Huge accomplishment!

After starting this many times and never getting past the first set, I have committed to this program and this morning officially started the last set of DVD's of Jillian Michaels 90 Day Body Revolution! 

This is HUGE! I have noticed many changes in my body, but overall I just feel great! 

This is me after this mornings workout! A sweaty beast but survived the hard workout! I look forward to finishing the set and starting something new and even more challenging :) 

What does happiness look like?

What does happiness look like? 

This...

And this... 

This too...

Kickboxing class. 

I attended my first "kickboxing" class this past Saturday, I signed up through the community ed programs thinking it would be a great cardio workout, and envisioned an aerobic style of exercise. 

Oh.my.gosh. I was wrong, like really wrong. 

I walked in, not knowing anyone, and I felt like Rocky. There was a boxing ring and big guys working out that I was actually afraid to make eye contact with. The people were really nice, and showed me where to go. I walked in, and saw an empty space surrounded by about 12 boxing bags hanging from the ceiling. Those can't be for us? I thought to myself... Holy shit. I had no idea what I had coming to me! 

The class started out with a "warm up", which I am not even sure why it was called that, it was the hardest workout I have had in a while. At the end of the 20 or so minutes, I was thinking (in my head) is that it, are we done now? Nope. Not even close, we had a straight hour of kickboxing, with boxing gloves...punching and kicking those bags. 

I thought I was dead, I actually think I saw the light. It was the hardest thing I think I have ever done, but boy did it feel good! I felt like I could throw out some serious whoop ass without anyrepercussions. After the class, I went to my car and was so shaky my fingers decided to basically stop working. For like a day. The next day, I could barely move, every muscle in my body ached. Things I didn't know could hurt, did. I laughed, and thought I broke a rib it hurt so bad! ha! But I cannot wait to do it all over again this coming Saturday! I am excited to see my progress in this class, it was so intense but in a good way. 

Side Bar... I went to the dreaded Perkins with my husband this morning and did my homework! I order the Spinach & Mushroom Scrambler, which was much better on points (13!) and I asked for no toast, extra fruit so it is even less than that now :) I would say close to 6, maybe 7 but I haven't added everything up quite yet. Here's a pic! It was delish! And those are chicken apple sausages, and were really good! 

Ok got to go! Class is starting :) 

Well the mornings are becoming much easier...

And still at it, working hard! Yes that's a sweaty beast at 5:15am after my morning workout. BOOM. 

Double workout Wednesday! Yes... you read that right

It's been no secret that I have had a love/hate relationship with exercise over the years, when I am into it I love it, and when I stop I seriously struggle getting back into it! Well I am on my game right now with my workouts and have been on track for 5 weeks - which is A-mazing! I have been getting up each morning before everyone (like 4:45am) and getting it in before the day starts. For me, morning workouts are my only guarantee that I will get one in. If I wait and "do it later" later never happens. The first few days were a BITCH getting up, and I honestly don't even think I was awake half the time but now I have been waking up before my alarm goes off and it is becoming much easier! 

Well I signed up for a yoga class on Wednesday nights at our local elementary school, and I was deciding on if I should still get up and workout in the morning or if I just go with the yoga in the evening because I knew it was still going to be a good  workout. I decided to still get up, and keep my flow going so I did TWO workouts yesterday, TWO. Hot DAMN! It actually felt really good, and wasn't that challenging to do them both and I still managed to get up this morning to do it again, sore and all :) 

Here's a little non-scale victory for me... my pants are getting baggy! YES! Not like poop my pants baggy, but I've got wiggle room in the waist so that's a major win! 

Anyways, class is starting in 5 minutes - I have got to go! :) Have a wonderful day! 

Ok Perkins, let's get with the program here!

This morning I volunteered at my kids' school before I had to go to my own class, after I was finished I had about an hour so I decided to get myself some breakfast at Perkins. 

I decided to go with an omelet, and went with their special... the Denver Omelet. I looked it up on ETools and realized that is was 29 points!!!!!!! OMG! That is more than what I get in a day for points! Good grief! Just when you think an omelet might be a decent option. What shocked me more as I was looking through all of the other items listed under Perkins, is that I hardly found any options that were considered reasonably healthier options. I remember this from a few years ago when I asked the manager if they had nutrition facts anywhere and she looked at me like I was crazy... 

Anyways, there was NO way that I was going to spend 29 of my 28 points on breakfast so I made some alterations to try and help. 

I asked for: 

Egg substitute instead of eggs

No cheese 

So on my omelet, there was egg substitute, celery, onion, and 1/2 of chopped sausage patty. Not too shabby for what it was to start with. I did get the hashbrowns, and ate them. It was just one thing I couldn't pass up.

But one other thing I noticed is that the toast is 8 points - for bread w/ butter? Um, no thanks. It didn't look that good anyways. 

Note to self, be prepared and look ahead of time - know what you are going to order and when all else fails, make some changes if needed! I seriously cannot believe 29 points! Anyways, there's my rant for the morning. 

Perkins, get with the program and come up with some healthier alternatives. 

Ugh, let's take a quick breath and catch up!

Ok, I finally have a moment to just sit and take a breath. Man, I am pooped out! So let's catch up!

1. I started college again last week, and man, I am old! hahaha... No really, probably the oldest one in my classes :) Oh well, what do ya do! I am ready and anxious to be back at it and feel very determined to finish with my head held high! Here's a picture my daughter took of me on my first day of school lke I make my kids do each year... 

2. I started work again last week as well! I had been off work since mid-October so starting both work and school in the same week was a definite challenge, but it felt good to be busy again! I work at the middle school and elementary school in our school district as a paraprofessional, and it's still really early but I really, really love it! For the first time, probably ever, I feel like I belong. Like I am exactly where I need to be! The kids are amazing, and it keeps me away from sitting at a desk all day long! It's pretty exciting, and I feel very blessed! 

3. I signed up for two fitness classes through the community ed programs - yoga, and cardo kickboxing! They start next week, I am really excited about them! I am happy to say that I am just finishing my 4th week in a row of doing Jillian Michael's 90 day body revolution. I must admit, this is very significant for me because I have started this program about 4 or 5 times and have NEVER made it past week 3! Last week was hard because of work/school and just feeling like I was on overload but I still got up early each day and did my workout... I missed two days, so I made up for one over the weekend and went for a nice brisk walk with my dog & daughter :) 

4. I have tracked my food EVERY SINGLE DAY! Really, everyday! This is major for me! I have tracked everyday since December 28! Yahoo! 

5. I am starting to notice some small changes in my body, nothing big, but little things that probably only I would notice but I will take it! 

Ok, well that's about all of my updates for the last couple of weeks :) Overall, I feel like I am doing really well, better than I have in a very long time! And it feels really good... Like so good that I actually look forward to my workouts and am making a very strong effort to continue on this path. I do think it helps that I haven't weighed myself (remember... RIP scale...) so I am basing my feelings on how I feel and little things I am noticing - it's been a huge motivator for me! 

Here's to a great week & weekend, cheers! 

RIP Scale.

I mentioned a few entries ago, that I hid my scale from myself. I have a very unhealthy relationship with the scale and have a history of solely basing my success on what that number says, I figured if I hid it I wouldn't be tempted to see what it says... I was wrong. I have weighed myself twice, and was unhappy with what I saw after all of my hard work and eating right. Although I KNOW I am doing the right thing, it's hard not to let it get to you when you see little to no movement... 

So this is what I did today. I threw it on my garage floor to break it a little. 

Then I...

Threw it in my disgusting garbage, broken, so there was no way I could turn back. 

I have to admit, it felt liberating! F-U scale! I will NOT allow you to dictate my sucess anymore. I want to feel good, and if that means I don't know how much I have gained/lost through the process, I am ok with that! 

Anyways, I am off to class! Yes, my own college class... I'll write more about that later :)