Return of the Muffin Top

After over a year of being so good to myself and being in the best physical condition of my life, I have now faltered!! Going back to school has put a real damper on my working out! Instead of using my free time getting sweaty and burning calories, I find myself perched in front of my computer screen answering discussion posts and writing papers! When not dealing with school work, I am tending to my broad or the house or reading!! If only there was more time in the day to do everything that I wish to do! So anyway, I haven't gained much weight back, but I am definitely starting to see changes in my body, such as the loss of muscle tone and the return of the infamous muffin top!!! So somehow I need to find my motivation and the energy to jump back into working out, so that things don't continue to get worse! Maybe I will go back to my 30 min Jillian Michaels workouts to get me back into the swing of things!! I have to do something so that all of that hard work doesn't go to waste!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

Today marks the ONE year anniversary of my "Get Fit" Commitment!!! One year ago today, I decided that enough was enough and I was determined to get my body back to a healthier state. I am extremely impressed with myself that I have been able to keep the pace for a full year with only taking about a month off. I am so proud of all the accomplishments I have made this year and I hope that I can keep adding more as I conquer another year. I am currently almost done with my first 30 days of TurboFire and I am loving every minute of it. It is an awesome workout. I am thinking about adding the deluxe DVD's when I am closer to my 90 days and then doing the Chalean Extreme. Absolutely loving the new healthier, fit ME!!!!

Left: July 11, 2011/Right: May 6, 2012

TurboFire, Let's GO!!!

After a brief intermission period in my exercising (about a month), and a long drawn out battle of what work out to do next, I decided to give TurboFire a try. It came in the mail yesterday and I was eagerly awaiting the start today. I have to say, I am very impressed and I think I will really like this workout. It mixes dancing and kickboxing into HIIT workouts and FIRE workouts. I just did the Fire Starter Class and the Stretch 10 Class today, but I think that this is going to be the kind of workout I need to get me back into the swing.

Day 1 Down, 89 more to go!!!!

Gate River Run, BABY!!

So, I did it!! I ran a 15K race!! I still can't believe that I actually ran the entire 9.3 miles, let alone, that I did it in 1 hour and 37 minutes!! I had only been running for 5 weeks to train for this race, and I was getting really nervous and excited leading up to it. All the nervousness went out the door as soon as I crossed the starting line. It was an amazing experience, and I can't wait to add to my experiences by running a half marathon by the end of the year. My proudest moment was running up the bridge near the end of the race, I had heard so many horror stories about the bridge, but I just smiled as I kept my pace and trucked on up it. Go ME!!!!

After making it to the top of the Bridge

After the end of the race, feeling very accomplished

Let me see if you can Run It, Run It!!!!

So if there is one thing that most people know about me, it is that I am adamantly not a runner. It's not that I never enjoyed running, it was just that I wasn't ever good at running. Every time I would try to run, my ankles or my knees would hurt and I would stop. So anyway the year before last, my oldest daughter joined the running club at her school, and she worked up to running a 5K by the end of the 5th grade, well me being pregnant most of that time, I wasn't able to run with her, but I promised her that I would run a 5K with her in the next year. Well it took me almost a year to follow up on that promise and in April of 2011, Taylor and I ran a 5K together. It felt amazing to finish a race like that, the joy you feel in crossing the finish line, and then it hit me, this is why people run. I wasn't able to run the whole way, but I only stopped and walked 2 times for short intervals and I finished with a relatively good time with Taylor by my side. But then I kinda fell off the running bandwagon, it wasn't because I didn't enjoy it, it was because I wanted to get into better shape. So Fast forward to the present, after losing almost 25 pounds and being in the best shape of my life, I decided to get to running again. I had decided that I was going to try the couch to 5K program to get me started since it had been quite a while since I ran. Well last week, I did 2 days of it and did great, but I felt that I was ready for something more. So on Friday, I went to my sister's and parked at her house so I could run in a little bit safer environment than down my wooded dirt road. So I took off running, thinking I will run till I need to stop and then I will walk for a while and go again. Well the strange thing was, I never felt like I needed to stop. I ran for 40min, about 3.8 miles!! What!! you mean I just ran further than a 5K without stopping. WOW!!! So after working all weekend, I got up early, took the girls to school and ran. I ran about 3.7 miles on Monday (a little bit different route), but towards the end, my calves were starting to bother me, so I slowed down a bit. Taking today off, to let me legs rest and then hopefully will be able to run tomorrow morning, may not go as far...think I may shoot for 2 miles tomorrow. So anyway, my goal this year is to run a 10K and if I can get my legs in gear, I may be able to do one next month. Did I mention, I am also doing my second round of Insanity!!! I know, I am an Addict!!!!

Ding Ding Ding...Round 2

And Round 2 of Insanity has officially commenced!!!

So I was going to wait until next week to start this craziness again, but I couldn't. I need some structure to stick with my workouts and the schedule that you have with Insanity keeps me motivated and makes it easier to keep pushing. So the Fit Test went well, not as good as what I finished the last round with, but I didn't think it would be, after taking 3 weeks off. But it felt good and I can't wait to be able to say, I finished Insanity TWICE!!!!

Fit Test Results from Day 1, round 1 compared to today

Day 1, round 1/Day 1, round 2
Switch Kicks: 55/50
Power Jacks: 47/54
Power Knees: 82/107
Power Jumps: 27/40
Globe Jumps: 9/9
Suicide Jumps: 12/21
Push-up Jacks: 14/22
Low Plank Oblique: 43/60

No too shabby, still don't like switch kicks and Globe jumps, but everything else was still an improvement!!

Let the Insanity Begin!!!!

My New Husband!!!

After I had lost most of my weight and cut my hair, I would joke around with my husband about him having a new wife, and where was my new husband. Well after jumping in and finishing Insanity with me, my husband is looking amazing now a days!! And I am so proud of him!!

He lost about 10lbs, and 9.5 total inches in 60 days!!!! And he isn't stopping there, he has continued to workout and he is planning to do a second round of Insanity with me soon.

Smooth Motivator

One of the things that I have been most proud of in my journey to be healthier and more fit is my ability to motivate others around me. Without even trying, I have had so many people in my life tell me that my journey has motivated them to get healthier. I am not a professional and I don't know everything about fitness and nutrition, but I do know what worked for me, and I like to share that with people, especially people who have had the same kind of struggles that I have had. I like to share my stories and I like to listen to what other people are doing as well. I like feeling like a motivator, because that in turn motivates me to keep it up. I have lost all the weight, that I wish to lose, but I am no way near the end of my journey. My journey is turning into a lifestyle change and I feel the best I have ever felt. I feel healthy and strong and empowered!! And if I can do anything to help others feel the way that I do now, I will do it!!

Keep Pushing!!!

Finish Insanity Challenge.....CHECK!!!!

63 Days, 18,480 calories burned, gallons of sweat poured, 1.5lbs lost, 3.5in lost and an incredible confidence boost!! I have finished my Insanity challenge. Final Fit Test this morning and I killed it.

Day 1/Day 63
Switch Kicks: 55/65 (+10)
Power Jacks: 47/60 (+13)
Power Knees: 82/120 (+38)
Power Jumps: 27/60 (+33)
Globe Jumps: 9/10 (+1)
Suicide Jumps: 12/23 (+11)
Push-up Jacks: 14/35 (+21)
Low Plank Oblique: 43/90 (+47)

I was very impressed with my results, and I feel very accomplished. Going to take a couple days off to relax and figure out what I am going to do next. A second round of Insanity is definitely in my future.

Day 1 /Day 63

Day 1/Day 63
I guess Insanity taught me to stand up straighter, my posture was horrible in the first pic!!