endorphins

It's AMAZING what a little exercise will do for your body and soul. I hit the track today and did a very slow mile. Like, about a 16 minute mile. I was also nearly lapped by a grannie wearing spandex. Talk about a pick me up! : )

In all honesty, I kind of felt like crap when I left for my walk, but after I got done I felt great! I can't wait for Mark to get home and get this weekend jump started. Oh Happee Day!

Enjoy your weekend, ladies and gents!

*Tom Petty-American Girl

fitness and the like

Last year, Mark and I did the 30 day shred. We hated Jillian then and we hate her now. She is such a literal pain in my ass! ( She does, however, work miracles, so there's that, too.) Anyway, I eventually got bored, because I hate doing the same thing over and over, and quit. This year, or yesterday, really, I decided I was gonna try something different every other day and do Jillian in between. Today I did Yoga on On demand. Kudos to Comcast, folks! There's an exercise channel with like 100 workout options on it!!

I love all the stretching! It just feels good! Any ideas as to what I should do on Friday? Because tomorrow I am supposed to be hating Jillian somewhere between the hours of 5 and 6. Lucky me!

I have also been experimenting with breakfast food. Lots of different fruits and yogurt. Hey- I like mango flavored stuff, but not actual mangoes. Is that weird? Same thing only opposite with bananas. Love the fruit, can't stand banana flavored stuff... weird.  Anything particularly healthy? I've also been drinking smoothies...which I love. What do you eat for breakfast?

veggies aren't just for vegetarians

I believe Mark and I have really turned the corner on this diet thing. We threw our scale out, so I have no idea how much weight we've lost. At this point, I'm not sure I care.

Physically, I feel so much better. We've been eating really good food that's really good for you. We're still limiting our carb intake, but we're not sweating it.

Here's a "recipe" to share. It what we've been eating a lot of:

1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 green pepper, 1/4 an onion- sliced, 1 yellow squash, 1 Zuccinni.

Cut up ingredients and toss in olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper. Grill or sautee.

This stuff goes with everything and tastes delicious. Eat it.

I like to add a little cayenne pepper to ours as well. With a meal like chicken and veggies, that really spices things up. These veggies also go great with mexican. Just use low carb tortillas and some jalapeno cheese, and presto.. you have chicken quesadillas with grilled veggies. Delish!

Week 1 Shred

We're still alive. We 'shredded' 6 out of 7 days this week. Not bad. We were both really sore for the first 4 days. By the fifth day we hit our stride. The 30 day Shred has 3 levels. We've decided we'll do each level for 10 days. So, on Thursday, we start level 2. I'm guessing Jillian is going to kick our asses once again.

I'll report back next Sunday again, hopefully.

That's assuming my arms are still working.  : )

30 day shred

We moved to hell started the 30 day shred today. It hurts to type, and Mark's having a hard time lifting his arms to wash his hair. I'd say we were successful in choosing something to kill us get us into shape.

We took before shots. I couldn't lift my arms to take afters. Just imagine me lying on the ground, red faced and moaning in agony and imagine Mark with arms made from spaghetti and you'll have the picture.

It took us 30 minutes to (sort of) recover from our workout.

Can't wait 'till tomorrow! Here are our before shots:

Glamourous, aren't they?

bootcamp

Mark and I never did find a gym we liked, but we decided we can't really put off working out any longer. Today we start the 30 Day Shred with that bitch Jillian. Stay tuned for more swearing at her.

The diet

It hasn't been hell, like I thought it would. I would like anyone who cares to know, that there is a Milky Way in my fridge. The said Milky Way has been there for over an eternity  2 weeks. Talk about will power!

Mark and I embarked on the South Beach Diet two weeks ago, and I am proud to announce that our combined weight loss totals 24 pounds. In two weeks. Saying I'm proud of us hardly covers it. I think Mark is only on the diet because I am, and that is terrific moral support, though he said he wanted to lose weight as well. Phase 1 of the diet is a lot like Atkins. You eat lean meats, lots of veggies and no carbs. You do this for two weeks and then move on to phase 2, which is where we are now. You carbs are still extremely limited, but you can have a few treats like fat-free, sugar-free pudding (which sounds gross, but is actually really good) and popcorn (hoorah!) and a few fruits. We have entered phase 2 and will stay in that phase until we reach our goal weight. Mark is close to his, but I still have a way to go. When you reach your goal weight you enter phase 3, which is where you stay until you get fat again  forever.

I am also going to start at a gym....(in keeping my with my resolution) I think this will help me stay motivated on my diet and besides that, I really miss running. So for now, I am 11 pounds lighter with a goal in front of me. Wish me luck, and feel free to stop by and keep my ass in check with the exercising.