EXERCISE: walking, spinning, elliptical machine, hiking, Tae Bo, Turbo Jam, dancing

Start date: July 4th, 2010
...each torture below was endured for a full, long, everlasting minute…

Switch Kicks 56
Power Jacks 33
Power Knees 73
Power Jumps 23
Globe Jumps 4
Suicide Jumps 10
Push-Up Jacks 11
Low Plank Oblique 16

Started this craziness on July 4th. My husband is also insane!! ;)
It’s super hard…I’m so tired. It’s been now 12 days of Insanity, and we feel good!

Did yogilates (cute, uh?) and arms and abs workout. Helped me change my mood. Felt good to stretch my muscles.
I feel that I have to exercise really hard for it to truly count and often forgo weights and stretching or yoga. I’ll exercise hard too, but I have to include these other routines every week; they’ve been helpful for back pain.

Saw a specialist for my back problems and he said that for now I shouldn’t go back to Boot Camp. I was kinda sad (REALLY!) because I had liked it so much and was all paid for and all I had to do was restart the program at any time.
On the other hand, I don’t want to get hurt again and at my fitness level I would. I get excited about all the exercising and push myself to follow all the moves beyond what it would be advisable for my back…and I feel the results later.
So, the plan is to go back to lower impact exercising, ideally swimming.
Exercised once last week, 40 min on LTT (lateral thigh trainer). Sweated a lot more than expected! I realized that all this laziness has caught up with me and I can’t do as much as I used to. Instead of wallowing in the guilt I’m gonna get off my ass and get moving!!!

First day of week 3 done! Today one of the instructors congratulated me on my food intake. YAYYY!!!!
This week is when I take a break because we are going on vacation to Hawaii, but I’ll be hiking and exercising there.
This weekend I went hiking for over two hours in Griffith Park, had such a great time. We had a picnic for lunch then off to hike.
It didn’t feel like exercise…!

Today was the first day of week 2. WOW!! I feel pretty good. I’m sore every day, and getting used to it…but not as bad as before.
I was planning to walk yesterday but didn’t get a chance to do it and I regretted it this morning! I started having leg cramps while running so I had to slow down and stop and stretch. By the time I’d be ready to walk the group was pretty far down the street. One of the instructors stopped and helped me out, gave me a few stretching exercises to do right there and walked/jogged back with me. When I got home I did some more stretching exercises; I don’t want to hurt like that again tomorrow.

Yesterday I went to orientation for a 6 week course of Extreme Boot Camp. My husband went with me for support. We were just going to check it out and see if it would be something I’d be interested in doing. And yes! I’m excited about doing this. I wasn’t sure they were going to take me because I’ll be gone for the last three weeks of the program but it was fine. I also got a student discount!
I got measured and weighed (not fun! lol) and tested on # of push ups and sit ups in 2 minutes, and 1 mile run time.
Very sad results!! I’m so out of shape and I’m hurting today just from those few minutes of exercise!!!!!
They said that even though I’ll be in the program only for 1/2 the time I’ll see results right away.
They gave us a “Survival Guide and journal” with great info on what to eat and what NOT to eat. Our “drill sergeant” will read our logs during the workout and give us “rewards” accordingly. For example: I eat a donut (not a good idea!) then I do 10 extra push ups, or everybody BUT me does the push ups…!!!
So, MEMO TO ME: no straying from the healthy diet unless I can lie in the journal…and I CAN’T LIE! and what would be the point anyway!!
Well, I’m excited! I’ll go to the gym today to walk a bit on the treadmill because I’m sore from yesterday, just want to feel a little looser.
I’ll do Boot Camp every week day at 5:30 AM (if we are late we get the same rewards…) except for Wednesday when I’ll go in the afternoon.
This means that i’ll have to go to sleep very early otherwise I won’t make it.

Went hiking last week and realized that I’d better do something soon…jeez, I was out of breath! OK, it was very steep but STILL, c’mon!
ok, I had to study today for a midterm and thought I should just stay home and study…BUT, instead I went for an hour walk while listening to one of my lectures on my MP3. It felt great, I was outside on a pretty day, I “studied” and got some exercise done.

About a week and a half ago I had a cyst removed from my back. Since then it’s been hard moving around without having pain. I have a hard time sleeping, wake up every time I turn and this whole thing is bringing me down emotionally. Today I binged on pizza and fruit bars. I gotta stop this right now, before I do the same thing tomorrow!!!!
I haven’t been exercising, even before this happened…but now that I can’t I want to! lol.
I can walk, that I can do without feeling any pain. I walked about 15 min the other day. Not much, but a start. Today I did some weights while watching Biggest Loser. Every time I watch that show I get all enthused about living a healthy life.
I’m going to bed right now, pretty early for me (another good thing) and I’ll get up tomorrow and walk for 1/2 hour. I’ll report back in AM.

Last week I completed 4 out of 5 workouts I had planned for that week. This week…well, so far I’ve worked out once.
I’m working out twice today, two short ones probably a dvd at home and a short walk later in the evening. And I’m doing laundry which means going up and down my stairs at least 10 times (there is a LOT of laundry to be done and only one W/D at our apartment)
Working out twice sometimes works better for me because I can’t do much in the mornings but don’t want to leave a long workout for the evenings either.