge once in a while but always in moderation. For me, I just want to have balance, and that's going to take a while to figure out.

I'm also trying to plan two days worth of food for when I'm driving to and home from North Carolina, since I will be in the car for pretty much the whole day. I bought bananas and apples and some Zone bars, and might make a sandwich or something for the drive down. Hopefully we can find some healthy-ish fast food for when we have to stop. I'm already feeling a little anxious about missing a few days of workouts. I'm intending to not miss any while I'm down there, but I might have to since we pretty much are going to be packing/driving all day and night. I should at least make sure that my calories are ok on those days.

I'm contemplating getting a free online coach for my program. I think it might help with all the questions I'm having at least about the nutrition aspect. My friend's husband invited me to join his team and I'm definitely thinking about it.

TurboFire: Day 12

Fire 30/Stretch 10 today - I was proud of myself because I was able to follow most of the moves without using the "new to class" version. Woop woop. However, I had to pause a few times to get my energy back up. Maybe that's counterintuitive but it felt right at the time. I was dripping with sweat when I was done. Excited for Stretch 40 tomorrow!

Today I got a double dose of quinoa: in my salad and in burgers we made for dinner tonight. Delish! I didn't eat that much today (on accident) even though I was hungry. However, tonight was the first night since counting calories that I actually felt full. Almost stuffed, even, and didn't break the calorie bank either. It feels good to still have a decent amount of calories left yet tonight. But I won't bore you with any more details on what I'm eating or not eating. Also though - I think I further perfected the ice coffee I mentioned earlier. Now I'm using about 1/2 cup of espresso (double what I used before), 2 packets of sugar substitute, and about one cup of fat free milk. Even lower in calories and higher in sweet coffee flavor. I'm a happy girl :)

Had a good day today - got a few new clients scheduled at work and bought a nifty appointment book. I'm getting excited as it's only one more week until I go help Joe move from North Carolina back to Michigan. I've already started packing ;) It's almost the weekend, and almost halfway through TF prep schedule!

TurboFire: Day 11

Today was Core 20/Stretch 10...a pretty light workout by any means. Core 20 wasn't that bad, at least for the first 10 minutes but I did struggle with finishing it out. Stupid poopy abs. They've got to be in there somewhere. It was mostly using the orange resistance band. I really tried to push myself. It's harder for me to get into the strength training workouts as much as the cardio sometimes because I always feel like I should be doing cardio, although I know both are important. I'm glad that tomorrow is a cardio day, and tomorrow marks one week down of calorie counting. We'll see how much longer I can keep that up...the TF handbook talked about needing to intake more calories as you progress in the program because you're burning so much that it's dangerous to keep it that low. So they basically say when you start to get to the more intense stuff you actually have to eat more, which is fine by me. Since I wasn't even planning on counting calories in the first place, I think I might just do it while on the prep schedule since the workouts aren't that intense yet (I mean they are, but the frequency of the intense workouts isn't as often as they're going to be), and I can get my deficit in via food versus exercise. Tomorrow is Fire 30/Stretch 10 which so far seems like the perfect length for a work out so it should be good.

TurboFire: Day 10

Today's workout was new - I thought I had done it before but I definitely hadn't. It was Sculpt 30 and it was crazy as usual. It sucked, but in a good way I suppose. My muscles were hurting so bad. It was pretty much focused on upper body strength using the orange resistance band with the handles. I'm probably going to be really sore tomorrow. I wasn't able to do all the reps but I at least got a feel for the positions and stuff. Hopefully by the time the next rotation comes around for this workout I will be able to do more reps.

In other news, apparently Paula Deen is finally coming out and saying that she has Type II diabetes. Not a huge surprise. I used to really like her cooking show but her recipes are not something that can really fit into every day life because of how unhealthy they are. However, there is something to be said for some down home cooking from time to time if only for a special occassion or holiday if you know you're not going to be solely responsible for the leftovers. I could not be trusted ;)

I was just telling Sayre about the mental shift I think I'm having about calorie counting. I'm still focused on counting the actual numbers and anticipating what I can still fit in to eat, but I'm shifting more and more towards not thinking as much about food. I notice that when I sit down to eat, it's more for fueling my body and staving off hunger rather than out of boredom or having a craving or the freedom to eat whatever I feel like. Luckily, my operating out of "what I feel like" hasn't been overly disastrous or unhealthy, as evidenced by not being heavier than what I actually am. It's just been interesting to see myself have a different kind of relationship with food for the moment. It's there to fuel me so that I can make it through my workouts. It's there to fill up my stomach so I can sleep at night. Since these are my motivations, I have had to make different food choices - things that have higher fiber and protein rather than carbs (and I'm a carb girl). It hasn't even been a full week yet since I started counting but I'm already starting to forget what it was like to allow myself to have free reign over the kitchen cupboards. Even though it's not fun and is sometimes inconvenient, I'm surprised I haven't missed some of my old food more (even though I do miss it some), and if anything calorie counting is getting me to slow down a little more and connect what I eat to how my body feels. I think that's a good thing.

TurboFire: Day Nine

Great Stretch 40 today - I do feel myself limbering up some. I'm getting a little stronger and doing better plank form too. I wish I had a big mirror downstairs to see how my form looks but I told Joe today that that will be his job when he comes home :) I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my back foot when I'm in warrior pose though; it's a really uncomfortable position for it and I can't seem to keep it anchored. I think I have done almost all the workouts on the prep schedule so I probably won't be commenting too much on what I thought of them each day, so as not to bore myself or whoever is reading. When I start the regular schedule I'm sure I'll have a bit to say about the HIIT workouts.

Anyway, two wonderful food-related things happened today that I will share because I'm pretending you asked:

1. I made the absolutely most delicious, low calorie iced coffee of my life! Cold coffee beverages are my vice and I will never give them up. I've played around before with some DIY recipes for frappuccinos and iced coffees and none of them were very good and none of them I ever made again. There is one potentially good recipe on thepioneerwoman.com that involves cold brewing but haven't really gotten around to getting the supplies for that. However, I was on youtube last night and came across a recipe that didn't look that special but the reviews were really good, including something about how they put it side by side with an actual Starbucks iced coffee and no one could tell the difference. So today I played around with that recipe and it was amazing. Here's my recipe, that I adapted from video:

2 oz hot espresso (which I had help making because I have no idea how to use the espresso maker)
3 packets of Sweet 'n Low
1.25 c. milk (I had 1/2%)
1 small capful of vanilla extract (probably 1/2 tsp)

I combined all the ingredients and had it in my cool plastic to-go cup with a straw over ice. Calorie count: ~125. I will probably be making this every single day. Next time I think I will use a little more espresso but I wanted to be conservative on the first try.

2. I made quinoa salad today and it turned absolutely beautiful. Here it is, in all its vegan glory:



High in protein and low in fat, I can eat this stuff all day long. Cheers to my Dad, who introduced me to quinoa about 5 years ago with this recipe, which I've adapted over and over to make many delicious combinations.

TurboFire: Day Eight

Today began Week 2 of my program. Today's workout was Fire 45 EZ and Stretch 10 again which I did I think last Wednesday. I found myself running out of energy about around the 22 minute mark, and it disappointed me since I feel like I made it through pretty good last time. I think I needed to eat a little more beforehand since it had been several hours since I had eaten breakfast. I had half a Zone bar before the workout but I think I needed a little more. The good news is that I used my new inhaler before working out and I had absolutely no wheezing!! I'm SO happy about that. I'm going to keep using it to make sure it's working but I'm glad that I won't have to suffer through it anymore. Anyway, the workout was really tough and I felt like I was moving super slow. I literally almost started crying a few times - half because I was mad that I wasn't in shape enough to keep up with the instructor and half because I was in actual physical agony. I started to give into my tiredness so I paused it and walked around for a few minutes psyching myself back up to finish it as strong as possible. That helped, although the final combo is still way too hard. I think I'll be working on that one for a LONG time - even though I've done the "new to class" option every time. After I finished my workout and ate and showered, I felt SO good. I wonder if I had a bunch of endorphins still floating around in my brain. I felt really calm and relaxed. I'm really glad that tomorrow is Stretch 40 again and will be able to follow up today with yoga.

Calorie counting is going well today, made even better by a successful Meijer trip to get some new goodies. I was excited to make this healthy chicken pot pie I found yesterday and it could have been amazing if not for my two huge mistakes. Fail #1: I added entirely way too much pepper and it's too spicy for my taste. Pot pie should not be spicy. Fail #2: I used leftover Filo dough that's been taking up room in the freezer thinking that it was the same thing as puff pastry, and it turns out the two are NOTHING alike. So, the best part of my pie (the crust) is terrible and is pretty much still raw. However, the filling did turn out well and had great flavor before I added the pepper. I hate when I work so long on cooking something and it turns out bad. All the blood, sweat, tears, and money spent on ingredients. I'm pretty disappointed since I was planning on having the leftovers every day this week because I knew how many calories it was and it has lots of protein (which I hoped would mitigate my hunger issue). I'm still going to eat it every day until it's gone, I just won't be excited about it. Sigh...lessons learned.

I did however get some of my favorite new healthy snacks including unsweetened flavored applesauce and sugar free Snack Packs. Plus, I found a nice bag of quinoa that I didn't think I was going to be able to find there. It was really expensive($10) but luckily I remembered at the checkout that I had an old Meijer giftcard I recently found in my room for exactly $10. I'm excited to redeem myself from today's follies by making quinoa salad tomorrow!

TurboFire: Day Seven - Rest Day

So today is a rest day and I decided not to go to the pool and just tried to be active instead. I spent a while hand-shredding two bags full of old bills and papers and then was productive with my roommate Sam and took 3 months worth of recycleables to the recycling center. I also shoveled the driveway for a bit. The snow is pretty today, and on days like this where it's not too cold I don't mind winter. This was the view of the backyard when I got up today and had my coffee:



I'm a couple of days into tracking calories but am struggling a bit with not wanting to eat because I don't want to use up all my calories too quick. I've also definitely experienced more hunger since tracking calories, probably because now with a reduced intake I'm going to have to change what foods I eat and maybe eat a little more for fuel rather than taste. I've never tracked calories before because I thought that I would be too focused on it and that that would be all I thought about. I'm finding myself pretty focused on it right now but am hoping that it's because tracking is brand new to me and eventually it will be an easier habit. Once I get some good meal/snack ideas going that will fill me up without sacrificing too many calories, I think it will become a lot easier. I'm still doing 1500/day right now but I have gone over every day so far. I don't know whether to bump it up another 100 calories to quell the guilt I have about going over or figure out some better snack options that will leave me feeling more satisfied. I hate being hungry and feeling like I'm not allowed to eat. TurboFire is based on a 1500 calorie/day intake and I want to stick as close to the program as possible. I think the hunger thing will be a lot better too when I get my sleep patterns under control because I know the only reason why I'm feeling hungry at night is because I'm staying up way too late. I stay up late because I get up late and vice versa. I hate it, and I am working on reversing this self-defeating cycle. Unfortunately, since I'm still wide awake late at night I pretty much have to eat because I can't fall asleep if I'm hungry anyway - but I've been trying not to which only makes me fall asleep even later and thus continuing the cycle. The other night I was tossing and turning for 2 hours until around 3:30 am I finally decided to get up and have a glass of milk to make my stomach stop rumbling and keeping me up. I did the same thing last night too and had a Fiber One bar at 2 am. This is where most of my extra calories come from. Today I woke up significantly earlier than I have this past week despite still going to bed really late (2 am). I set my alarm and actually made myself wake up, so hopefully I will be tired earlier tonight.

I'm feeling grateful that so far my mind hasn't rebelled against the discipline I've introduced re: food and exercise. I know it's only been a week, but I haven't really had any moments yet where I had a mental battle with myself over doing any part of my program. I'm pretty scared of having those ambivalent feelings, since I'm sure they will come at some point, because I don't want it to derail me - I've let it derail me every time before. I've had a lot of excuses and I've given up too easily. A healthy dose of discipline may bring out the best in me and for the first time ever I'm excited for the challenge of "just how disciplined can I be?" I know my results rely on me and only me, and it feels like I'm understanding this on another level this time around. I've never had motivation like this before nor have I had the hope of actually getting the body, health, and strength I never thought would be possible, and it's a really energizing state of mind to have. It's wierd, because in my field of work I've been studying behavior change for the past year and a half, and one of the key things I have to understand about my clients is that they have to believe that they are capable of changing in order to actually change. That seems pretty obvious, but I think I just realized that on an unconscious level, I believed I couldn't change. I believed that I was a person who didn't have what it takes to change. Only recently have I begun challenging these thoughts and engaging in a little more metacognition. Apparently, I'm the ONLY person that thought I couldn't change - so didn't it make sense to challenge this belief? To take the "I can change" statement and try it on for size? Buy into it, believe it? See how it feels? See how life might look differently through these glasses? And it's not so much that I didn't think I could exercise or live a generally healthy lifestyle - I already had been doing at least half of that - it's that I have always doubted my ability to voluntarily commit. To stick with it when I didn't feel like it. I'm still working on challenging my self-defeating thoughts and beliefs. It's hard because they've been with me a while, and these thoughts are also more habits I need to change. So, right now I'm trying on the "I believe in myself" pants every day. The fit is still pretty snug, but I'm hoping that I will grow into them comfortably in time.

Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about discipline and how I have had so little of it in my life. The absence of discipline breeds self-enabling and then makes it all the more likely to avoid anything requiring discipline. I want to learn how to commit to a goal, by any means necessary. I want to accept that I am capable of so much more than I have previously believed. So right now, while my motivation is hot I should try and think of same ways to combat the feelings and things that could be triggers for quitting. Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the last of my rest day and look up some good recipes to make this week and create a grocery list for tomorrow. I found some really good recipes on the Cooking Light youtube channel and a few other sites that I'm excited about. Tomorrow starts Week 2!

TurboFire: Day Six

Today at work I was told that it takes approximately 30 days of repeated behavior to create the neuropathways that lead to new habits. Today marks my first week (6 days, really, since tomorrow is a rest day) of my new behaviors. It's been a really positive week and I'm feeling good. I was also introduced to this app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal and it's got a really cool way to track your daily calories (thanks Latoya!). I'm still trying to calculate how many calories I should intake every day while doing TF because you need some kind of defict to drop weight. There's a little equation thing in one of the booklets that came with TF so that you can calculate how many calories to intake during each week of the program but it doesn't apply it to the prep schedule, so I'm not sure. Maybe 1500 or so? That's kind of what I'm shooting for right now but I may have to bump it up a little when I get to the regular schedule and am doing the more intense cardio more often. I'm trying to resist the urge to dive into the regular schedule instead of staying on the prep schedule, because I still think it's best to get my body conditioned for at least a month before hitting it high-impact. It does make me a little anxious or restless to have days where I'm not working out as "hard" as the regular schedule would mandate, but I'm trying ot tell myself that if I'm really shooting for a lifestyle change then there's no hurry. I guess I'm just ready and anxious to do the work that will drop the weight as soon as possible. I'm also trying to tell myself that rest days are necessary, but I have the time to work out tomorrow and don't want to waste time so I'm trying to decide how I want to spend my rest day. Maybe no TF but laps at the pool instead? Not sure yet.

Tonight was Stretch 40 again and I could really tell a difference in my flexibility this time with a few of the moves, especially this one:



I really like this pose (downward dog split) because we push into it straight from another pose and it feels soooo good and you can engage your core. It makes me feel strong. I was able to lift my leg higher and keep it there longer today. The meditation part at the end was also lovely again and I was feeling really calm and peaceful when we were done. While Stretch 40 isn't a huge calorie burn, it definitely has it's benefits.

P.S. - Does anybody have any good healthy recipes or meal ideas for lunches? I'm pretty burned out of Lean Cuisines and all that frozen stuff. Comment and let me know!

TurboFire: Day Five

I had a really hard time sleeping last night, I'm not sure why. I worked out at around 6 pm so it's not like it was even close to bedtime. I ended up falling asleep around 3:30-4 am unfortunately. Maybe it's because now that I'm exercising I'm just bursting with energy? Hehe it could be. I've definitely felt a lot more peppy this week. Today I woke up and my back was a bit sore, but it went away as the day carried on. I was secretely grateful that tonight's workout was Core 20 and no intense cardio tonight, even though I know I would have done it just the same. Saturday is a rest day for me so that will give my body some time to catch up. I was thinking about seeing if the pool at the Jr. High near my house is open Saturday afternoon so I can at least get some activity in. Anyway...Core 20. You should know that I absolutely HATE working out my core, probably because it's so weak and I have little to no muscle in that region. Whenever I do crunches (which is about, meh, once or twice a year) it gets uncomfortable because I can feel my belly fat squeezing against its own folds. Sorry if that was graphic. I also tend to get some back pain when working my core - probably because I'm using back muscles instead of the weakling ab muscles to help me through the moves. So tonight was a good opportunity to start making progress in getting my core strong and tight. I've noticed that I tend to move around easier in general and my body doesn't feel so heavy when I've just worked out my abs. Most of tonight's workout involved the orange jumper-cable look alike resistance bands. These things are REALLY resistant. My arm gets a workout just from holding the resistance. Anyway, there were some interesting moves that I've never seen before that definitely worked you out well. I let out some pretty devastating moans. I have to admit that I couldn't keep up during a few of them and I had to rest a few times but I'm determined to be able to keep up and have good form by the end of this 120 days. The hardest move for me was probably being in plank position and lifting up and holding in place your opposite leg and arm (i.e. your left arm is lifted up in the air while your right leg is lifted off the ground, all the while maintaining basic plank form). I just about toppled over the first time I tried it. In all, it was a nice quick core workout that I'm glad I won't have to see again for a while but nonetheless appreciate it's presence in my rotation of workouts. Since TF is largely cardio-focused I'm under no illusions that I'll be able to do this in 120 days:



However, it would be awesome.

TurboFire: Day Four

So even though I originally planned on just doing a week of TF prep schedule, I think I'm actually going to do at least 30 days, for a couple of reasons:

1. I really want to make sure I don't injure myself, since I have a history of knee problems - mostly my right knee. I've done physical therapy with it before. I think that doing the prep schedule for a least a month will warm up my muscles and strengthen them so that I can do the high intensity jumping stuff during the regular TF schedule. I don't want to have to modify everything on the regular schedule if I can avoid it.

2. I want to experience most of the workouts and practice them for a while to learn the moves well so that I can completely dive right in with the regular schedule and not waste time pausing the dvd and trying to get the combos. I want to feel pretty comfortable with all the routines before really hitting it hard.

3. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with my cat allergy. Last night I worked out in the new setup I created in the basement - where the cats really don't go - hoping that I would wheeze less or not at all. While I love my new setup (and new yoga mat that I got in the fitness section at Marshall's for $12.99), unfortunately the wheezing really acted up again after about the first 10 minutes of Fire 30, which is mostly just the warm up and part of the first combo. I had to pause the dvd a few times to try and get a deep breath in, and even then, I really couldn't get it go away. It sucks because I wasn't even really physically tired, and it stinks knowing that under normal circumstances I could have given a LOT more to the workout. I'm determined to not let this be an excuse for me (since it used to be) to exercise at home; however, I don't want to hurt myself or get into a situation where I literally can't get ANY breath in. I contacted my doctor today to ask her about possibly getting an inhaler to use just while working out. I hope that works. If not, I might just have to suck it up and modify the workouts and just cope with the fact that it's hard to breathe during them. Is that being stubborn or stupid? I don't know.

So anyway, my program will end up being around 120 days total instead of 90, because I didn't know that the prep schedule was an option. The full prep schedule is actually 9 weeks long but I don't want to wait that long to do the regular schedule so I'm planning on doing 4 weeks (30 days). Also, here is a beautiful picture of my new fabulous yoga mat (extra long, too -I think it's about 70 in.) and my workout space in the basement:



Sayre and I did Fire 30 down there last night and we both had adequate space to move around. Let me know if any of you wants to come over and work out with me!! I love working out with buddies. I plan to make Joe do some of it with me especially Stretch 40, since it's yoga and Joe likes yoga :) I also want to check out East Lansing Hot Yoga sometime this winter, maybe in place of Stretch 40 or on a rest day.

Now onto today's workout: Fire 45 EZ/Stretch 10. I made sure to set out my workout clothes before I went to work today so that I'd be sure to have no excuses (even though I'm still feeling pretty motivated.) The extra measure doesn't hurt, right? I am working out immediately after work today instead of my usual morning or late night because I want to see if the wheezing is any different after being out of the house for a while instead of being in the house the whole day and then working out. And indeed I think it helped! I barely wheezed at all during this workout, which was great because it was also a longer workout. I felt like I was able to give a lot more and even had more energy to use more of the muscles in my core to support the moves. I really liked the warm up and the first few combos, but by the last one I was actually really tired and the balls of my feet were sore from jumping around. The last combo was really complicated for me and it's definitely going to take some practice. I ended up just doing some simple jabs and a few other moves during the combo because it was going to fast - but hey! At least I was still moving. I was surprised at how quickly I actually caught onto the first two combos though. My body is only a little sore from my workouts this week but it kind of feels refreshing. I have already noticed an increase in energy and I've only been working out for 4 days. Success is mine!

TurboFire: Day Three

Wow.



These things are the devil. But in a good way.

Today's workout from the prep schedule was Tone 30, which again, I thought wouldn't be that bad since it wasn't "cardio" again. And of course again, I was wrong. This workout used both the stretchy green resistance band and these upper body resistance cords or whatever their given name is. This was definitely a challenging workout, but I'm excited to continue doing it so that I can experience my progress and be able to keep up with the reps better. There were a few moments where I had to pause the dvd in order to get situated with the bands and positions, and I had to pause it to go put shoes on since there were some positions where I had to step on the band and it started digging into my foot. This was definitely a good workout though and it worked parts of my arms/shoulders that I usually neglect (not sure what the actual muscles are called though). A few of the positions felt a little awkward and it looked like on the dvd that the instructor's cords were longer than mine but oh well. I'm hoping my form will improve the more I do it. It was super hard but it felt really good - haven't felt the burn like that in a LONG time. There were points where it hurt so bad that I was first cussing, then whimpering, and then laughing. I'm thinking that I might do Fire 30 again today even though it's not on the schedule, but I'm excited because I cleaned part of the basement today and created a nice workout space. I just have to bring my tv and dvd player down there. I made a few mini-posters with some fitness-inspiring quotes on it to keep me motivated. I'll post a pic when it's all set up. I think I might go look for a reasonably priced yoga mat today too. Yippee skippee!

TurboFire: Day Two

Today concluded Day Two of TurboFire using the prep schedule. Today's workout was Stretch 40, which I thought would be easy because it's not "cardio" but I was definitely wrong. Stretch 40 is mostly stretching and yoga and is supposed to help you increase your flexibility so that you can do better and not hurt yourself while doing the other high intensity workouts. I really like yoga a lot, although some of it is really really hard especially if you're a beginniner like me. However, I really like the way it makes me feel when I'm all done. She includes a short meditation/guided imagery-type exercise at the very end and I was so relaxed that when I got up I almost felt drunk. I was probably a little dehydrated though. Also, I was pleasantly surprised because some of the positions were so hard that I felt like I was actually doing cardio because I had to breathe so hard to keep the position. I like that I felt my muscles burning because that's how you know they're building. In all, it was a great workout and a great use of my time.

Also, just wanted to share something that I totally made up the other day and is now my new favorite breakfast meal. I'm somebody that has to eat some protein - eggs and such in the morning otherwise I will get hungry again in like an hour and end up consuming more calories throughout the day. It makes me sad because I looove cereal, but the only one that will fill me up is Kashi and I get burned out of that from time to time. But, my new creation includes two whole-grain toaster waffles with sauteed bananas and sugar-free syrup. Here's the ingredients and what you do:

2 multigrain/whole grain frozen toaster waffles
1/2 T. butter substitute like Smart Balance or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1 Banana (any size, but I use medium ones)
2-3 T. sugar free breakfast syrup


Toast 2 multi-grain or whole grain waffles in a toaster. Melt a small pat of your butter substitute over medium-high heat in a small saucepan and peel and slice your banana. After the butter is melted toss in the banana slices - it should be sizzling a little bit. Let them soften for a couple of minutes, just so they start breaking down a little. Retrieve your waffles from the toaster and put them on a plate. Elegantly dump your banana mixture over the waffles. Top with 2-3 T. of sugar-free syrup and EAT! It's really delicious. You could also melt some organic all-natural peanut butter instead of syrup, but it would increase the calories. This filled me up for about 3 hours, and I even did Tone 30 during that time. Wooha!

TurboFire: Day One

Guess what arrived in the mail this weekend?





TURBOFIRE!!


Last night I completed Day One of TurboFire. I decided to do the prep schedule, which they recommend for people who don't currently work out much, for about a week at least first off because I don't want to blow anything out and not be able to work out like I want to this winter/spring. Even though I really want to jump in and do the regular schedule, I think it's rather prudent of me to step back and ease my body into workout mode gradually.

Sayre did it with me and it was pretty hilarious. We were cracking up because the instructor (Chalene Johnson) goes SUPER fast with these crazy punch-kick-jump combos to all the sounds of your favorite new jack swing hits including a dizzying remix of Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step." It was awesome. We did the "new to class" option on Fire 30/Stretch 10. To be honest I definitely struggled to keep up with the moves and combos. She does break the sequences down, but it's still pretty quick and I had a hard time encoding the sequences into my memory and then employing them on rapid fire. I think though that the more you do the workouts, the more you pick up and then eventually memorize all the moves and combos. That's the only thing I felt frustrated with, since I don't feel like I was able to fully participate and get everything out of the workout because half the time I was just kind of flailing around trying to keep up. BUT...I have to say, since I did read a few negative reviews of TF based on this inability to catch on to the moves, flailing is still moving and moving is still exercising, which is a huge improvement from what I was doing before I was flailing, which was nothing. I think I will probably have to do the "new to class" option for all of the workouts for the first few weeks and maybe even pause the dvd to try and practice and memorize the moves. I think it will eventually be great and I'm excited to get to a point where I can keep up with everything. The other thing that frustrated me was that my cat allergy began to flare up the harder I was breathing, which makes me wheeze and not be able to breathe very well. I wasn't actually that tired or winded from the workout itself, but more because I was having difficulty breathing the more effort I put into it. I'm hoping this problem can be solved by moving my workouts into the basement where the cats rarely go. I think I will try to set an area up downstairs later today.

I really enjoyed Stretch 10 as well, it was just some nice stretching and stuff to some soothing music to bring your heart rate down. Some of it felt yoga-esque which I really like. I did some stretches that I've never done before which made it unboring so that was cool too.

So, even though I felt like I couldn't keep up with the moves and was having difficulty breathing, I still felt the burn and it felt awesome. It's a really fun workout and I can tell that it's probably really effective. We turned on the sound system too to get the full effect. I'm looking forward to continuing!

Health and Fitnesss Goals

Well hello there.

Welcome to my little corner of the internet. I was trying to think of some witty introductions for this but I won't waste time trying. I have decided to finally get myself in gear and commit to a workout regimen in order to lose the 15-ish pounds I put on during grad school. My weight has been up and down a little bit since undergrad. I have lost weight before and kept it off, but unfortunately it crept back on again sometime in the fall/winter of 2009-2010. I lost about 8 or so pounds earlier this spring (the unhealthy way, unfortunately, via stress), but put regained a few since. I have known that I probably needed to drop some weight for a while but simply wasn't bothered enough by it's presence until recently and I don't know why. But I'll take it. It's not too often that I'm feeling motivated for working out but I am right now since I have some down time in life. My goal is to begin a fitness program now and create a routine for myself so that when my job picks up more I will already have a routine in place and hopefully be so used to it that I can't bear to go a day without. Everyone's dream, right?

I took the liberty of using an old sewing measuring tape to take a few measurements of the ol' bod so I can see my progress and also enlisted my best pal Sayre to take a few horrifying 'before' photos. You know it's a real friend when they're willing to capture you exposing the what's left of all your self-indulgent glory. Here is my starting point:

Waist: 31.5 in
Thigh: 24 in
Hips: 38.25 in
Belly: 36 in
Butt: 41 in
Arms/Bicep: 11 in
Weight: 154 lbs
Height: 5 ft. 7 in

My body frame is probably "average" or "medium build." I manage to gain most of my weight in my midsection and thighs. Even though I hate battling belly bulge like a lot of people, I'm lucky in that at least my arms look relatively in shape and that belly flab is easily concealable for the most part. I have been battling the pot belly for more years than I can remember. I have worked out and spent months at the gym without any success in really attacking the flabbage. So, I had pretty much chalked it up to genetics as being the reason why I have to be stuck with the spare tire, except for now: I have a renewed sense of faith in my ability to gain the results I want. Right now I am in a good spot to easily say to myself everyday that 'I have no excuses," almost quite literally. There is no reason why I couldn't or shouldn't be working out every single day. I discovered a program that I think combines what results I am going for with what kinds of exercise will keep my interest and I am super excited to begin. It's called TurboFire and it just maybe exactly what I need so long as I commit myself to it daily. It's designed to be about a 90 day program of intense cardio with a little bit of toning/strength training. There is a diet/nutrition guide along with it, but I am not going to do it. I'm a pretty decent healthy eater about 90% of the time (just not when I go home to my parent's house - that's the only place I can access Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips and various other goodies.) I am just going to continue watching what I eat, listening to my body and eating only when hungry, and continuing to make healthy choices.

So, not only am I doing this for vanity reasons (who doesn't want to look their best?), but of course for health and wellness reasons (I want to sleep better, have more energy, feel better mentally and physically, have peace knowing that I'm not neglecting or abusing my body, fight against disease, etc.). One additional reason why I am committing to this 90 day program is because I have a pattern of giving up too easily. I don't know what discipline is because I always back out when it gets too hard or inconvenient, and that's not how people grow. So I am challenging myself to stay the course even if/when it gets too hard. I am trying to redefine what the term "hard" means to me, because I know I can take a lot more than I allow myself. So in essence, I am trying to change my mind to help change my body. I want to see myself not only as a physically and mentally fit person, but as someone who is capable and empowered to do the work that creates and sustains being a physically and mentally fit person.

What are my goals, you say? My goal is to lose about 15 pounds in 90 days, bringing me down to 139-140 lbs. I want to decrease my pant size from an 8/10 to a 6. I'm trying to tell myself that it's more important to lose inches over pounds but I can't help it, I have been socialized and media-lized to be fixated on the number. However, I really do want to lose about 15 lbs because I truly think I have that much I could lose. I really want to lose actually closer to 20 pounds, but the program suggested I start out with smaller goals (5 pounds at a time, every 30 days), which means 15 pounds in 90 days. I will take inventory at the end of the 90 days.

Before I further conclude, let's review what I have been talking about, using social science terms I learned in grad school so I can feel intelligent:

Problem: Semi-overweight, inactive, unhealthy, lacking energy, and negative things that come as a result of this...
Goal: To lose 15 pounds in 90 days, building muscle, strength, energy; and other associated positive things including looking good working out only in a sportsbra and shorts, which may or may not be a pipe dream but let's go with it...
Method: TurboFire 6 days/week, healthy eating and choices
Vulnerability factors: Dislike working out, lazy, self-indulgent, propensity towards frequent pity parties, loves cooking and eating, trouble staying motivated and challenging myself, figuring out a way to fully exert myself while coping with an allergy that affects my breathing
Protective factors: Feeling motivated, in preparation stage of change, positive support systems, free time, small goal to start, desire to be healthy and strong, a blog for accountability


So off I go, to commit to daily physical and mental self-care via TurboFire (well, 6 days a week is what they prescribe). I know the hardest part of this is going to be staying motivated and excited to be sure to encourage me or tell me ways I can continue to encourage myself. Wooohoo!

P.S. - I am posting this after actually doing my first TF workout, which I will blog about in another post.

P.P.S. - I am still working up the nerve to post my before photos.