Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

Do your remember the movie "Madagascar"? That film still triggers images of my kids jumping and down squealing, "I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. MOVE IT!" Do you like to move it? Use it or lose it... this includes our muscles, our flexibility and our strength. We need to be moving around, bending, stretching, reaching, pushing, pulling... in other words active to keep ourselves strong. This doesn't mean you have to go run a marathon... Do activities you love... walking, cycling, dancing... Making those chores serve an extra purpose: cleaning your house with gusto, raking, vacuuming, scrubbing. Fit it into your daily life: Squats and toe raises by your desk, lunges as you walk to the copier. Arm workout by lifting your baby over your head. Parking farther away and walking the extra distance. The point is don't get caught up on doing it "right" or perfectly. Don't let yourself stop becau...

So the sad thing is I finished the 12 weeks and I weighed more than when I started. The good news is I have been consistently working out and I love doing weights! Yay! It's been over 15 weeks now that I have worked out a minimum of 3 up to a maximum of 6 days a week. I really am in the swing of it which is nice. I'm looking forward to school starting to have a set routine so I can plan better what I'm eating and when. And also to have a same schedule/set time for exercise. I've been having a hard time falling asleep lately... which has led to sleeping in... which has created a vicious cycle of staying up late and then sleeping late. Blah. Trying to fight that one. Especially before school starts up again. School days start early- 5:30 a.m. to be exact. We have to get everyone up, dressed, fed, school things gathered and down to the bus stop by 6:20 a.m. Whew. It's quite the exercise! I think the big thing I've been struggling with is emotional eating. A...

Mike and I have been faithfully following the Body-for-Life challenge for 4 weeks now! It hasn't always been easy and we haven't always been perfect but overall we're doing it and I feel like we're changing. Changing what we eat. Our exercise habits. Even what we drink. Coke is for our off day! I look forward to Saturday nights. We enjoy a 24 hr day off from Saturday evening til Sunday evening. It's part of the program. When I'm tempted to feel left out or deprived I will say to myself, "Hey, you can have it Saturday night or Sunday afternoon." Often by the time I get to my free day I couldn't care less. Must confess I'm excited my birthday falls on a Sunday... this Sunday.

Mike and I started a Body for Life 12 week challenge on May 1st. Day 8. We're doing really well. Keeping up with the exercises as well as diet. If I plan then I do well... and when I don't... well, I'm setting myself up to fail. So plan on. Plan on. Look forward to posting progress at 4 weeks. I've been inspired to read the stories and see videos that show people overcoming obstacles and making huge changes in their life.

Tried a belly dancing class at the Y today. It was a lot of fun. I liked learning how to control certain muscles and move certain parts of my body without moving other parts. I also liked learning balance. A very fun class and a good way to change things up.

I haven't really had a chance to work-out lately. Being sick really took it out of me.... But I did dance for hours last night at my brother's wedding... so I guess that counts for something, right? There's a "ballet sculpt" class at the YMCA... I look forward to taking that.

Trying to decide which to save up for.... the Zumba for Kinnect XBox 360 or The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Challenge for Kinnect XBox 360. I've heard mixed reviews on both... People raved about them... and some others didn't like them. Maybe I will rent them first and see which one I like better. I wonder if my kids will really let me work out... When I would do pilates they would hang from my legs as I was trying to do downward facing dog... not very helpful :)

I got started with the weight machines at the YMCA. They, the trainers, set your range of motion and help you figure out the appropriate weights. They also show you the appropriate way to use the machines so that you don't injure yourself. I've always loved strength training so this was fun. I was able to push myself even farther today on the elliptical. I went an extra 5 minutes. I'm building endurance. And in case I fail to mention... My clothes are feeling LOOSER!!! Woo-hoo.

We became members of the Y (YMCA) yesterday. Because of our financial situation we qualified for their Open Doors Scholarship. I am excited to be able to have a place to exercise that also has child care. Mike and I went tonight. I worked my butt off... quite literally. My legs and rear were shaking after I was done with the work-out... not looking forward to the next couple of days... Ouch! Maybe swimming next time is in order?!

Are you a fan on of the pedometer? I have one. Somewhere. I really want to use it. I’ve read somewhere that you should spend over $20 if you want to have quality and accuracy. I like seeing how much I’ve walked and also how many calories I’ve burned. There is something very motivating when I’m working out to see how many calories I’ve burned. I’ll tell you what it makes me evaluate what I eat differently. If I burned 150 calories I’m a lot less likely to just put anything into my mouth. I want to make it count. What, that’s a 160 calories, heck no! I’ll got with a piece of fruit or something chocolatey that is satisfying. My friend just gave me some chocolate covered almonds. What a treat. Eating one serving portion size is so tasty and so satisfying. Anyway, back to the pedometer. I am overwhelmed trying to figure out how mine works. I magically lost the directions and I look at all its little buttons and functions and think, very profoundly, “Huh?” Well, I hope to find ...

My new favorite DVD is Prevention Fitness Systems: The Sugar Solution "Get Moving" by Chris Freytag Based on the best-selling book The Sugar Solution! Get Movings low-impact program includes cardio, upper-body toning, lower-body strengthening, core building, and yoga. Mix and match these routines for a shorter workout or do them all in one day. I'm not familiar with the Sugar Solution diet, etc. but I love this DVD. It's actually my mom's but I've borrowed it from her and just love it. I can choose whether I want to do 20 or 30 minutes a day and it allows me to choose either and upper & lower body toning work-out. Upper/core. Lower/Core. Walking work-out. Or yoga. So it breaks it up for me. It has different days listed and you can pick which work-out you want to do. All that to say it's a nice way to mix up your work-out. Cardio or Strength Training or Yoga. Very nice. I've been working out 3-4 times a week faithfully for the past month! Y...