Crunch: Boot Camp Training

This morning I did a 30 minute workout called Crunch: Boot Camp Training. Once I got past the corny military theme (I say corny b/c the instructor obviously has no military background) and got into the workout, it was definitely worth my time. There was a large variety of exercises so that I didn't get bored and I could definitely feel my muscles getting worked :) I really like the workouts that have 1-3 people to watch and this one had like 10-12... Also, they weren't really the athletic type. I know this sounds kind of judgmental, but I mean to say that I would rather be led by a few athletic physical trainers than by a bunch of models that don't really look like they are working that hard and are more concerned about smiling through the whole workout. That being said, I will probably do this one again b/c I think it will produce results.

I have good news!

The time has come again to report my progress... I actually didn't have time to write everything down this morning so I will post the 'official' numbers tomorrow morning :) But, I can say that I was almost 1/2" smaller around my waist and also 1/2" on my left thigh :) I also weighed in at 117.6. I am so happy to finally be seeing some results. I am going to be changing up my eating habbits as well so there will be a serious lack of wheat bread (I will be changing to rice or spelt flour bread) and pasta in my diet. Also, I am reducing the amount of honey that I use to sweeten things. I will be posting again soon!

Tubo Jam

So, today was the day that I slept in a little too late and had to do a short workout. I chose my favorite standby Turbo Jam 20 Minute Cardio Jam! I love this workout b/c it can be as intese or as low key as you want/need it to be. If you really put yourself into it you can get a great cardio workout in no time. I have been working out every single day (except Sunday), but I also had a less than diet worthy meal for dinner last night, so instead of just taking the day off it made me feel better to at least do something. I still haven't seen any results so hopefully they will start coming sooner than later :/.

One of my favorite new meals

This is a recipe for a black bean quesadilla and I think it fits into most diet plans except for a pretty strict low carb diet. I haven't really measured what I put in it and its kind of up to you to ad lib as you see fit. So, I will just give an outline and you can do with it what you please :)

I take some canned black beans (rinsed and drained) and mash them up. Then I take some cooked brown rice, salsa, corn, minced garlic, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper, chili powder and cumin and mix until incorporated. Then I spray the pan LIGHTLY with Pam and turn the heat on medium high. Place corn tortilla(s) in the pan and spread a not too thick, not too thin layer of filling (maybe a 1/4") and top with another tortilla. Spray the top tortilla LIGHTLY with cooking spray. Let the quesadilla cook on both sides for about 5 min. or until it is nice and crispy (yum). That's it! SO GOOD! I like to eat mine with a little homemade guacamole, but you could also dip it in some light sour cream too ~ Enjoy!

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

I have had this DVD for several months and haven't been able to get into a routine with it. It is a very intense workout and worth every minute, but when I know what kind of pain is coming my way I tend to find some pretty convincing excuses. I have never made it past the first level workout so this morning I gave level 2 a shot. OH MY GOODNESS! It was super intense and I was SO exhausted afterwards. I am glad I did it though. I am sure that if I stuck to it for 30 days I would probably see some serious results, but for some reason, I just can't bring myself to do it. It is like a great 40 min. workout crammed into 20, and boy did I feel the burn. (So much so that by the end I couldn't feel much of anything!) But hey, I am proud of myself for sticking it out and I will reward myself with something a little more fun tomorrow (like kickboxing :D). Hopefully I will start seeing some results here in the next week or so. I have been working out religiously for 8 of the last 9 days so its gotta start paying off sometime right?

Week 1

I have now been working out faithfully for one week and so I thought I would update my stats. I am now 119.4 lbs and my measurements haven't changed at all. I need to keep focused b/c I am an instant gratification type person and not seeing any loss in measurements is a little discouraging. (Especially b/c that is where I want to see results.) I realize that it has only been one week, but I can't help it. So, I was chatting with my mother-in-law this morning and she was telling be about a diet called The Belly Fat Diet. Essentially, when you eat sugar, your insulin level spikes and takes away from your bodies ability to burn fat stores. That being said, I am going to try to incorporate that philosophy into my whole foods diet to see if consuming less sugar helps melt the fat away... Wish me luck!

Pick Your Level: Fat to Firm Fast

Well, I'm not sure that I liked this particular workout. The way it works is there are 4 circuits all containing a cardio, legs & butt, shoulders & arms, and an ab workout. There are also 3 different levels for each exercise so that you can pick what level of intesity you would like to do. I did mostly level 2 and some level 3 and I still didn't REALLY feel the burn. I thought some of the moves were good, but she didn't do enough reps to really make you feel it. The cardio wasn't very good at all... the segments were super short and I don't think they accomplished the goal of a cardiovascular workout. Also, I thought it was just plain boring. I am much more interested in the kickbox/dance/cardio type and this didn't do it for me.