Day 14: Yoga Fix--Round 2

Alright people!  We are two weeks into this and we have hit the home stretch!  Can you see the end?  Cuz I can! (I sound pretty pumped, huh?) The workout was good this morning, a much needed stretch day, but 30 minutes of yoga doesn't feel like I worked out for the day.  No offense to the yoga following, but to me, it just doesn't feel like enough.  It feels like cheating.  And YES, I did follow ALL the breathing cues, and it did feel BENEFICIAL.  But it doesn't satisfy my adrenaline junky craving or whatever.  Especially since I've added in a rest day; this program is supposed to be ONLY 21 days STRAIGHT.  This yoga workout is supposed to be the rest/active recovery day.  So, I'm basically giving myself two rest days a week; it just feels WRONG.

So, today I righted the wrong.  Do you ever have those days when you take a shift one week, thinking it's a permanent deal, and then show up the same time the next week and it turns out you were just covering for someone?  That happened to me today, to which I sang "Hallelujah!" because Miss {C} needed a nap, and I was not anxious to spend the next 4 hours with grumpy butt and a bunch of other children who probably also needed naps.  But {E} and {C} were both SO EXCITED to play with friends at the daycare, that in order to get them to leave without causing a scene, I had to promise that we would come back later with Daddy.

So Brandon and I went to the gym to workout after dinner, and dropped the girlies off at the daycare to play with friends.  I haven't actually been running for awhile, probably since I started Insanity a few months ago, and it was WONDERFUL.  Granted, it was only on a treadmill, and I only made it 2.5 miles, you know, so I wouldn't be dead tomorrow when I'm supposed to do TWO WORKOUTS, but it felt so good to just run!  I would almost say it was therapeutic.  Just to run, listen to my music, while watching some robots vs. aliens movie, and let my thoughts just come and go.  I didn't have to focus on anything, I just ran :-)

Enough about my love affair with my run.  I did alright with my meal plan today, until I came home from not working at 4:30 and had to fix dinner.  {E} asked for grilled cheese sandwiches, so that's what we had.  I was planning on using the last two pieces of whole wheat bread for my "tuna melt," but I got into a rhythm making sandwiches, and I totally spaced on it.  So my plan for a semi-healthy grilled cheese sandwich (healthy because of whole wheat bread and tuna) turned into a basically not healthy sandwich because I fried it with butter and it was on white bread.  Oh well, I went running tonight ;-)

Pictures!  First, we have my workout picture, me in bow pose or whatever it's called.  I'm amazed it actually looks as cool as it does, because when I do it, I feel like I'm pretty much lying flat on the floor from my knees to my shoulders and TRYING DESPERATELY to grab my ankles.  So we'll call this a win :-)

I know I post a lot of pictures of my kids, but I mean, come on, is this NOT a cute sister picture?  This one will definitely be used at someone's wedding, A) because it's cute, and B) because FOR ONCE they are BOTH looking at the camera AND smiling.  This rarely happens.

Food! Had my v8 energy for breakfast (I may be addicted to those), had my Shakeology with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt and a splash of apple juice for lunch, and the carrots, tomatoes and apples were the snacks I prepared for work, so I've been snacking on them throughout the night.

BONUS INFO: Because I know you are all deeply involved in the mundane details of my life :-) here's a fun story.  Brandon bought me a heart rate monitor for my birthday last year, right after I finished Insanity the first time, and before I started Asylum.  Probably since June-ish, it's had a hard time reading my heart rate.  I assumed it was a problem with the strap, since my watch was still working.  I replaced the battery in the strap, following the instructions in my manual to the "T", and still that did not fix it.  I finally called customer service about it, because it's under warranty for a year, and I sent it in two weeks ago to get the strap replaced.  Well, my replacement strap came in the mail yesterday, and when I tried to pair it with my watch before going to the gym tonight, it didn't work.  I tried lots of different variables, to no avail.  And yes, I checked, and there is a battery in the strap, SOOOOOO the problem must be with my watch, right?  So now there is a puzzle on my bed, and I will probably spend the rest of my time tonight trying to figure out what the &%#@$% is wrong with my HRM.  Sounds fun, no?

K, so tomorrow starts week 3, and that means DOUBLE WORKOUTS!  I am scheduled two workouts each day, to be done at different times during the day, not one after the other.  Another bonus for this last week, is the 3 Day Quick Fix, which is a stricter meal plan to make sure we end on a BANG! So I'll be *trying* to follow that the last 3 days of the program.  Wish me luck, because Autumn just turned up the intensity!  Tomorrow: Total Body Cardio Fix and Pilates Fix. :-D

Day 13: Dirty 30--Round 2

I'm sorry.  I tried to pay better attention, and I still don't know why this workout is any "dirtier" than the rest of them.  Maybe they just called it that because they couldn't think of a better name for it?

But I digress.  Today I did alright with the workout.  My knee hasn't been bugging me the last few days, maybe even a week, but after my side lunges it started aching again.  I really don't understand it.  I'm pretty sure my form is correct, and I'm not sinking super deep into the bend, so why does my knee hate me so?!

Also, my wrist started bugging me again, so for a couple of the exercises, I down-graded from my 8's to my 5's, and then the next go round I still needed to go down to my 2 lb weights.  Maybe for Christmas I should ask Santa for 3 or 4 lb weights...hmmm.

Here are the pictures to prove that SOMETHING happened in the way of working out.  You'll just have to take my word that I did the entire 30 minutes ;-)

I may need to invest in a photographer a little older than 6.  Or a camera with a timer....

Here, Miss {E} is showing us her balancing tricks...

...and the obligatory group selfie :-)

Don't be fooled; we really are this cheesy.

I did pretty good on food today, but when I got home from work at 8:30 I was a little bit hungry and I may have finished half of Brandon's steak burrito from Chipotle.  MAY HAVE.  And I apologize for this post not being as peppy and excitingly written as my others.  I know that a 4 hour shift is not that long to work, but when it's at a daycare, and it's MY CHILDREN that are misbehaving for most of the shift, it makes for an annoyed, tired, perturbed, exhausted Brooke.  And it didn't help that I was hungry.  So now I will conclude and sit and veg on my couch.  Maybe I will read.  Maybe I will tell Brandon to stop playing Destiny so I can watch "How I Met Your Mother" on Netflix.  Or maybe I should have a healthy snack and go to bed.  Lots of good options there.

Goodnight world!

Day 12: Cardio Fix--Round 2

Hello hello!

Today was round 2 of Cardio Fix and it was great!  Worked up a pretty good sweat and felt good the whole time :-)

Can I tell you something?  Last night Brandon pulled out our bag of Halloween candy, you know, to pass out to KIDS, and he dug through it all, and I may have pulled out some Starbursts and Twizzlers...shhh! Don't tell. :-)  Anyway, I didn't have NEARLY as much candy I as I would have scarfed in previous days, but a little bit later, I got all wiggly and antsy, and I think the sugar actually got to me!?  I can't remember the last time that happened...huh.

So, anyway, I got started on my workout and IT FELT SO GOOD to be moving around and getting the blood flowing.  And maybe I was missing it a little more than usual because I worked this morning, but it was so startling to me to think about how different my body is now than when I first got started.  Crazy how much I've changed on the inside as well as on the outside.

Moving on!

Got my workout on and took my "action pictures" and called it good!  Phew!  Hard work :-)

And me channeling my inner "Autumn"

Like my "to do" list all over the background there?

I've done really well eating today, getting back on track after my indulgences over the weekend.  Shakeology for breakfast, V8 energy and a protein bar for lunch, an apple for snacking, protein shake after the workout, and dinner...

Fish Tacos!

Left over mahi mahi, cole slaw and some homemade salsa :-)  Yes please!

Good day today, and tomorrow: Dirty 30, round 2.  See ya then!

Day 11: Pilates Fix--Round 2

Yesterday was actually the day I did the workout, since Sunday is my rest day, but once again, we didn't get home until late, and I didn't want to worry over posting.  Saturdays we usually make the trek down to Utah County and visit all the fam.  There is also, usually, a soccer game involved, but yesterday our game was scheduled for 6:10 pm, which happened to be during the Priesthood Session of Conference, and since our team is made up of only Brandon's family, half of them thought it would be better for them to attend their church meeting.  So we forfeited.

It's ok though, because instead of tiring myself out at soccer, I got to have a nice, semi-relaxing evening with my female in-laws :-)  (The "semi-relaxing" is because there were also younger females running around the house screaming, so, yeah.)

And here's the confession:  I partook of not healthy food.  (gasp!)  Also, I am feeling pretty good about it, and I'll tell you why.  When I started this "getting healthy" journey, I had no intention whatsoever of giving up deserts and hamburgers and delicious food altogether.  The end goal of this whatchamacallit is to yes, lose weight, get healthy, tone/firm up, but also to enjoy and participate in family gatherings/functions.  The holiday season is coming up, and that's the time when I tend to pack on my extra 10-15 lbs of winter weight.  There is SO MUCH yummy food floating around the holidays, and it is ridiculous to expect that I'm not gonna eat any of it.  That wouldn't make for a happy holiday anyways.  Rounding back around to my point: the good news about me indulging last night/today is that I've been able to CONTROL IT.  The major progress being made here is that I'm not gorging myself on deserts, and turkey and gravy, potatoes with extra butter and soft, warm rolls.  (drooling yet?)  Yes, I'm eating the good food, but in the last two months I've developed a relationship with my body where I LISTEN to it when it says "You're satisfied.  Don't eat another helping."  I've removed daily sugar highs long enough to know that THIS PARTICULAR TREAT is not going to taste as good as I think it will, and I know that I WON'T FEEL GOOD if I eat it.  And I can make a logical, conscious decision about it and stick to it.  For the most part.

And THAT, my friendlies, is progress :-)

As for the pilates workout, it was still a workout :-)  I'm still having the hardest time with the side/mat glute exercises.  You know, the ones where you lie on your side and then do the leg lifts, and "stir the pot/mixing bowl?"  Yeah, those ones.  They are killer.  So, that part was hard still, and then it didn't help that {C} kept trying to sit on me during my low plank hold.  Stinker.  Other than that, I felt like I did well with everything else.  Definitely still loving that these workouts are only 30 MINUTES!  It is so wonderful, it just goes by so quickly :-)

And I am now, officially, half-way through this program!  And a happy note to end on: I got my Insanity T-shirt Friday!  If you do a Beachbody workout the whole way through, you can go on their website, upload your before/after pictures, tell them a little bit about how you liked the program, and then they will send you a FREE T-SHIRT.  Score.

Day 10: Lower Fix--Round 2

Today was Lower Fix again!  I gave it my all, and I feel like I did pretty good.  I'm pretty sure I've complained about my right knee here.  The last week it hasn't been as stiff, and it held up pretty well during the squats and lunges.  I even dared to go deeper into the movements.  Maybe that's another effect of the Shakeology kicking in. I also discovered something:  if I look UP at a spot on the wall, I have better form than when I'm looking at my legs, trying to make sure I have the right form.  Works for me :-)  I used my 8 lb weights the whole time, and I felt pretty good about that :-)  Here's the priceless moments {E} caught of the workout ;-)

We only got pictures of the floor exercises today :-)

And we've gotta have a group selfie with my little supporters.  It's a must.

And now for a braggy moment.  But only because I didn't ever think it was possible.  I have ABS.  This first picture is from a couple of weeks ago, and the second is today.

I feel like I tightened a little of my baby belly in the last two weeks. :-D

As far as eating goes, I feel that I did pretty good.  Had smaller meals throughout the day.  Then the girls and I had a girls' night out with one of my bestest friends ever and her little girl.  We played at the park then went to Smashburger, where I did NOT order a burger and fries.  I had a chicken club (and I did eat the bacon) on either a whole wheat or multigrain bun (I don't remember which) with SWEET POTATO fries.  Yes, I know they're still fries, but don't I get a little credit for them being sweet potato?  And not eating them with sauce?  I think yes.  And here are the cuties enjoying the night out.

As you can tell, we are BYU fans around here.  So, I need to go so I can watch the game with Brandon.  It's our "date."  :-D  Have a great weekend everybody!  Let me know what you're up to!

Day 9: Upper Fix--Round 2

Hola Friendlies!  Today was a fun day :-)  It was my day off, so I decided to bite the bullet and start potty training Miss {C}.  Cuz, ya know, that's something you do on a day off.  It started off pretty great, the first time she sat on her "portable" potty, she peed.  Which was great, except she peed through her big girl panties and her pants that she hadn't pulled down.  Oh well, we counted that as a win and started her off on her sticker chart (seen here).  And that's how many times she sat on the potty, not how many attempts were successful.  We reward attempts here, too :-)

Yes, this was a spontaneous decision to potty train today.  Can ya tell?

The rest of the day went about as expected.  After potty training {E}, I had a good idea of what was in store; we had a few accidents, she screamed bloody murder went I rinsed her off in the shower, we went through ~5 pairs of panties, blah blah blah. After the 5th pair of underwear, she was tired of the idea, and asked to go back into a diaper.  I said ok, b/c she had alluded to a "stinky" all day, but it never showed up.  I didn't want to clean that out of her underwear, and I think the shower may have traumatized her.  So we called it a day.  It was our first attempt, anyway.  If she keeps showing interest, we'll pick it up again soon.

Now, I know that THAT was what you came here to read about, so I hope I didn't disappoint ;-)  But, today's workout was Upper Fix again.  I really like this workout, b/c I'm starting to get proud of the little grooves and definition that I actually have in my arms now (yay!)  But I'll tell you what, the worst exercise today was the low-plank hold.  I don't know if it's just because I'm over holding plank, after substituting push-ups for that for the last 6+ weeks, or that it's just boring that I'm not moving for a whole minute.  I wasn't able to distract myself thinking about how I was supposed to be doing the exercise.  I just held the plank. *crickets*

BUT, in the way of VERY GOOD NEWS!  I did the push-ups this time around!  Granted, I had to bring over Brandon's weights so that I wouldn't have to bend my wrist hardly at all, and I had to modify on my knees as well, but seriously, I haven't attempted push-ups since August 8th. (I know that because my accident was the next day, and August 8th was the day my brother-in-law got married.  Fun fact.)  Here's photographic evidence.  I look pretty weak, huh?

My meals were, once again, pretty much the same.  But since I had the day off, I actually made dinner: Chicken Enchilada Soup.  It's Fall now, I can make hearty food; it's allowed.  And you can't have chicken enchilada soup without cheese, sour cream, and chips.  That would be sacrilege.  So I was good, and pre-measured my "allowed" portions of those ingredients, and mixed it all together (not the cucumbers) and it was DELICIOUS!  

Now tell me, who doesn't want summa that? 

Oh!  Oh!  Other good news: I hit my lowest weight this morning!  Remember how I was eating terribly last weekend?  Well, I put on a little that weighed me in at more than I started at, but now I have officially lost 2.4 lbs from my starting weight!  *Autumn is not joking around with that meal plan, you WILL SHED those pounds.*  So, it was a good day.  Tomorrow is Lower Fix again.  See ya then!

Day 8: Total Body Cardio Fix--Round 2

Today was awesome for SO MANY reasons!  A: It's October 1st, which means it's officially my FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR!!!!  Yay!  So, {C} and I dug out the Halloween decorations and went to town :-)  For your viewing pleasure, this is the outside portion

And no, I don't know who's big ole red dust pan that is is on the right, but it's been there since we moved in.

Reason B today was awesome: tomorrow is my day off :-)  Reason C: It was actually Fall weather, and I swear, today was the first time the air had that cool, crispness to it.  It was lovely :-) And the last reason today was awesome: I did Total Body Cardio Fix again, with heavier weights than I used last time.  What up!?

So, I'm sure you've noticed that I tend to wear my hair up in a bun.  It's just easier that way.  But it got pretty loose last night while I slept in it, and I knew I was gonna be movin around a bit with this workout, so, out came the sock.  Crazy hair!

Last week I used my 2 lb weights, ya know, cuz of my wrist.  But since then I've used my 5 and 8 lb weights with the other workouts, so I brought out the 5 lb weights for today.  It about killed me.  My arms are definitely sore, especially around the shoulder area.  These raised knee pulls were by far the hardest exercise for me, especially with the heavier weights.  I don't know what Autumn was thinking, saying the surrenders at the beginning were the hardest exercise.  Not.  Even.  Close.  And I have a bad knee, so that's kind of saying something.

But I finished, and that's what's important, right?  After I finished I got my {E} to come take my workout pictures.  This is the cute 6 year old behind the camera :-)

Food-wise I've done pretty good.  Sticking to the same menu that I know I like.  But plot twist!  Brandon had pizza here when the girls and I got home from work.  Tempting...As of right now...9:42 pm, I have only had one piece of the supreme pizza that moved into the house, and that was within my "budget."  Still deciding if I want to be naughty and have 1-2 cheese sticks.  What I should do is go for the banana with 2 tbsp of peanut butter.  That would round things out the "right way."  

Still deciding.

In the meantime, my next challenge group starts on Monday.  And if you've been thinking:

"I really should work out more, and get back in shape, so I can look SMOKIN in my Halloween costume," then this challenge group could be your answer :-)

Would it hurt to try?