New Routine

So I pretty much revamped my workout routine. I actually do like it a lot better and I'm working out 6 days instead of 4. Which sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. I don't know if it's the change or if it was just time, but I lost an inch and a half off my thighs since starting. It makes me pretty excited about my new routine.

So since I did the 30 day challenges last month I decided I should go ahead and do the arms and thighs as planned. I am modifying squats for single leg extensions in all of the workouts. I'm doing them for lunges too, except for the side lunges. They don't bother me. I have to say my knee has been feeling better since starting this with the modifications as well.
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/post/2092081/4262548677
https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/blogilates-fitness-food-lots-pilates-2092081/30-day-thigh-slimming-challenge-4209049210/

I actually made a few changes to my routine. First of all, I'm now doing full body workouts 3 days a week instead of doing targeted workouts 4 days a week. In addition, I'm also including active rest days in my routine. So 3 days a week I'm doing a light yoga routine. Active rest days allow you to be active while still being kind to your muscles. Yoga is something I've always liked, but if yoga is not for you I'm sure there are other kinds of exercises you can do. I just saw yoga and stopped there. You have to find what's suitable for you. Last of all I added dry brushing to my routine. A lot of people have never heard of it so I'm going to go into detail about it next week.

I like to mix things up so I don't get bored. So I like to have a few routines to switch between. If I get bored I might quit doing my workouts. Variety is the spice of life. I have 2 regular workouts and 2 yoga workouts. I'm switching which regular workout gets done twice each week and I'm switching the yoga workouts from week to week. I haven't really gotten into the habit of doing yoga before bed, but I want to do it. I really want to get my son doing it, but he's rebellious. As most 2 year olds are. He lacks focus.

Let's start with the regular workouts. This one tough, but I love it. I also like it because it has some definitive cardio. Don't forget to sub step ups for burpees here if you have bad knees. I know doing the 50 leg extensions seems like a lot, but it helps to do 25 on each side and split it. So do 10, then 10, then 5 on each side. So much easier that way.
http://ourthreepeas.com/full-body-circuit-workout/

This one is slightly easier, but I do it 3 times instead of 2.
https://drinkthepink.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/motivational-monday-get-fit-2/

Next is the yoga. If a pose is too hard or you can't go all the way down just do your best or try to find a modified version. It's different for everyone. If you keep at it, it will get easier over time.
This one takes me about 20 minutes to do. It's nice and simple. It's also specifically tailored for sore muscles muscles which makes it a perfect rest day workout.
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Yoga-Sore-Muscles-35243529?slide=11

This one is a group of poses that is geared toward weight loss, but are also ones that I know are fairly beginner friendly.
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/effective-power-yoga-workouts-to-reduce-weight-fast/?ref=pin

So next week I'm going to go over dry brushing and I have an article to share about the benefits of yoga. Now I need to get my workout in. We've had a rather unorthodox morning and I'm running behind.

Last, but not least...Legs

So even tho I've completely changed my workout I'm still giving you my target area workout. Somehow I managed to have sunburn, a cold, and cramps on the same day so I put it off an extra day, but now I'm right on schedule. I'll be working through the week to make it up.

I know I'm bad with the sunburn. I didn't bother with lotion because I hadn't intended to be out as long as I was and just didn't think about putting any on later. I can't even guess how I ended up with a cold.

Legs are a problem area for a lot of people. Thighs specifically. I can attest to that. My calves look phenomenal. My thighs look like cake batter.

I realized my leg workout was probably too intense for me after a couple of weeks so I changed it. So now I have 2 workouts for you. Legs can be difficult. I have a bad knee so lunges, squats, and burpee kill my knee. I can do side lunges fine. Reverse lunges aren't so bad, but my balance sucks so I'm constantly falling trying to do them. They say replace squats with lunges, but if you're like me and lunges are just as bad, you can do single leg extensions. It's basically a short bridge with your leg out straight. I use them for squats and lunges. Burpees also suck. Like a lot. So I do step ups instead. My house has no stairs and my chairs are too high (cuz I'm short) so I just use a stool.

So for beginners I suggest using this workout. I do everything on both sides and add 10 secs. to each of the wall sits. I ran through this twice. Could have easily done it 3 times.
http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/post/53230433760/a-reader-pointed-out-to-me-today-that-i-have-no

This one is harder. I might like it more if it didn't hurt my knee, but I can only get through it one time.
http://m.tone-and-tighten.com/ezvviyj/articles/42852/Thigh-Pyramid-Workout

I like doing the individualized workouts because it's definite focusing on toning the specific areas. Remember though that you can't spot treat fat loss. You can workout your abs as much as you want, but you won't lose more weight from that area just because you work it more. Since my goal is fat loss I'm switching to full body workouts.

I'm doing 2 different sets 3 days a week with 3 active rest days and one full rest day each week. I'm alternating which set I do more each week. I'll tell you more about it next week. Otherwise I'll have nothing to talk about.

Oh my birthday is tomorrow too. May make my husband take me for sushi, but I haven't decided yet. I haven't been there yet, but they do have vegetarian options. I'm just not sure if that's what I want to do. I thought about going to the Toledo zoo, but there is a crazy mayfly infestation going on and I'm not so sure I want to be outside for very long. I almost just want to stay home and watch movies, but that's probably a lame birthday.

I was bad this week...

My husband brought home cookie dough ice cream and fried chicken, which I had been craving, this week. My resistance level is not high. I'm not in any hurry to lose the weight. Not preparing for a wedding or anything. So I'm putting us on a stricter set of meals this week. Only one of which has a recipe at the moment. But I have a plan.

I'm going to make a meatloaf and mix in shredded zucchini and serve that with mashed sweet potatos. I do put a little butter on mine, but I don't add extra salt. My attempts at meatloaf have failed miserably, but I'm going to try again.

I'm going to make some brown rice with a mixed veg, beans, and cheese. Just use whatever is your preference.

Doing something similar except I'm using ground meat and barley. I figure I'll do one at the beginning of the week and one at the end I'm being a little frugal this week because my birthday is coming up and I'm making country style pork ribs that day.

Last of all I'm going to make some white bean soup. I actually think using dry beans is easier and it's definitely cheaper. I believe the recipe calls for dry, but there's really no reason you couldn't use canned. Just remember that a pound of dry beans is not the same amount as a pound of wet beans.

And I think I'm getting apples and mangoes today. Might get bananas instead of apples. Actually I probably will, but we'll see. Usually when I write this I've already been to the store, but I woke up early today and found myself with some peace and the time to write.

Breakfasts this week are going to be overnight oats and egg sandwiches. Picking up some English muffins for those.

So that's it for today. I want to get done early and take E down to the splash park again. We made friends on Wednesday when we went and it's supposed to rain the rest of the weekend.

Arm day

I actually really enjoy arm day. It seems much more straight forward than the rest of my workouts. I found out that full body workouts may be better for weight loss so next month I'm going to be trying that route. since I've taken measurements I can gauge how much of a change there is vs. how much was changed this month.  I'm no where near dropping a pant size yet so if I drop down a size by the end of the month we'll know.

So I like this workout because it doesn't require a lot of moving around. You pretty much stay in one place and the while thing takes about half an hour. There are a few I have to skip because I find them impossible to manage properly using water bottles as weights. I have little hands so getting a good grip on these 32 oz. water bottles is difficult. These weigh about 2 lbs. but you use whatever is comfortable for you. One of these days I'll get myself a set of real weights. It's just not on the top of my list.

I also like this because it can be good for a beginner or someone who is more advanced just by increasing the weights you are using or the amount of reps you are doing.

Something I bet you didn't know: certain arm workouts can help make your breasts perkier. Frankly, I just want mine to shrink. I've never wanted large breasts and would seriously consider having them reduced since I had my son. I'm hoping getting into shape helps. If not I'm just screwed. I can accept my lot, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like certain things to be different.

You can dislike things about yourself, but that should never change how much you love yourself. Like I have a big nose. I hate it, but I'm not rushing out to get a nose job. Whose to say it would actually look better after I got it anyway. I'm still pretty with my big nose and I've seen people with bigger noses so why complain?

Sorry. I kind of wish I'd had a girl so I could tell her about loving herself. I think that is less of a boy problem. So you guys get the lecture instead. Anyway I'm running behind today and still have to manage my own workout this morning so here's that workout.

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Best-Dumbbell-Arm-Exercises-35176832

For some reason yesterday was Monday

I got my days mixed up. I kept thinking yesterday was Monday. Anyway today is when I talk about my butt workout. This one is great because it's short. It doesn't feel like it though. It's 3 sets of 4 workouts and a 1 minute rest.  It takes about 15 minutes, but it does it's job. I also like that there are no squats.
http://tone-and-tighten.com/2014/03/booty-pop-workout-15-minute-at-home-butt-workout.html

You're supposed to do each workout for 1 minute, but I'm not sure you could get very many reps in at the beginning. Also I have an interrupting toddler. I do 15 reps each side for the fire hydrants and donkey kicks. I have a fairly wide living room so I go across my living room 4 times, which is about 20 total lunges. Then I just count to 60 for the reverse plank. You can do whatever works best for you. I also like the fact that it's more consistent that way.
Not much to say on this one. It's pretty straight forward.
In other news, I finished my 30 day challenges. I can definitely see that that my abs are more toned, but I haven't lost very much fat in that area. However, I am not disheartened...well maybe a little bit. I think I expected to see more gone, but that just means my expectations were too high. I have no idea how much weight I have lost still, but I can tell that I have.

I can say that I feel better and I look better. I also took some measurements yesterday. I know that I have lost about an inch off of my bust line. I had been measuring for new bras that I never did buy. I went from 33 1/4 in to just over 32. My waist is at 38 in. I checked my thigh circumference as well. Since I have a knee brace I have to keep one that fits properly.  Since I'm wearing a large almost any loss means I need a new one. The largest circumference is up to 22 in. I recall being at exactly 22 in and now I'm down to 19.5. The problem is that you can't spot treat for fat loss. You're going to lose weight all over your body. So you're going to lose in the easiest spots first. I'm seeing the most differences in my calves, arms, and face. I'm also seeing some difference in my bust, but I'm not really sure how much I'm seeing.

I will try and show you a few pictures later so you can get an idea. I'm hoping in another month I get to see a bigger difference. I'm really angry at myself for letting it get so bad. I guess I just want to be where I was before. I want to get back to some kind of normal.

Abs day

Abs day was yesterday and it is just so much fun. It just takes so long to do. That's why it's I start my week with it. I'm afraid I would be unmotivated to do something that took so long if I did it at the end of the week. Just like I do legs last because I know it won't take very long and I get to rest over the weekend. It's good to know yourself and what drives you. That way you can trick yourself and overcome your obstacles.

I realized today that I don't have a scale. I really don't have room for one either. I know that I was at 160 lbs on March 19th. We had my son's birthday party at his grandparents and I weigh myself when I'm there. So I have no idea what I weigh right now. Which I'm kind of ok with. I kind of have a goal weight. I have a weight that I want to be near. I was at 125 when I got pregnant. My lowest weight was 115. I'm aiming for 120, but anywhere in that area is fine with me. I'm not going to get frustrated if I can't lose a couple pounds. I've had a baby so my body is a little different now and I'm cool with that.

So abs. Abs are a lot of women's target area. Especially during bikini season. They are also one of the most difficult areas to lose weight. Which is why instead of doing one workout 3 times, I do 3 workouts 1 time. I figure it helps to cover all of your bases. Plus it ke9eps it fun.

I'm going to yell you a secret. I don't actually do all the moves for each workout. I can't do them properly. I figure it is better to skip them than trying and hurting myself. It's ok to do less than what it says if you find it too difficult. The first time I started working out I tried something that was too difficult and almost passed out. Some things can be beyond our abilities, but we can go back and try again. I did that workout again a month later and since I was in better shape it was a lot easier. You need to change up your workouts about every month or so. You're body gets used to what you're doing and it will stop working. It can be as simple as adding extra reps or a new move. So I can add them in later when I'm ready.

OK rule number one: Always stretch before and after your workout. It helps prevent injuries. Since I already have a strained tendon in my knee, I'm all for that. It's unrelated to working out. It's actually been injured for over a year. It just won't fully heal. I've seen doctors. It's been feeling better since I started working out. I wear a brace and just keep going.

 I'm probably a little lazy since I do the same stretches before and after, but it works for me. You should stretch for about 5-10 mins. I wasn't sure what kind of stretches I should be doing so I looked it up. I'm all for google. This is pretty much what we did in elementary school gym class. I also add a few others I remember doing, but you'll be fine with this.
http://darebee.com/workouts/warm-up.html

I think the reason I love my abs workout is because it's the one where I have to listen to music. Well I don't have to, but it makes it more fun. Since I did have a baby and I have that yummy mommy. I wanted something where I knew I was specifically targeting that area.
On this one I skip the walking v ups. My upper body strength is just not good enough for this.
http://bikinibodymommy.com/2012/11/14/top-5-favorite-ab-moves-nutrition-tips/

This is my all abs workout, but I think it's pretty boring. It is fantastic for your abs. Planks are one of the best abs moves thete is.Don't feel bad if some of the moves are difficult to achieve and feel awkward to do. That's why even tho some moves repeat between the three sets I still do them. They get easier to do the more you do them. I had so much trouble doing side plank lifts at first and now they're easy. I skip the superman planks at the end here. They scare the crap out of me. I also take breaks doing the 90 second plank. It's ok to break it up.
http://kamafitness.ca/2014/09/02/sexy-summer-abs/

This is my favorite set. It is so much fun and it's the reason I need music. I don't time my moves like it says I just go for the length of a song. I find a song that works for the rhythm I need and just go. If I need a drink in the middle I stop and get a drink. Plus it's easy for even a beginner, but it's still a good workout. I always feel amazing at the end of this.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=the_lose_your_love_handles_workout

So there it is. You now have the abs secret. I may not have a scale, but I can see the difference in my abs. I want to finish the 30 day before I show you any kind of results. This workout plus the 30 days usually takes about an hour and a half. So you really need to make the time to do this one. Unlike what  I'm getting ready to do. Butt day is so easy you might cry. I'm still not sure if my butt looks different, but the muscles feel different, but that's for next week. If you're brand new to working out I'd start with the last workout and then add the second and then the first. I found them in that order and it worked well. The most important thing is that you make it feel less like a chore. It needs to become something you want to do because it feels good. I've spent time building my workouts to find what I liked. Now I love my workouts as much as I love my knitting.