Fitness Friday:08.29.14

How has a week flown by already???  True to my world (at least for this week) I am here linking up with ALG Uninterrupted for ....  

In the spirit of keeping things real...there isn't any sugar coating going on here,  I am going to recap the week just as it happened.  My exercising was more on point than it has been in a couple of months and for that I am proud.  On the flip side, there was also a fair amount of "eating like a fat girl".  It was not entire days of eating bad, but meals here and there that were not, shall we say "nutrition forward".  Definitely not conducive to weight loss!  
Here is last week's workout recap:
Friday:  Cardio warm up, strength training, a little more cardio
Saturday: Cardio warm up, strength training, 5K with the  Camp Miss Fit ladies

August Gusto 5K - River Legacy Park

Sunday:  Cardio warm up, strength training, 6 mile walk at River Legacy

Survived weights...heading to the park

Monday: 4 miles at River Legacy, 2 rounds of strength training
Tuesday: boot camp, strength training

A little Shakeology after a really LONG day

It was also apparently National Dog Day - whatever the h@ll that means...but LAWD, isn't she cute?????

Wednesday:  Hallelujah - REST DAY!!!!!
Thursday:  boot camp, strength training
I know, I know...you guys are probably thinking that I have lost my mind on the crazy strength training schedule, but there IS a method to my madness. The program calls for 4 days a week - M, T, TH, F.  I found the program on a Wednesday and instead of waiting until Monday to start, I was all gung ho and wanted to start on Friday.  After my double work out on Monday I was caught up and am now on the recommended schedule.  I promise that I will post in more detail about the program next week
That about wraps it up....the good, the bad and the ugly.  If you read this post yesterday, then you know that my workouts are pretty much scheduled for the whole month of September.  My hope is to stick to that next week as well as improve on those fat girl eating tendencies.

Have a safe and wonderful Labor Day...enjoy that extra day if you are lucky enough to have it off. Here's to the weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

If like me, you are on the "get healthy" bandwagon you probably already know that if you ask the same "get healthy" question to 4 different people, chances are, you will get 4 pretty different answers.  It is beyond frustrating.  Why can't there just be one straight forward answer that will get your body moving in the right direction????
One saying I have heard from all walks of fitness life is this one:
Fail to plan, plan to fail.
As a self proclaimed procrastinator this one is HARD for me.  Hmmmmm.....perhaps that is why I am losing weight at a snail's pace.  My fabulous boot camp instructor (and friend) has been telling me and the whole class to plan our workouts for the week....don't wait til the day of to decide - plan out a week at a time and stick to it.  I may or may NOT have been kind of listening to this.  I was recording my workouts in my planner but more like the next morning.  Probably not near as effective, but I could get a picture of what I was (or wasn't) accomplishing.  
Up until the last week or so, I would say that August has been a challenge for me.  Workouts are in pink - please excuse all the other stuff - bills, appointments, social stuff.  This planner is the best $9.99 I have spent in a really long time...just sayin'.  On a side note, I am participating in a 1500 minutes of exercise challenge this month and even with my sporadic workouts I am only 140 minutes shy of the goal with 4 workout days to go #noexcuses #1500in31

Today at lunch I busted out my calendar for September.  I have started a 12 week weight training program that I will talk about in another post, but will tell you that since starting to exercise in March my rear has never been more sore...I digress.  Boot camp as well as my strength training days have been added to my September calendar as well as cardio days.  The only thing that I have to focus on is what the specific cardio will be.  For me, this is an aggressive schedule.  Will I be able to keep it up? Only time will tell, but I am going to do my best to stick to it.  I will listen to my body and if I need an additional rest day during the week, I won't hesitate to take it.  I KNOW that it is not all about the number on the scale, but I am determined to get it moving at least a little bit.  I am still way too heavy for it to stop moving...trust me on that! 

Before everyone starts telling me that nutrition is the MOST important....I am working on that as well.  Trust me, I know - it is by far my biggest struggle.  Hi, my name is Julie, and I am addicted to food!  It is a CONSTANT battle for me.  It does not help that I am not a great cook and pretty much detest every aspect of it.  If I could afford a personal chef, life would be GOLDEN!  On a positive note, I do make a pretty yummy salad.....eat all the raw veggies!!!!!!!  That definitely needs to be my next hurdle....seriously planning out my meals and being aware and accountable for everything I eat....did I mention I stink at food journaling?   
The weight WILL come off...maybe not as quickly as I would like, but mark my word, IT WILL HAPPEN.  I will once again get into that huge tub of clothes in my garage that is currently too small!  I know it may not show up so well, but that big red circle on the calendar above.....yep, it does say Luke Bryan and yep, I am so excited I just may pee my pants...it seems like I have been waiting FOREVER!!!!
Although, the author of this quote is unknown - something very similar comes out of Heather's mouth on a weekly basis at boot camp and it is SOOOO true:
Your Fitness is 100% MENTAL! Your body WON'T GO, where your MIND doesn't PUSH IT!
What about you?  Do you plan workouts and meals?  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Fitness Friday: A Link Up

There has been a jumble of a mess churning in my head lately regarding the future of this blog and what it will look like, but for now I will let you know that one direction I am leaning is towards primarily focusing on my weight loss/fitness journey.  If I am being honest that is what is consuming me these days and so it really seems like the logical choice.  For the few of you that even check in here anymore I hope that possibility won't send you running for the hills, but if that is how things pan out and it is not your cup of tea (or vodka, or vino) there are no hard feelings!
I don't recall ever doing a fitness link up, but the times they are a changin' and there is a first time for everything.  I guess at this point I should confess.....I am a ALG Uninterrupted lurker.  Have been for a few months.  I can't be the only one guilty of this (CRICKETS)....ok, maybe I am.  Anyway, Aubrey Leigh is inspirational!  Her journey is similar to mine....baby steps, some weeks up, some weeks down, some weeks the eating is great, sometimes not so much.  THAT is why I like her blog, her journey is SOOOO relatable...oh yeah, she is also BEAUTIFUL and has a lot on her plate and she is still gettin' it done.  Now, I am fairly certain she thinks I am not only a lurker but a crazy stalker as well.  I hope she knows I am completely harmless...REALLY!!!!
 

This time around, I have been at this fitness thing since March.  I jumped in feet first, attending boot camp 3 days a week, gave up soda (Diet Coke was my CRACK) and made a concerted effort to be way more aware and careful of what was going into my piehole.  For a girl that is addicted to food, that is a hard step to take.  I was also doing weight training at the gym once a week as well as cardio.  In may I tackled the 21 Day Fix as well as kept up my boot camp and weight training....I am not going to lie, 21 days with no rest and double workouts is no joke, and it took it's toll on me both mentally and physically.  I believe with my whole heart that the program is awesome, but my next round I think that I will tackle it differently....stay tuned for more on that.

Lately, I have been off the weight training except for what we do at boot camp.  I know that I have to get back to it. So tonight, I am starting a 12 week, 4 x a week strength training program....continuing my boot camp classes and sticking with my 8 mile walk on Sundays.  After I completed the 21 Day Fix, I will admit that I was super burned out.  I have yet to get my workout schedule back to where it was and that along with my food struggles have kept me from really progressing past my 25 lb weight loss so far....give or take a few pounds and I am holding steady.  But with 55 lbs. still to go, I have to kick things back into high gear if I hope to get things moving again.  I am hoping that this time next week, I will be able to link up with a positive (full) work out week as well as excellent food choices.  I think knowing that I am going to be writing it all down and posting it on the blogosphere may be just the boost I need to get my a## back on track....I am all about the accountability!

Thank you so much for stopping by and Aubrey Leigh if you are reading this, please don't be scared....I REALLY AM QUITE A COOL CHICK!!!!!!  Til next time.....