weight loss workout: 3.15.10: My Introduction :)

Introduction: I have some new blog followers-YAY!!!! Thank you Jo for the shoutout on her blog! She rocks-check out her blog for some great fitness reading) SO Im going to quickly introduce myself :)

This blog is mostly about fitness & healthy living because I lived unfit and unhealthy for a long long time! I have maintained a 90 lb weight loss for about 8 years or so. I was overweight from the get-go. Yes I was bigger than the other kids in kindergarten even. I actually weigh less today than I did at my 6th grade weigh-in (and Im 2 whole inches taller-thank you very much...).

I was a slow loser and it did take me TIME to lose the weight, but thats fine-slow & steady won the race for me. If I had the knowledge I have now-I think I would have lost a lot faster. I wasted a lot of time doing only cardio-totally ignored strength training-DUMB. When I found the Firm, I finally started using weights & really reshaped my formerlly (still kinda) flabby body. I also did the "non-fat' thing for over a decade-while it did help me lose a lot of weight-I wouldnt do it that way again. I have JUST started adding good fats into my diet and am trying to get back to "real" food. Its all been a learning experience and it will continue to be.

Thats me in a nutshell. I also dabble in crafts & cake decorating so I post pics of those from time to time. Another thing Ive started doing is couponing and bargain hunting (Ive always been cheap but now I have a more PC name for it). So I will post some of the awesome bargains I find here as well. And I want to feature some of my lovely readers and do some giveaways soon.

Here is me then & now...

Saturday's Workout: Rest day-did about 5 min on the Wii Fit then I finally got DH lured into playing-and he LOVED it! I knew he would like the upgrades & new games on the + version. Haha sucker!

Sunday's Workout:
-Firm: Balance Trainer
*total w/o time 45 min + stretch

Today's Workout:

-Exercise TV: (Ultimate Body Series) Slim Down Fast

Today's Review: Exercise TV: Ultimate Body Series, Slim Down Fast
Cindy Whitmarsh, Jessica Smith, Michael Carson, 2008 ***** (5 of 5 stars)

I did all 3 20 min w/o's this morning. I ABSOLUTELY loved all of them!!! All 3 are cardio/strength intervals. There is a small countdown timer at the top of the screen that counts down the 20 or so minutes for each w/o. My only complaint about the dumbbell w/o's is they only use 1 set of weigths. I really like the old Firm style of light, med, heavy but I figured it out. The dvds do allow you to "play all" but this is play all 3 20 minute segments or play all 5 2 minute segments. Only in the order they are presented-there is no mix & match option.

Cindys is first and if you are a fan of Cindy's w/o's you wont be dissapointed-this keeps in her norm of rotating between athletic cardio & (dumbbell) strength moves. In the cardio she shows a lower impact version in the middle of the segment-not at the beginning of the move. More cardio than strength IMO. Theres a lunge sequence, cardio ski moves, no ab work.

Jessica Smith does the next segment. This one is just about 1 min strength/ 1 min cardio. The cardio is super basic and just enough the get/keep your heartrate up between the strength moves. There are jumping jacks, Mt. climbers, ab work, squats w/ overhead press, etc.

I think Michael Carson's was the most challenging and it was very unique. He uses a med ball-he says 2 lbs or less but I used my 8# Firm med ball and was fine. I was sweating and my heart rate really got up there in this section! This had (to me) a functional feel. It was pretty low impact but very intense-which is always a bonus for the joints. You swing the med ball around to work your core, squat while twisting, hooks w/ the ball, ab work with and w/out the ball. Very core-centric.

I did a few of the 2 minute "bonus" segments. Cindy's lower body w/o is unweighted bridge work, Jessica's tank top arms is bicep, shoulder, tricep dumbbell work. Jessica has a quick 2 min cardio segment. And there are 2 more I didnt get to do that Michael leads.

Overall I felt like this was a great w/o! Probably a bit more cardio than strength but still some good strength work. I would rate this maybe a little more intense than Cindy's Results w/o because they dont do the low impact and then lead into the high impact. Overall high intermediate probably.

Today's Recipe: Krab Pita Pockets

-4 ounces imitation crab meat

-1 TBS reduced fat mayo

-lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayene pepper to taste

-alfalfa sprouts

-1 slice reduced fat cheese

-1/2 WW pita pocket

Mix crab, mayo, and spices with lemon juice. Stuff into pita pocket with alfalfa sprouts & cheese slice. Serve with a green salad with low fat dressing for a quick and healthy lunch.

Today's Tip: MULTI-TASKING (Ive posted this before but I will do it again since its been a while).

I do all my cooking on Sundays. Yes it kinda kills a chunk of time from my weekend but I dont have time to do it during the week. I get home from work at 6, Im hungry by then and I have to get up at 5:30 to get my workout in so I try to be in bed by 10. That doesnt leave a lot of time.

1. plan your weekly menu out ahead of time (breakfasts, lunches, & dinners)

2. make your grocery list

3. do your one weekly shopping trip & get it all

4. start cooking!

In the end you are really saving time by doing it all at once. I have a burner going, the Foreman grill, the steamer, and the oven at times. All the while Im prepping something else. You also save money-you never find yourself in a pinch for a meal and then go out to eat. Then you save those restaurant calories by not having to hit the drive through.

Weekend Crafts: This Sunday was stamp club (why yes, I am a dork-who goes to something called stamp club). We did these 4 cards :)