Weighing in Wednesday: Post Move Edition....

What does weighing in after an international move, an unpredictable baby, lots of snow, rain, freezing wind, a husband who's at work all day and into the night, no house and therefore no workout equipment look like? Ummm.... U G L Y!!!!! :-D. The last time I was able to hit the gym I weighed in at 188lbs... I think that I've lost some since then, but not having a scale here in the house hasn't helped watching that.

So, in trying to not make too many excuses, I ordered some workout videos. I love toning, and if you survey enough videos on Amazon you'll find some through reviews that will get you exactly what you need. Personally, I have a thing for the Biggest Loser tv show.... as in, we don't have tv, I have no desire to ever have tv and we don't actually own one for that matter, but I do just about anything I can to find access to be able to watch it on the computer (it's on my screen behind this post at the moment, in case you were wondering :-D). Anyway!!!! There was a trainer on the show for most of the seasons named Jillian Michaels, and I absolutely loved her. So, since I couldn't watch her beat people up, I decided to look into some of her offerings and let her beat ME up :-). Yes, masochism does run deep in my family... I thought we established that?

I bought a set of hers and then added an additional one... the one came first and I've done that a few times, and hurt pretty good the next day or two (it's a good pain :-D... especially since my core leaves much to be desired at the moment), and the set came recently so I haven't delved into those yet. I also got a Bob Harper video (Bob is still beating up on people though).

Anyway, I've also tried to be better about what I eat. I suppose going off the notion that if I can't read the label then it has no calories doesn't work so well! (I still believe though!!!!) *laugh* What can you do? We've never been to Japan as a family, and my husband hasn't been here since 2000, so we've been hitting his nostalgic hotspots and goodies... maybe a little too often. We also attend a Japanese church and have been invited to members homes, where we eat more delicacies. Yah... on top of that we aren't in a home, so just imagine living in a hotel without even enough utensils and flatware to put food out for everyone, so cooking isn't that high on the things to do often. It's bad. I have bought quite a few things to rectify that (spices, kitchen stuff etc), but it's not perfect by any means. I'm mourning my cast iron sitting in storage waiting to be delivered... don't mind me :-).

So, despite all that.... I ran into a lecture the other day that has helped shape how we eat a bit more, Enjoy!:


We don't buy into all of what is said, but it is compelling. The statement "moderation in all things" comes to mind when you finish this. While he has really good points that shouldn't be dismissed, but I'm not going to freak out or make a fuss when I eat out (unless of course it's at the Chili's on base... I looked up the nutritional info online one night and about died!)

This weeks goal is to do at least one exercise video a day and be careful about what I eat (unless of course the day in question is Saturday... which I've designated my leeway day... unless of course you count today when I took the kids out for "Japanese Fast Food" in mourning my husband having to be in Okinawa for a few days and therefore not here... hey! It shook things up and I'm pretty impressed with myself that we ventured out quite a bit to different places outside of the base and that we didn't hit anything or anyone and I found where I wanted to go! Just imagine a single driving lane in the states... now turn that single lane into a two lane road.... fun times!) Okay, yes, that's a gigantic excuse, but we'll move on and get better!

How are you doing???

A Little Improvement and Strength Training

So... the scale was finally nice to me today. I don't know if it said that I lost one or two pounds, but the fact that I'm not the same weight or more than I was last week was cause for much rejoicing! This weeks numbers are:

Weight: 184/183
Waist: The little slash under 37 1/4" :-)

This past week I've still been hitting the treadmill and workout out with my Mom's Into Fitness DVD in addition to swimming (which I LOVE!) I've seen more definition happening too, so while the numbers don't reflect the work I've put in, I'm wondering if it's just because my muscles are no longer in a state of atrophy :-D.

I was asked last week about strength training (I didn't forget, promise!) Strength training will keep you from injury especially if you're a runner (or attempting to be, like myself). Without it it's not a matter if but when you'll get injured, so don't overlook it! Because I'm lazy and like to get the most out of a workout without much brain power, I really enjoy the strength training portion of the Mom's Into Fitness Boot Camp 2 DVD. Like, I LOVE IT, and actually look forward to it. I don't necessarily do all my exercise at once... yesterday for instance brought a mile walk with baby in the morning, a 3 mile run in the afternoon, and I was supposed to do a video that night (but baby had other places :-D). Sometimes I can do everything at once, but it's also nice to spread things out during the day and found time here and there... also makes me feel like I'm kicking up my metabolism to help fight fat more often! So, these short videos are awesome for that!

Anyway, I definitely recommend buying Lindsay's Boot Camp video... like now... what are you waiting for? And grab two different sets of weights to do with them... you'll thank me later, promise! There are 6 levels in one DVD, the workouts are short but intense (something about mountain climbers and squat thrusts even for a minute leaves me covered in sweat!) If you can't afford the DVD at least go to her website, she has some free things and you can check YouTube.

You can also do quite a few things by using your own weight as your resistance, and minus someone telling you what to do. I picked up a triathlon magazine last year that had some great strength training tips... so check out a running magazine somewhere and I can almost guarantee you'll find tips to get stronger! Here's a link to runner's world's compilation of strength and cross training, definitely worth checking out:
http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-238-263-266-0,00.html

Here's an article with more specifics:
http://www.tipsonhealthyliving.com/diet-and-fitness/the-best-strength-training-program-for-runners

and here's a video that show's some specific workouts:


My favorite triathlon book "Triathlon For Dummies" has a great section on strength training as well. It's worth flipping through (and buying!) in my opinion.

Overall my favorite strength training exercise is the plank. Love a good plank! There's something about that simple exercise that makes me feel like I'm really working hard and I can feel it working my whole body, love that!

The other thing that I wanted to mention is a phrase that I learned from my high school tennis coach: "Walking builds strength, running builds endurance." If you're not a runner and have no desire to even fake being one then so be it (although, I do recommend that you at last try... you may surprise yourself, running is a mental sport and really is cheaper than therapy :-D). Walking is a great exercise! I like to set my speed low and crank up the incline of my treadmill to get in a good burn in my legs. Just a thought!

This Saturday brings my first race post baby! My husband and I are running a 5k for charity and I'm excited! What do I think my time will be? Umm.... S L O W! *laugh* I'm not looking to break any records as I'm only 5 weeks from having the latest baby and want all my guts to continue to stay put, but it'll be fun and I can at least run the whole distance without stopping. Doesn't hurt that the company will be great! I started racing in 2010, 5 months after baby #4, and with my husband on deployment, so I was always alone with just me and my brain... it'll be nice to have the hubby to chat with :-). We'll take a picture and I'll post it with my next Weighing in Wednesday post.

How are you doing?!

Weighing in After the Holiday's....

...wasn't as brutal as it could have been, but not entirely what I thought. I expected that I would as least lose a little bit of weight, but, alas, staying stagnant is all that I pulled off. So, for this week my numbers are identical to last week:

Weight:185
Waist: 37 1/4"

I definitely could have worked harder and had less fatty foods to eat, but all we can do is move forward right? This week I've put in a little more effort than before. I picked up some heavier weights for strength training (very important for EVERYONE. Strength training is huge for building muscle... which will burn fat... and helps keep you together better! Muscles are good!)

Mine have been a bit sore as of late, but that's not necessarily a bad thing :-). I can get in about 2-3 miles a day on the treadmill, usually I can run it... yesterday not so much though... so I walked. Walking is great! If you do nothing else a 30 minute walk a day will do you good. I chose to add an incline to mine as a way to burn more calories faster as well as get a good burn in the legs!

I've also been lucky enough to have a husband willing to take on all of the kids so that I can hit the pool. Yesterday was the first day that I could go and the low impact workout was so awesome I actually felt like I as breaking a sweat over the laps! It was great... the most painful part?? Well, that'd be seeing myself in a swimsuit in a public place. Ugh! Talk about some motivation... and irritation! It was after that sight that I picked up heavier weights :-D.

Here's to hoping and working towards a better week!

How have things been for you? Will the New Year find you making resolutions towards better health?

And Thus it Begins!

Today marks the first day of Weighing in Wednesday! This was the brain child of yesterday's workout... I was trying to come up with a good way to track myself, as well as provide motivation for others. So, every Wednesday I will be getting a weight and waist measurement on myself and sharing it here, as well as giving a rundown of what I was up to excercise-wise for the week, and probably offering some kind of tips/advice/goals. I have no problems throwing all of this out into the abyss and just for my own use, but if you'd like to come along you can either leave comments below whenever you feel so inclined, or let me know that you'd like to start your own Weighing in Wednesday blog post and I'll pay to add a linky tool to my blog so that several people can blog hop each week (which would be even more fun! Motivation AND accountability :-D)

To start with, here's a little info on me. Our 5th child was born 3 weeks and 5 days ago. I am just shy of 5'9", pre-pregnancy I weighed 149lbs (I'll explain the significance of that number later), and the day our son was born I was about 216lbs. No, I didn't have gestational diabetes, my body just likes to gain about 60lbs in my belly and legs with each pregnancy... Which is probably why I find something physically crazy to get it off each time! Last year it was triathlons... This year it's triathlons (I'm hooked after last year!) and long distance races (the ultimate goal is a marathon late next year... Still trying to get the base that we're moving to to schedule one for me :-D).

As of today my numbers are:
WEIGHT: 185lbs
WAIST: 37 1/4"

Last week I was 190 lbs and my waist measured over 40" (I don't remember how far over, enough that I quickly forgot though!) Over the last week I've put in a few miles walking, usually with baby in a sling (because he can smell that I'm trying to workout, so even though he's fed and I've laid him down he'll start crying about 1/4 mile into things! Oh well, I figure he helped me put it on he can help me take it off!) Yesterday I got in 3 miles... actually getting to run 2 of those miles because baby did sleep, and today it was an agonizingly slow 2 miles, but it got my heart rate up, so I can't complain too much. In addition to walking/running a minimum of 1 mile a day... minus Sunday... I love the boot camp DVD put out by Lindsay Brin from Mom's Into Fitness (I have this set, the Bootcamp one goes through 6 weeks of increasingly harder workouts for your core and another set for toning and cardio all in one DVD and only taking 10 minutes a piece!). Her philosophy is that MOM'S CAN GET INTO BETTER SHAPE THAN THOSE WHO AREN'T! I've found this to be absolutely true for me. With each baby I've weighed less at the start than with the previous one and I've been stronger and able to do more physically in the meantime. Case in point? I was something like 167lbs when my husband and I GOT MARRIED, and, asa I mentioned, I was almost 20 lbs lighter than even that prior to getting pregnant with baby #5. So, if you use pregnancy and motherhood for any excuse, let it be the excuse that those things have made you stronger and let's get to work!

My biggest tips for you today goes towards new moms, since that's the phase I'm in. The recommended weight loss for new nursing mothers is 1 lb per week. You'll probably notice that my numbers don't follow this, but consider that "the recommended weight gain" is about 35 lbs... my body just doesn't like recommendations! If yours are lower or higher, then they are. As long as you are listening to your body (i.e. if you're beginning to bleed bright red, pull a muscle, anything hurts unnecessarily... we like good pain though!), slowing or stopping down as needed, and baby is getting fed as normal then you should be fine!

Thanks to the men out there who were willing to sift through that in order to get to this tip for everyone:
Be sure to stay hydrated! Lack of hydration is a big factor when it comes to weight loss, the pounds have a hard time dropping off without it! I reposted from a blog last year on how to find out how much water you need each day... the typical "8 glasses" isn't suitable for everyone so make sure you're getting enough... your body will thank you!

My personal goal is to get back down to at least 149 lbs. I don't have a timeframe for this... I just focus on healthy behaviors in eating, exercise and sleep (when I can). Healthy living is a lifestyle and weight loss and maintenance will be a lot easier if you look at it that way now. I don't do anything when I'm losing weigh that I don't do when trying to maintain :-). The 149 lbs is a number that I strive for because in triathlon you can usually race by age group and then there's the Athena's and Clydesdales. To be an Athena you have to weigh 150lbs or more... there are some absolutely amazing athletes in that category, but I don't want to be one. Mentally knowing that I HAVE to compete in my age range against people who haven't had 5 kids (or usually any for that matter), and can spend more time training makes me work harder!

Let me know if you'd like to "weigh-in" next week either physically or metaphorically!