Selfish Fitness Quest!

I've been telling myself forever that I need to start working on my body. I have the benefit, and disadvantage that my body is very comfortable right at my current weight, and I've been there FOREVER!!! I feel like having kids, probably like every other mom in the whole world, has taken over my body. Pregnancy makes you fat, and then after you've pushed out your little you still have the fat there to haunt you. All while trying to stay and feel positive about your changing life, stressed out situation, the fact that you can't devote ANY time to yourself anymore. It's a struggle...but I know I'm not alone.

So I signed up to be a part of the Bikini Body Mommy 90 Day Challenge. It's done by a woman who is just like me. Trying to do something good to help get your body in shape. She's not the most in shape woman in the world, but I think it helps to have someone right there along side you who struggles too.

Day 1 - Weight 1X6. Workout completed. Hard to do some of the moves because my quads are still so sore from softball. Started my 90 day challenge 3 days behind. Oh well.

Day 2 - Did a short jog (1.5 miles). Ate a bad lunch. Good dinner. Trying not to snack tonight. Late workout completed. Very hard to do some of the squat thrusts. Gosh I hope those get easier. Feeling proud.

My Double BOB! I LOVE IT!

It definitely helps that my Amazing Husband got me a new double BOB jogging stroller. I am no longer attached to the house when the kids are awake. I can get out and run with both of them. I FEEL FREEEEEE!!!! I love my new BOB! I took it for a stroll tonight, running in my flip flops. Ha! It handles like a dream! It lulled Lainey to sleep too...guess I might be training for that half marathon with the kiddos after all just so I can get her to nap, NOT! At least not for now ;)

I really really hope I keep this up...the 90 day challenge ends on my birthday (August 3rd)! Any positive encouragement is appreciated! What a nice birthday present it would be to feel better about myself :)

Day 3: Jogged 2 miles with my friend Ashley, who smoked me. I realized I need to get much faster! Did my workout. Ate decently. Good snacking. 

Day 4: Ended up in the ER with Lainey. Fluke thing and everything was ok but mentally and physically exhausted on this Mother's Day. Still managed to do my workout later in the day. Did pretty good with food. Really ready for my break day! Hot tea and hot water with lemon have replaced any alcohol. 

Day 5:   Ran a little over 1 mile in the drizzle with the girls with my new BOB! Lainey cried most of the way. Did my workout when Lainey went down for her cat nap. Feeling accomplished. 

Day 6: Rested. Sick. Bad day (fight with family members :( )

Day 7/8: Kicked butt! Did 2 workouts to get caught up today even though it should have been a rest day. I did that yesterday. The lunge up-downs are awful. I hate them! 

Week 2: Found that I am still encouraged to find the time in my day despite being pulled in 3,000 directions. I realized that yes this is about fitness and weight loss but also about my own time. Some 'me' time in the midst of taking care of everyone else. I ran a little but am nervous about weigh ins on Day 15. Day 10 measurements shocked me. I realized I need to set some goals. 

So my goals are: 

1. Losing 30 lbs in 90 days, basically 1 lb every 3 days. Not sure if this is realistic or not but why not but I'm setting my goals high!  
2. The other part of this journey for me is about completion. I want to not only commit to this process but I want to complete it feeling good about the fact that I made time, set my mind to something and accomplished it. All while life throws you curve ball after curve ball. 
3. Lastly, I want to come out the other side feeling STRONGER. I've been sore pretty much every day from the workouts, softball and ab exercises but I'm grateful that I've pushed on. I would love to achieve this at the end of this. Seems really really daunting now but I still have hope!

                                       

Week 3: Day 15 - weigh-in day. Down 3 lbs, which is 10% of my goal. I'm happy that I've seen some loss but I'm bummed it's not more. I blame it in part on the fact that it's difficult to assess whether or not I'm eating the perfect amount of calories. Because I'm still nursing Lainey I can't just cut out all fat and limit calories to what I want to. I have to find the perfect balance. Some days I've also found that even though I'm not hungry I get light-headed close to meal times because what I believe is low blood sugar. Trying to find the right balance. Day 15 was also about redoing your Fit Test from Day 1. I killed my Day 1 scores. Means I'm getting stronger. I <3 it!

Week 4: I've found it incredibly hard to stay motivated this week. BUT I've managed to push through all of my workouts. I have found that one day a week I'm just exhausted, unmotivated and can't find the motivation to do the workout. However, I was able to push through and pick myself back up and make up the day sometime that week, usually just skipping the regular day off, which is every 7th day. I've revised my goals a bit and I think I'm close to hitting my first one, a custom spray tan. Woot woot! I haven't been doing super awesome with my eating but it's a challenge. It's a challenge for everyone but especially a nursing momma. I literally cannot limit myself too much. I could be doing better though. Ugh it's SO HARD! Gotta stay positive though...

Week 5: We've been so busy with family in town but every day I find the time to do the routine and I think I'm starting to see results. That is the motivation I need to force myself to workout instead of relax in the few spare MINUTES I have before the sun goes down and the clock is nearing 10pm. Get 'er done!
Day 30 weigh-in - down 5lbs and down a few inches in the waist, hips and thighs. Loving that I'm seeing results!

Week 6...Paul did the workout with me

Day 37 & 39 Comp

Week 6: I've found myself being very proud of my success in sticking with this program but the days that I wait until 10pm at night suck! All I want to do is relax on the couch...ugh. This weeks cardio and strength training exercises were BRUTAL! I'm  not sure how I can keep increasing the intensity at that rate. I started counting my crunches that I do on my 8 minute ab series. I got just over 320 on day 44. Gonna try to beat it next week. Paul did a cardio workout with me this week. I thought he was going to die afterwards. He wasn't prepared for it since we had just eaten but it felt good to know that he gets just how hard I've been working for this.



Day 45 weigh-in - HALF WAY DONE!!! I'm down 7lbs and down a few more inches in the waist, hips and thighs. Total inches lost in 35 days (didn't do my first measurements until day 10 - 3/4 inch on my biceps, 1 1/2 inches on my waist, 1 1/4 inches on my hips & 1 3/4 inches on my thighs). Woot woot. I really needed some motivation to keep going!!! I've been really nervous about this weigh-in because I don't feel like I have my nutrition under control. Last night we drank bourbon and coke until the wee hours of the night with friends. I'm pretty sure that's not on the fitness calendar. Whaa whaa! I've vowed to do the second part of this with nutrition in mind. I NEED to feel better about myself! I'm doing the work BUT I want MORE results.

Week 7

Week 7 so far - I hurt my knee doing step-ups. So far this journey has proved to be empowering, strengthening and overall a very good thing for my body. It even healed a shoulder stiffness/soreness I had for a few months before starting. This is the first thing that I've done that I've hurt. Hopefully it goes away soon so I can keep after it. I don't need anything getting in my way these days...it's hard enough doing this as it is.