Fitness: Month Two Check In

Well, it's officially been 60 days since I began my training with the Get in Shape Girl, so it's time for an update.

Starting Weight: 141.8 (ish)
Current Weight: 140.2 (ish)

Sad to say I haven't lost much weight.  But I do feel like I'm seeing changes, albeit subtle.  And I have to admit this month I haven't been that focused as I spent almost two weeks away on vacation where I was definitely not following my meal plan.  But as soon as I came back and started up again, I noticed a quick turn around.  I think at my lowest point I weighed in just over 138 lbs, so I'm fluctuating a bit.

I am noticing an improvement in my pushups, my runs are getting faster, and this week was the first time I was able to hold my planks for the full time for all three sets!  I'm really enjoying the diversity of the workouts, although I wish I had other options for my HIIT.  Unfortunately, I have a very "spartan" gym set up at work, so we don't really have any cardio equipment at all.  So all my HIITs have been sprints.  I tried doing mountain climbers, burpees, etc... for the intervals, but I couldn't keep going for the entire 60 seconds, so I've got to improve a bit before I can try those again.

Tell you what, my upper body is looking sick.  And my booty is looking better too...I notice I've got more of a curve from my lower back to my booty (I should have taken a side pic so you could see).  The lovies are still there, but they've always been my problem area.

One bummer is that I just found out my PT test isn't until February.  I was really hoping it was in November so I could knock it out before the holidays while I'm still in the zone.  I guess this just needs to motivate me to keep up with my workouts and my eating through the holidays so I can get the high score I've been aiming for.  I'll keep you posted!

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• Start
• Month One Check In

Fitness Update: 6.5 Weeks Left

I'm on my second day back from a nearly two-week vacation and definitely feeling the pain of not working out at all. Don't get me wrong, we were super active, but there was no running or strength training and TONS of eating involved. I may or may not have eaten my weight in fresh Vermont cheese, so I know I've got some work to do to get back into it.

That being said, I feel strong. I did my strength training and HIIT session yesterday and am feeling the pain in my chest and back today. This morning I ran juuuust shy of a 5k and think I ran my fastest pace in over a year. Check out this comparison of just two months ago when I started here...my pace has improved by over a minute!

Overall, I'm aiming to run a 5k at a 9:00 pace by the time I leave this job on September 30th.  I think the sprints I've been running are helping immensely, so I think that goal is totally doable.

I am all registered and lodged for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November, so that's my next big goal. I'm hoping to get any time faster than the last one, hahaha! I'm not running with my super freak fitness friends, so I'm a bit nervous that I won't push myself as hard as they pushed me during the Princess. But I think if I keep that in my head and I train more than I did (which was almost nothing), then I should be ok.

I came across this old picture of myself from back in February before the Princess, but right around the time I started to really focus on getting back into shape and getting stronger. It's pretty awesome to see the difference a few months makes...even though the scale hasn't changed that much. Overall I think I've lost about 7 pounds since February, but I feel like the change is more significant than that.

I think my biggest challenge has been eating. It's tough to balance wanting to experience things with my family with eating right. I've been on point during the week when I work, but I just can't bring myself to order grilled chicken or fish at my favorite mexican restaurant or abstain from the chips and salsa. I just need to make sure the indulging is the exception, not the norm, and I think I'll reach my goals.

Month 1 Check In

Ok, it's been just about a month since I started my fitness journey and I'm noticing some changes already.  Although I haven't lost as much weight as I'd hoped (largely due to a lot of traveling and too much indulging), I'm seeing my muscles again, feeling stronger, and loving the energy I'm getting from eating right.

The biggest challenge thus far is the eating, but I'm make some changes to better work it into my crazy schedule.  I worry a bit about the upcoming month because we are going on a 10-day family vacation up north which always involves a lot of eating (good Italian food and lots of desserts from Joe's side and tons of fresh, homemade food from my dad).  Plus, when/where am I going to work out?!  I'm going to do my best to fit it all in, and am even planning to run with my dad once I get to NH, but I just know I won't be able to strength train as much as I'd like.  It bums me out a bit because I know my time here is limited and I want to make the most of it because who knows where I'll be after September 30th.

The best part so far?  How much food I get to eat!  I eat every three hours...and not just a little snack, but a plate of meat and veggies or eggs or oatmeal, etc...  Sometimes I have to force myself to eat, but it's really helped cut down my cravings a lot.  I'm struggling at home mostly because Joe will sit on the couch and nosh on sweets after lunch AND dinner almost every day.  And since he doesn't cook and I work all day, I'm not always in the mood to cook, which means we go out to eat too much.  But I've been pretty good about watching my portions and ordering healthy items like lean steak and broccoli. 

Checkin' In on Those Guns

Well, that's about it...I can't wait until I'm done with another month so I can see the results!  Now if only I could find a good yoga place here...my muscles are tight!

Fitness Update - Week 3

CAUTION:  This is a text heavy post.

It's officially the start of week 3 of the Get In Shape Girl Workout Plan and week 5 of working out/eating better.  I'd like to say I'm dropping some serious lbs, but I'm not.  Rather I'm building muscle and losing fat, for sure.  I also think I've dropped some water weight that I had accumulated from a lot of eating out.

Inspiration is critical.  Image via

Here's my opinion of each element thus far:


Strength Training
It's mostly circuit-style with groups of 3-5 exercises.  I focus on 1-2 areas each time I ST (which is supposed to be 3x a week), so I have plenty of rest.  The exercises don't require a lot of machines/equipment - which is nice because I can do them at home if I'm off from work.  I'm not pushing myself too much on the weight yet since I'm just getting back into ST, but I'm uber excited to see how much I can push in these next weeks. 


HIIT
Kyra has had me doing High Intensity Interval Training 3x a week after my ST sessions as a way to torch my extra body fat.  Basically I can do whatever exercise I want as long as it's pushing my heart rate for a specified period of time then relaxing for a specified period of time before pushing it again.  It's quick, but not painless.  I'm truly enjoying this part of the program because I KNOW it's going to work.  I know I'm getting faster, my cardio conditioning is improving and I'm losing body fat.  It hurts though...and since I've been sticking largely to sprints (to improve my PT test run time), I've been feeling a bit of shin splint pain.  Think I'm going to try rowing intervals on Wednesday so I switch it up AND I don't kill my legs after my Wed leg session.


Cardio
I've been doing cardio twice a week to (a) improve my PT test run time, which was one of my major goals; (b) train for my upcoming races; (c) burn more fat while giving my muscles a break; and (d) to keep my sanity.  I love running...especially on my own, outside, with the perfect playlist.  Want to sore through a tough issue?  Go running...it works.  I've been averaging about 3.2 miles each session and I can see my time improving already.

Nutrition
This is the area I'm struggling the most - and I knew it would be.  I'm having trouble planning ahead for all of my meals (especially when I get off schedule due to travel or whatnot).  Also, I notice I'm netting a very low number of calories.  I'm used to coming in at 1200-1300 calories, but with the exercise and the nutrition plan, I'm closer to 1000.  Because I don't work out on the weekends and that's when I tend to go off plan, I'm making up for those calories though.  And I haven't really felt tired or overly hungry.  If anything, I'm forcing myself to eat since it's a lot of protein and veggies and that stuff gets rather unappetizing after awhile.  But I know I only get so many calories, so I need to eat all of them.  I think this will get easier as I go along.  I'm definitely a creature of habit and do better when I plan ahead and eat a lot of the same things.   Best tip ever:  set up your phone to remind you whenever it's time to eat so you never miss a meal.  Funny, I find myself heading to eat merely a minute or two before my alarm goes off, so I know it's becoming a habit.

One day.  Image via

Overall, I'm noticing more muscles poking through (my abs are getting serious from all the core work) and I'm feel a lot less swollen.  On top of that, I just feel stronger.  I feel like I'm racing the clock though because I don't want my time on active duty to end.  This is when I'm the most focused on training and I just know September 30th is going to sneak up on me.  Especially since I have a 10-day vacation planned right in the middle of all this. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!

July 24th will mark my one-month milestone on the program, so I'll be posting progress photos and stats.

Getting Back on Track

I haven’t shared much about my recent return to the fit side of things (who am I kidding, I haven’t shared much about anything these days!), so I thought I would give y’all a little update.

Basically, I’m on active duty with the military for four months (June through September), so it’s really the perfect time for me to get back in shape.  I’ve really let myself go ever since having Nash, and I feel terrible about it.  I feel bad about myself, I have no energy, and I look like hell.  On top of it, I’m going to be 30 in October and I really don’t want to enter a new decade fat and miserable. I say “fat” lightly because I’m really not fat…merely out of shape.  Skinny fat, if you will.   Ok, don't judge...

So, what did I do?  I signed up for virtual personal training with my friend Kyra over at The Get in Shape Girl.  It’s $30 a month and she sends you a tailored meal plan, a workout plan that fits into your schedule (I’m lucky I get to work out 5 days a week before work), and all kinds of support.  She has this awesome website where she lays out all these workouts and sample meals…and she even started a Facebook group to keep everyone motivated, informed, and accountable.  On top of all that, I have to send her progress pics each month, a weekly review of my workouts and eating, and we do weekly conference calls.  With that kind of accountability, I don’t see how I won’t get results.

Starting Point – 24 June

Weight: 141.8 (I think)

BMI: 23.6 (upper part of normal)

Body Fat: 23.8% (per my scale)

Chest: 34 in

Waist: 29 in

Hips: 39.25 in

So, I’m technically on week one of her plan…I got all the info on Wednesday of last week, so up until that point I’d been doing my own workouts and just trying to eat healthy.  I log all my meals on My Fitness Pal, so I can tell when I’m eating a bunch of junk or missing certain macros.  This morning I did one of her leg circuit workouts and I was dripping…I mean, dripping…sweat.  I can run…I run a lot…but this made me feel really out of shape.

Funny thing is, just 3 weeks or so into working out regularly and tracking my meals, I’m already seeing progress.  My abs have reappeared, my muscles are peeking through, and I’m sleeping better.  I’m super excited about the changes I’ll see in the coming months…and it’s keeping me super motivated.

My only issue so far has been the eating.  I’m supposed to eat 5 meals of protein and green veggies and I’m struggling getting the last meal in…the green veggies in particular.  I can muscle down some protein later in the evening, but I haven’t been able to throw back some broccoli or anything like that.  I just can’t seem to stomach it.  I’m doing a little research though trying to find new ways to get that meal in since I need those calories.  

Five Meals of Protein-y Green Goodness

Throughout my journey, I’ll be posting pics and updating my stats.  I welcome any and all advice, comments, ideas…

Feeling Good

Today I worked out.  Like, really worked out.  Lately all I have been doing is going for walks or doing a few quick exercises around the house...haven't stepped foot in the gym in at least two weeks.  But this morning I headed over there to give it a shot, and I am sure glad I did.

I had forgotten how good it felt to work out.  I did a 30 minute S-L-O-W elliptical session, then did 3 sets each of these exercises:

25% there

I am currently at about 10.5 weeks so I think it's safe to say I've rounded first.  Nothing too exciting going on in the last week, but still excited to be here!

I still don't have much of anything showing, which is kind of a relief.  I really shouldn't look at pictures of celebrity preggers because then I feel bad about my own human body.  I mean, Gisele can't be human, right?  I recently read a caption in a magazine that said she never wore maternity clothes.  Freakish, I tell you.

Staying on Track

Today I decided to start tracking my food and exercise on Livestrong.com's the Daily Plate.  I used to do this all the time when I was in DC, and it truly is eye-opening.  All of a sudden you can see if you're eating too much fat or sodium or not getting enough protein.  You can compare the different meals you usually eat and see which ones are bad or good...and you can search for healthier options.  Their search bank is pretty impressive...there's rarely a time I cannot find what I'm eating.  And you can add in any exercise you do, and it will provide you with a total calories and a net calories reading.

I began by tracking everything I ate yesterday and then tracked everything I ate today.  Here are my totals for yesterday:

Weighty Issues

Today marks the first day I really felt stressed out since this whole pregnancy thing began.  I'm feeling so overwhelmed and under prepared...two things that really suck when put together.

After my talk with Jen about jobs last night, I just feel like such a loser because I don't have a job.  I mean, come on!!  What does a girl have to do!?!?!  I feel so worthless just sitting around not making any money.  And now that we are looking at designing a nursery and buying baby stuff, I just feel worse.