#OperationLuvPounds Update

I stepped on the scale this morning and discovered that I'm down 3 pounds. Woohoo!!!

I have to admit that I haven't done a darn thing to deserve it seeing as how I exercised a whopping one time during the past two weeks. I was sick, so I guess not having much of an appetite for a week and a half can do a lot for a girl's figure.

I did finally register for the Miracle Miles 15k. I could have signed up for the 5k, but I figure getting my butt kicked may be just the thing I need to get my butt in gear. My only goal for this race is to finish, so keep your fingers crossed for me

Have a fabulous Friday!
❤CardioBunny

This Means War! #OperationLuvPounds

Last year I set out to lose 30 pounds before my 30th birthday and I reached that goal with my May 1st weigh in. Shortly after that I met Hunny Luv and between trying to spend as much time with him and the kids as I can and the regular demands of life, exercise has slowly fallen to the wayside.

The scale shows that I have gained 5 pounds since then. Five pounds that I worked really hard to lose and never intended to find again. Clearly, I need to work on making myself a priority again.


But today, is the day that I start turning it all around. Because I am declaring war on those Luv Pounds! In fact, I am going to lose those 5 pounds plus another 15 before the holidays.

My Plan of Action:
✿ 30 minutes of exercise 4 days per week
✿ Continue to follow the 80/20 rule with eating
✿ Run the Miracle Miles 15k (ok, run/walk it)
✿ Post an update/status blog each Wednesday

Today I'm going to get my first workout in and put together a workout schedule.

❤CardioBunny

DVD Review : The Belly Off! Workout - The Body Weight Routine

Since making the decision to live a healthier lifestyle, almost a year ago I have amassed quite the collection of workout dvds. Being able to workout at home keeps me on track because it eliminates the excuses that keep me from going to the gym or for a run; no personal training appointments to miss, inclement weather, etc. So I purchased The Belly Off! The Body Weight Routine and this dvd is definitely one of my favorites.

This workout is amazing! It reminds me of a local bootcamp that I participated in earlier this year that gave me fantastic results, both in terms of pounds and inches lost.

I've completed this workout several times now and it always leaves me sweating, which makes me feel totally hardcore.

The workout is a circuit training routine that alternates between short periods of cardio and strength training moves. I never got bored during the routine because the instructor doesn't stay on any one move for a long period of time. And you go at your own pace on the cardio sessions, so you control the intensity.

The instructor, David Jack is very likeable and not overly chatty. When he speaks, it's to explain the exercises or to issue brief encouragement (it really annoys me when instructors just chatter away during workouts). Plus, David does the entire workout and I could tell that the workout was challenging for him too (I hate it when I feel like the people on the tv are just breezing through a workout... especially when I feel like I'm dying while I'm doing the beginner modification lol).

The only thing about this dvd that annoyed me is that there are a LOT of pushups! Pushups work a lot of muscles at once so I understand why they were there. But I couldn't do any more after a while so I grabbed my dumbbells and did chest raises and chest flys instead of waiting for those sections to be over.

Beginner or intermediate exercisers should be able to get a lot of mileage out of this workout. There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced modifications for most of the exercises that are done, so you can move up the rungs as you get stronger.

This dvd is definitely a keeper. I plan on using it, and the Strength Training version of it for the next four weeks. I'll post my results at the end.

It's the Little Things

After researching half marathon recovery I worked a recovery week into my training schedule so last week was full of a lot of Pilates, Yoga, and other stretching and strengthening exercises. Unfortunately they were also accompanied by too many cheat meals. Basically the "recovery" week reminded me that having a semi-short term goal is EXTREMELY important for me.

So, I registered for the AFLAC Iron Iron Girl Clearwater 15k, which will be held on April 10th! I was worried that I would have to scratch this race and do a shorter local one, since I still don't have a frigging job, but several people that I know are also running it and we are going to split the travel and lodging costs. The race course starts near Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach and runs over a causeway and back. The Clearwater area has some beautiful beaches, so this race should have some amazing views.

*Off topic: I cannot wait to see the Life series on Discovery!!!**

I only have 7 pounds left to reach my goal of losing 30 pounds by my 30th birthday and I want them gone so I have to follow my plan. For me, it's the little things that make me get out the door for a run. For instance, I plan my training runs for in an Excel spreadsheet and it drives me nuts when I can't go in and highlight the little cell to indicate that I've completed that days workout.

Another thing that's incredibly motivating for me is keeping track of my training runs on my bathroom mirror where I can't avoid it. This picture was taken back in January, while I was still training for the Princess Half:


Maybe I'm a bit of a nutjob, but I really didn't want to see the same number more than 2 days in a row, so I always made it out the door for a run, even if I ended up cutting it short. Since it worked so well for me, I decided to do the same thing for the 15k. Here's to Day 1 of training for the new race.



What tricks do you use to get yourself off of the couch on rough days?

Halfway There!!!

I weighed in yesterday and I am halfway towards my goal weight! 15 lbs gone baby!!!

It took forever, but I finally found a routine that works for me and everything is rolling along smoothly. If you aren't incorporating strength training and HIIT sessions into your routine, start doing it asap! I had been stuck in the 170s for a few months now, but adding these two things into my routine have kicked my metabolism into gear.

My midway reward is a spa treatment so I've booked it for the 29th of this month. As an added bonus, the spa is having a special happy hour night and the theme is chocolate! Can it get any better than a massage and chocolate? I'm going to set aside my weekly cheat meal for that night so that I can indulge in the complimentary chocolate-tinis (and hopefully chocolate covered strawberries) without feeling guilty. I can't wait!


Today also marks the beginning of Week 6 of the 12 week half marathon training program that I'm following. I cannot believe how well the training is going, considering that I just started running in the middle of December. I have logged over 55 miles since then! My last long run was 6 miles and while I feel like I walked entirely too much during the run, I finished it... I was grinning like an idiot for most of the last two miles lol.

Choosing a Weightloss Goal

When I first set my goal weight I chose 155 pounds, which called for a 30 pound weight loss. I chose that number based on the last time that I felt good about my body. I wasn't thin, but I was solid and didn't have a lot of fluff around my midsection. And yes, it's fluff, not fat!

So I happily continued on my journey until one day when I was playing around with the BMI calculator. It said that I would have to lose another 10 pounds to be in a healthy weight range. And that is on the very high end of the healthy weight range. What's a girl to do?

I've decided that I'm going to pursue my original goal of 30lbs and then go from there. I really don't think that BMI takes enough factors into consideration so I am shifting my focus to my body fat percentage instead. And as of this mornings weigh-in I am halfway to my goal weight!!!

I wrapped up week 5 of my half marathon training program and everything is going well. I have logged 54.54 miles since December 15th, 17 of them this week alone! Time is flying by and the Disney Princess Half Marathon will be here before I know it.

My Poor, Neglected Blog

I feel like I haven't posted in forever! I hope everyone is okay in Blogland. My locks and I have been busy since my last posting. Each year for my birthday I pick a couple of goals that I want to reach for the following year. My goals for this year (which started in May) are to lose 30lbs and to be more sociable.

My weightloss isn't going so great. I got off track AGAIN! But this is a new month and I'm hoping that the next time I post I'll be able to tell you that I've made a lot of progress with that. The being more social thing is going a lot better. I started going to events for groups on the Meetup.com website and am having such a great time meeting new people and doing all kinds of fun things. Here is a small slide show from the past few months... ignore the crazy faces in some of the pics =)

Progress!

I wanted to share my weightloss progress with you all. I rejoined SparkPeople back in March of this year and didn't really do anything with it. On May 25th I got on the scale and was so upset because I had gained another 4lbs... Grr! So, I started following the SparkPeople plan again, as far as sticking with my calorie range and actually working out. That was 24 days ago and here's a summary of my progress since then:

Weight -10.8 lbs
Bust -2
Waist -2
Tummy -2
Hips -1
Upper Thigh -0.5
Thigh -1
Total Inches -8.5

I haven't been running... I don't know, I just began feeling like that was more of a chore than anything else. I guess I fell out of love with it. My results are actually a result of doing workout dvds at home. I currently have a mini obsession with FIRM workouts. They alternate cardio and sculpting (with dumbells) intervals, which I think helps to keep me from getting bored.

Anywho, I wanted to share because I am so happy with my results. I feel like I am doing the right thing and making a lifestyle change, instead of just doing something short term like dieting. I can't believe I'm down almost 11 lbs already. Here is a "before" shot that was taken a couple of days ago. I'll be back with my after pics before you know it :)



I really need to take hair pic, but this is the closest thing that I have for now.



P.S. I put a link to my SparkPage over to the right. If you're ever wondering how I'm doing, I've been updating there frequently.