7 days without exercise makes one weak...

Or something like that.

I've completed one week of the p90 series. Sure, not like I haven't done this before, but I'm hoping if I treat every small milestone like a wild achievement, maybe I'll make it past day 15.

I'm still doing the lower impact arm/leg exercises from set 1, and holding back on the jumping jacks/run lunges in set 2. Plus, my "hops" in set 3 could be a little more enthusiatic. OH, AND THOSE AB EXERCISES. Whew! But like Tony says, it's just the beginning. Take it slow so you don't have to stop and take a break. Next week, I'll up the ante a little bit.

I've also been pretty good with my food tracking. Right now, I have my calories set to lose 1lb a week, and I'm not eating back exercise calories. I'm hoping that will help my loss be more like 1.5lbs per week. I did "cheat" yesterday because I went to a bridal show in Charlotte--too many food samples and no way to track what I put in my mouth. But I feel pretty sure that I burned a couple hundred calories just walking around all day. Not too worried about it :)

And you may be wondering why I didn't post a start weight/measurements or anything. That's because I'm not really sure what weight I was at, I just knew that my pants were too tight, and that something needed to be done. I think I was around 198 though. This time around, I'm not focusing on the scale--I'm focusing on the pants! And more long term, THE DRESS. I can't be gaining weight before my wedding, that's just absurd.

Anyways, I finally got my hands on some protein powder (have I mentioned how much I miss my grocery store in Denver?!?) so I'm off to make a smoothie for the first time in a while.

Happy Monday!

Okay, here goes 2013

2012 was like a big bully who not only picked on me at school, but then proceeded to follow me home and wait outside my window throwing stones. Sure, there were some good points like getting engaged and graduating with a Master's degree, but overall, I'm glad that year is over.

My stomach problems, while not completely resolved, have been managed enough to stop seeing a gastroenterologist. I moved away from Denver, my soul city, to live in the South where people talk funny, move slow, and make up words for things like "buggy" and "cheerwine" that don't make sense. Plus, the weather sucks and the bugs are everywhere.

I've gone through two, almost three, jobs since moving here. Teavana went from grand to shitty in a matter of weeks. And now I'm trying to find a way out of PetSmart before they make me clean a lizard cage. And still no sign of anything film related. Curse you Homeland!

I adopted a dog who quickly became my best friend and protector of the house while Robbie is gone. Unfortunately, our time together was short. I'm glad I could show him what a real home was like before he died, but I'm still struggling to move past him. It was a rough time.

Two people I know, one being a close friend and neighbor, were in serious accidents that put them in comas for a month or more. The website CaringBridge has become one of my most visited sites this past year, but luckily they both seem to be getting better.

Plus, I stopped eating healthy and working out, which obviously caught up with me eventually. I'm literally living out my documentary right now. I gained 15lbs in six months--gross! I am trying to get back on the wagon so that I can still wear my wedding dress nine months from now.

So here's to you, 2013. Let's both agree to treat each other well and make it to 2014 without any major scuffles. Oh, and if September 7th could be unseasonably cool and not rainy, that would be wonderful. :)

Power 90 Workout System

As you might have noticed, I haven't been updating about my running routine lately. I haven't gotten lazy; I just switched my focus to the p90 workout system instead. I have been doing p90 since last Wednesday, and I have to say that it is very different than I expected. I've heard a lot of people talk about it and how wonderful it is. I was shocked when I learned that it is only two workouts rotated every other day for a month. Plus, I thought it would kick my ass from here to California, but it really isn't that hard. Sure, I can't do all of the cardio without doing modified moves, and I certainly can't complete 10 sets of 10 ab exercises--but I don't stop to take a breather at any point. Maybe I was expecting Insanity...

Regardless, I've been doing it for a little over a week. I'm not sure I believe it will produce fantastic results like everyone claims, but I'm going to keep at it. I fear I will get bored of it before the month finished and I can switch to phase 3-4.... We'll see.

C25K: Day 5

So, I haven't run in several days, but I have been working out! I have been doing those Bikini Ready Makeover videos on Hulu. I did the Boot Camp Burn one a few days ago and really liked it. Thought it's really repetitive, so I'm pretty sure I couldn't do that workout twice in a row; I'd get annoyed. Plus, I've been doing 'mini-challenges' on MFP; 300 jumping jacks on Friday and 150 squats yesterday. Super fun!

I also got a job (no, not a career job with my hard-earned Master's degree, just a paying job) at Teavana in Charlotte. I'm really stoked about it because the people seem REALLY cool, and I pretty much love tea! Not sure how this is going to mess with my eating/workout schedule just yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I'm just glad to have an income again. I love food and my dog, but I'm starting to mentally make a decision on what to cut back on first. Ha.

Day 5: 5 minute warm-up, alternate 90 seconds of jogging/2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes; Total miles - 2; Total time - 26:20 minutes

Weigh In: 8-23-12

I finally did it. I tracked my calories and stayed under my goal for the day yesterday--it only took me a week and a half to get my shit together. It's true when they say that eating junk makes you crave junk. Luckily, most of the cookies/chips/dips are out of the house now, so it's easier to NOT eat them. I think it helped that I had a lot of exercise calories, too, so I was eating close to 2000. Anyways, we're back on track!

I learned the hard way that you can set deadlines for weigh loss, but your body will lose the fat when (and where) it wants to, how it wants to, so I'm loosely stating that I want to be under 180lbs by Thanksgiving. I left Denver at ~183lbs but have worked my way back up to ~190lbs, so that's ~10lbs in a little less than 10 weeks. Definitely doable, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I'll just do my best and see where I am in 10 weeks!

Weight: 190.2 lbs
BMI: 28.08 (Overweight)
Body Fat: 27.09% (Acceptable)

Waist: 35 inches
Hip: 42 inches
Thighs: 27.5 inches (left) / 27 inches (right)
Arms: 12.5 inches (left) / 13 inches (right)
Calves: 16 inches (left) / 16.5 inches (right)

C25K: Day 4

First day of the second week which means upping the running/walking intervals. (Un)fortunately, Robbie is back at work and wasn't there to run with me today. I say that because it's both good and bad--good because I can run a slower-faster pace consistently every run interval, and bad because he wasn't there to push me past my own comfort zone. Oh well, have to learn to motivate myself.

I thought things were getting better with the crazy white dog on Wilson, but he charged after me again today. I've called animal control twice to have his owners put him in a fence or on a leash, but they seem to ignore that warning. I feel bad because I don't want something to happen to the dog, but I would like to be able to run or walk my dog around MY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD without being chased by that dog. I don't even think his owners are home during the day; they just leave him outside all day to do as he pleases. C'mon people, take responsibility for your animals! I'll give it another week, then I'm calling again.

Day 4: 5 minute warm-up, alternate 90 seconds of jogging/2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes; Total miles - 2.06; Total time - 26:39 minutes

C25K: Day 3

Well, it took me two weeks to complete "week 1" of C25K, but it is done. This weekend was hectic, what with filming all day Friday and Saturday, so I didn't get any workout in besides holding a boom pole for 16 hours. But this morning, we went out and conquered the last of the 60 second / 90 second intervals.

One comment about running with someone faster than you: it's great that they can set a faster pace for you to follow, but they can also kill you with speed. Day 2's run was pretty good, running at a significantly faster pace than I could  set myself...but today was a mixture of extreme speed, medium speeds, and slow speeds. Because of this combination of paces, we finished the normal 1.91 mile route in less than the 25 minutes allotted for the workout; we made it back to the house in 24 minutes. Whoa. I'm pretty sure I was hauling ass at a 7min/mile for the first two runs...

Anyways, to compensate for the fast return, we added another .25 mile (3:30 minutes) to the workout at the end, just walking.

Oh, and I'm really restarting the calorie counting thing again this week. Really.

Day 3: 5 minute warm-up, alternate 60 seconds of jogging/90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes; Total miles - 2.06; Total time - 27:35 minutes