Just Lose It!

While Ryan made delicious turkey chili I hopped on the treadmill. I did 1 warm-up lap then ran .5 at 6.5. Then I did 20 box jumps - quick followed by 10 more but facing left then 10 more facing right and jumping sideways up the step. I then ran .5 at 6.5. And repeated the box jumps except this time I focused on jumping as high as possible. It was very exhausting. I ran another .5 at 6.5 then did another round of high box jumps. Then I did a cool down lap for a total of 2.0 miles in 20:58 315cals 1%.

Then as I watched The Biggest Loser I did some weightlifting. Various reps and sets with my 5 lb weights (10lb total) - I didn't count how many but I did a lot over the course of the 1.5 hours. I also did 100+ high knees while holding the 10lbs extended out and bringing my knees up to them. Followed by 100 bicycles.

Also today I checked out the Lose It! app I downloaded on my new Kindle Fire. I can set a weight loss goal and then track the food I eat and also track my exercise. I know many a calorie counter can do such things but I have never before been interested in doing so. So the Lose It! app has me excited to start tracking my food intake and exercise and make me take better note of what I am doing. I hope to keep up my interest and using it so that I hold myself accountable. But I need to remind myself to do what I can but not worry too much about it. Yes I would like to lose some weight (and I set a goal of 130.0lbs since that would make me happy and picked a target of losing 1 lb per week) but I need to keep that as a nice bonus to my overall fitness plan. I must focus on doing what is best for me - so I will run and weight train and do some cross training and continue to watch what I eat - but do it all with a little more tracking.

New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 576.75
Miles Remaining: 923.25
Weight: 140.0

Janu-weary

Despite being sore from the day before and suffering from an unquenchable thirst (despite my best efforts to end it) I got a run in - .25 warm-up then a lot at 6.1 then 6.3mph then I ran the final .5 at 6.5 then did a cool down lap for a total of 2.25 miles in 23:49 355cals 1%. Then I did Bob's 10 minute Beginner Ab Workout - which was doable though my lower back isn't strong so I did have to give myself mini rests to ease up the discomfort.

New Miles: 2.25
Total Miles: 574.75
Miles Remaining: 925.25
Weight: 140.4

You're such a Harper

My 6 Bob Harper DVDs arrived in the mail Friday evening and this morning I got up to watch and workout to one of them. I picked "Beginnger's Weight Loss Transformation" since in terms of cardio and weightlifting I indeed am a beginner. I have past experience with following my soccer off season training plan and I have been doing workouts here and there but in terms of being able to do whatever someone else tells me to do at the pace they want me to do it in - well I am a novice.

I awoke at 8am to do my first Bob workout. And after 30 minutes... I finally had the DVD player hooked up properly so I could start. And after 45 minutes of a warm-up-workout-cooldown I was pretty exhausted.  Some of the moves were comparatively easy but others were hard for me. I really have issues with the mountain climbers - I can't get my legs to stay straight as I reach to the floor. And the thrusters were more like lacklusters when I got ahold of them. I learned my arms are not very strong; I could do several things with my 5lb weights but I did have to enlist the 3lb weights for some of the exercises. There were many times I had to hold a position and found myself giving myself mini breaks to just regroup. It was definitely cheating on the workout - since the point is to be uncomfortable and push  yourself. With a split second break when holding a pose I was able to finish out the set. I believe a good goal for myself is to someday be able to do the whole DVD with no mini-cheats and at the pace they do everything.

With one Bob Harper workout under my belt I feel tired but good and excited to be on this path of greater fitness, and also scared. Scared that I will not be able to do the workouts and scared I will give up. Hopefully excitement wins the day. And if not excitement then hopefully my desire to get fit wins over being scared.

Here is my new Bob Harper arsenal:
1) Beginner's Weight Loss Transformation
2) Total Body Transformation
3) Ultimate Cardio Body
4) Totally Ripped Core
5) Inside Out Method: Kettlebell Cardio Shred
6) Inside Out Method: Pure Burn Super Strength
(With titles like those who is not simultaneously intimidated and excited?)

After a nice late morning/early afternoon with my family at home and at Starbucks, Ryan and I went and ate some delicious German food with my aunt and uncle. Additionally we drank some beer. When I got home at 5:15 I wanted to do my 2.0 miles for the day. Ryan told me it I had already worked out for the day and didn't need to run, but I wouldn't be living up to my resolution without getting my two miles in. My legs were tired and they were happy doing nothing. But between my want to do two miles and the beer I had the desire to do the distance. So I walked 2.0 miles at 4.3mph in 28:05 326cals 1%.

New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 572.5
Miles Remaining: 927.5
Weight: 139.4 (at the time of the morning workout)

Jan-U-Airy

After painting the trim in our entry way nice white I happily succumbed to the glory of the day - it was sunny, it was warm. Yes, it was January but apparently nature didn't know this as it was 52 degrees! So I put on my capri running pants, my 2010 Pittsburgh Half Marathon shirt, covered by a shirt I got in college for soccer and I put on my Sansa clip and went outside running. As I ran I listened to Ira Glass' "This American Life" and enjoyed the day.

After crossing over the top of the hill the wnd picked up and I wondered if I had a made a mistake in how nice the day was. But after getting to the bottom of the hill and thru the next bends I either got used to it or it settled down a bit. It was indeed windy the whole way but not a bone chilling wind. And finally after having warmed up from the running the wind was welcomed.

I believe I was smiling a lot when running - caused by the happy sun and the joy of running outside on a nice day.

New Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 570.5
Miles Remaining: 929.5
Weight: 140.2

Inclined Singing

I walked 2.0 on the treadmill as my knees hurt some yesterday and hurt a little more today, but walking was okay. So I sang April Smith & The Great Picture Show and Taylor Swift for the whole walk. It was a taxing walk since rather than breathing in stride I was breathing to sing. My first half mile was at 1% incline, the next half mile at 3%, the next half at 5%, less than .1 at 7% but that aggravated my left knee so I knocked it back down to 5% for the remaining part of the lap then did the final lap at 3%. I did 2.0 miles in 27:57 354cals.

New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 567.5
Miles Remaining: 932.5
Weight: 139.6

Mental Effort

As soon as I got home I changed into my running gear and got treading. I did 1 warm up lap then ran solid for 2.25 miles at 6.3mph then walked .25. Total Workout: 2.75 28:34 433cals 1%

It was quick, and did take effort to keep going, but I managed it and motivated myself to go for over 2  miles when at first I had to force myself to get to 1.5. So the workout felt good.

Most Motivating Song: Coldplay "Politik"

New Miles: 2.75
Total Miles: 565.5
Miles Remaining: 934.5
Weight: 139.6

Resos and Plyos

An unspoken semi-resolution for the month of January is to do 2.0 miles per day. I am not sure if I really want it to be a resolution or not, but since I found myself 4 days into the month and having successfully done 2.0 miles each of the previous 3 days I figured I should keep this up in the event I do want to turn this into a monthly resolution. Though I am scared because (a) doing 1.0 mile/day in November was difficult and (a) because January is 31 days long. But I am encouraged by the fact I was able to do a similar thing before -so now I just have to commit to the same effort of actually trying to walk/run and I am sure I can manage to get 2.0 out of me.

I started off with a .25 mile warm-up walk and then some light stretching. I then ran .25 at 6.5mph and stopped for some plyo fun: 10 squats, 20 box jumps (only 6" because I only have a step to do this on), 10 forward lunges-alternating legs, 10 backward lunges-alternating legs and then I ran another lap at 6.5mph. After each lap I repeated the plyos. So I started with 2 laps at 6.5mph followed by 2 laps at 6.7mph followed a lap at 7.5mph and I did almost half of another lap at 7.5 but then bumped it up to 8:00mph for the final half-a-lap. I did one last set of plyos (making that 6 total sets) and then I walked a cool down lap at my standard 4.3mph. Total Workout: 2.0 miles in 20:21 314cals 1% + the plyos.

I rolled out the yoga mat on the living room floor and did 100 crunches, 2 sets of 20 bicycles, and 2 sets of 10 push-ups.

Most Motivating Song: Styx "Renegade" (it took me back to working out in college; it was a key pump-up song for me so many times)

New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 562.75
Miles Remaining: 937.25
Weight: 139.8

Many Excuses

Before The Biggest Loser Season 13 started I got onto the treadmill and I got in 2.5 miles. I walked .25 then ran .5 at 6.5mph, walked for half a lap, then ran until mile 2.25 at 6.5mph. Then I cooled down for .25. I completed the 2.5 miles in 26:06 394 cals 1%.

I then finished running and brought my weights into the living room and set up shop in front of the TV. For 2 hours I did light working out - 100 crunches, 4 sets of 10 of both the 20lb sumo deadlifts and thrusters. I did 5 sets of 10 push-ups and 100 bicycles (a rep of both legs count as 1). As the show started I had to laugh because the theme of this season is "No Excuses" which is the opposite of the thought I had before I got running. I had thought to myself "Wow I am really good at making excuses to not do a thing I told myself I wanted to do." Such as going to the actual gym during The Biggest Loser and working out. What excuse did I use to myself? That the first episode is more of a 'get to know the people' episode and it wouldn't be the best for working out. Though as I started lifting I realized I actually could never watch the show at the gym around other people who are not Ryan because (a) I cry a lot while watching it, (b) I often yell at Dolvett to stop winking at people, (c) I laugh when Bob yells at people to not stop moving, and (d) I get annoyed when the scale beeps and beeps and beeps and so I yell even more at the TV. Now that I've written that all out I believe I discovered I may have some issues with my TV relationship more so than just being good at making excuses.

After I stopped working out I rewarded myself with a beer and ate the final two Christmas cookies we had lying around. Followed up with more multi-tasking by the TV - watching TV and working on on 2012 budget. (This is what nerds like me do for fun!)

Most Motivating Song: Taylor Swift "Picture to Burn"

New Miles: 2.5
Total Miles: 560.75
Miles Remaining: 939.25
Weight: 139.2

Exerting Effort

As I sat on the couch wanting to do something I knew I should walk or run and told Ryan that if I didn't have to change or exert effort I would exercise. A few minutes later I got myself off the couch and then got onto the treadmill. 

I walked a programmed "Easy" course for .5 where it increased from 2 to 4 to 6 to 8 to 10% incline. I did that in 98cals 7:10. Then I ran. I ran at 6.5mph for a solid 2.25 miles, running for 21:00 non-stop - and I surprised myself by tricking myself to keep going all that distance rather than stopping after 1. I then walked .25 to  complete 2.5 in 24:19 391cals. Total Workout: 3.0 miles in 31:29 489cals.

Then I lifted 2 sets of the 20lb kettlebell - doing 10 sumo deadlifts, 10 thrusters, 10 kettlebell throws. Then I did 10 woodblock chops with 10lbs for 2 sets.

New Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 558.25
Miles Remaining: 941.75
Weight: 139.4

Happy Current Year!

As I rang out the old year and prepared to ring in the new I kept telling my friends "Happy Old Year!" which quickly transitioned into "Happy Current Year!" once Ryan got ahold of it. By the end of 2011 everyone was saying "Happy Current Year!" and as the clock passed midnight everyone went on to give hugs and wish each other a "Happy Current Year!". It was quite fun and funny and I like it so much more than saying "Happy New Year!".

For the first workout of the current year I was about to go run outside as it was in the 50s! But as soon as I got ready the rain moved in. So I got on the treadmill, where halfway thru running the rain moved out and the sun even shined. I did 1.0 miles with a light first lap then 6.3mph for the rest all at 1% incline - I did that in 10:15 157cals. Then I just had to act because if I thought about it I wouldn't do it - I increased the incline to 15%! And I went to do 30 seconds on/20 seconds off of hard run repeats at 7.0mph.

After 1 I was already tired, after 2 I was sucking wind, and so after just 2 20 second breaks I increased my rest time to 30 seconds - so I did 30 on/30 off. I did a total of 5 repeats - doing over .25 but under .5 so I count that distance as just .25. The final 2 were mostly done from some sort of willpower to force my way thru it as I had no business and 0% desire to keep doing it. Each 30 second-on felt like an eternity - and after 15 seconds I would look at the time wishing I was closer to having gone 30. My legs turned to jelly. My lungs were moving so fast I could have inflated a hot air balloon in about 5 minutes. After lowering the incline back down to a glorious 1% I walked and rounded out the mile. I did 2.0 miles in 24:53 403cals (though subtract some cals for those 30 second rests).

I followed that leg exhaustion up with some arm work - doing 10 sumo deadlifts followed by 10 thrusters followed by 10 kettlebell throws of the 20lb kettlebell - repeated twice. Sufficiently jellified top and bottom I ended my workout and grabbed some water and let my body ponder what I had just done to it. Happy Current Year Body! I'm going to get you into shape and try to shed off these 5lbs I re-gained during the holidays.

Most Motivating Song: Allison Krauss "Fast Fiddle and Banjo Tune"

New Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 555.25
Miles Remaining: 944.75
Weight: 141.4

1st Pic of Us in 2012