Still working out!

I'm still going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week.

Except for the days (Tuesday and Thursday) that I'm doing a specific class, I still feel a little lost. I'm walking and running on the treadmill and doing leg and arm work...but I feel as if I'm not working out to my full potential, giving up earlier than I should. *sigh*

BUT...I'm still working out and it still feels great!

Thanks for checking in on me!

Gym Girl

So, I (actually - WE) joined a gym. I've been only 3 times so far, but today was the first time I did one of their classes. Body Pump. I really liked it. Worked mostly upper-body with weights. It was good. They don't have a lot of early morning classes, which is what I want/need, but I'm going to take advantage of the ones I can.

The days I can't do a class, I'll work on the treadmill and weights, etc.

It's feeling so great.

Thanks for checking in on me.

8 week stats

WEIGHT: -2.4lbs TOTAL: -4.4lbs
CHEST: -1/4 inch TOTAL: -1/4
WAIST: -2 inch TOTAL: -3
HIPS: -3 inches TOTAL: -5 1/4
R THIGH: +3/4 inch TOTAL: -1/4
L THIGH: +3/4 inch TOTAL: +1/4
R CALF: 0 inch TOTAL: +1/4
L CALF: +1/4 inch TOTAL: +3/4
R ARM: -1/4 inch TOTAL: -3/4
L ARM: -0- No change TOTAL: 0
BODY FAT: -1.2 TOTAL: -1.8
BMI: -1 TOTAL: 1.3

Not thrilled that my thighs got bigger...but they are more toned...so I am assuming that's good. :-)

My waist and hips are shrinking and that's awesome!

I will try to keep up with the measurements every four weeks.

Behind on Blogging

I know I know, I'm behind on blogging, but I have not stopped working out! :-)

I even went on Monday - a holiday! Fat doesn't take a holiday unfortunately.

Sadly, tomorrow is my last day at bootcamp. I've had such a great experience, and plan on mapping out my own schedule at home.

Thanks for checking in on me!

Progress

I can't help but smile.

I've gotten compliments here and there from friends of mine who can see changes in my body. Although I can tell in some areas, I'm being complimented on areas I never really pay attention to. Especially my legs and my butt. But, I figured part of it was my friends/husband just being nice to me, but now that I pay attention to it, my pants fit better and there is room in my legs and butt area!

Today, I put a dress on that I had to stop wearing because it was too tight. It's a big girl's nightmare. This dress isn't stretchy so it either fits or it doesn't. For the past year, it did not fit. I decided to try it on this morning and actually smiled and said "YES!" out loud to myself.

The dress not only fits, it's loose. :-) That area between my boobs and my waist has shrunk significantly. I am so happy. :-) I hope that next year it'll be way too big on me! But if not, I hope that it at least fits like it does today.

Boot camp only lasts for one more week. I'm sad that I won't be returning. I'll really need to keep working on this on my own. I just hope I can push myself to do it.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day nineteen - 05/21/08

I hadn't been to boot camp Monday or Tuesday. Frankly, I got enough of a workout this weekend. I think we must have walked 20 miles. Or at least it felt that way.

I went this morning and I'm glad I'm back. I'm sad that next week is my last week.

My legs (thighs) are becoming shapely! I can't believe it. I mean, I expected my tummy to slim down a little and my arms to tighten, but I hadn't given much thought to my legs. :-) It's a nice feeling.

Today we did a circuit of running, jumping, walking with bands on our ankles (forward and backward) sit ups, crunches, arm work, push ups. You name it, we did a little of everything. It was gooooood.

I believe we'll be running our mile this week. Not sure if we'll do it again next week.

By the way, our class started with 25 people this session, today we had 12. It's too bad we lost so many, it definitely is worth the effort to keep going.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day Eighteen, 5/16/08

Today was a slower paced day. Maria was dragging, so we took it easy (relatively speaking).

Worked a lot with the bands today. Butts, quads, legs. Not too much work on our arms today. Did work on our abs and lower abs which we all (in class) like to do.

I'm heading to Charlotte tonight and have my work out clothes with me, so I hope to get at the very least, a walk or two in while I'm there.

Two more weeks of class. I wish I could afford to go all year round. I'll have to write down routines for myself so that I can make a check list and DO THEM.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day Seventeen, 5/13/08

Today wasn't as windy/cold as yesterday, but it was still somewhat chilly. Hard to believe it is May!

We did circuits today. I learned a new change in situps (on your side....elbow to knee), we stretched, ran, threw the medicine ball and squatted (one of my favorites, but my legs feel like jell-o). It was a good day. The hour flew by.

I'm tired today, though. For some reason, I just didn't sleep well two nights in a row. Ugh. Tonight I work (which is why I worked out this morning instead of tomorrow morning).

Want to know how odd things are with me? I'm traveling this weekend on a girls' trip (bday gift from 3 of my girlfriends) and the first thing I checked out on the hotel website, was to see if they had a gym (they don't). I'm taking my bathing suit and my work out clothes though. I can at least walk or run Saturday morning and early Sunday if I wake up in time.

Thanks for checking in on me!

Day Sixteen, 5/12/08

This weekend, I worked out hard! I didn't do any kind of set exercises, I planted in the garden. I spent most of the day outdoors Saturday moving the ground around and digging and planting. By the time the evening rolled around, I was BEAT. My hips were sore, my back was sore, my arms were sore. But it felt good! On to today:

Monday morning workouts are awesome.

I dragggggg myself out of bed, but once I get there I'm so glad!!!

We concentrated on our triceps/biceps mostly, which was just lovely after the weekend I had! LOL.

It wasn't particularly cold this morning, but the wind was cutting through our jackets and clothes. It felt a lot colder than the temperature actually showed.

Thanks for checking in on me!

Day Fifteen - 05/09/08

After two days off, I was eager to get back to the training. ESPECIALLY since I had birthday cake Monday and Wednesday and another bday dinner last night.

Today was a circuit and game day.

We did our rings (jump in the rings, squat. Jump, squat,etc), hurdles, running, ducking in ropes, crunched, etc for our circuit today. We've done a similar circuit in the past, this was changed up a little.

Afterwards, we played a game. The new girls to the camp were thrilled that they made it through their first week and enjoyed the game, even thought it was still tough. Lunges, start jumps, mountain climbers, push ups, etc.

Once stretching came around we were thrilled! That mean class was almost over! :-)

I'm all ready for Monday! :-) I'm not working tomorrow day or night, so I'm mowing the lawn and helping with garden work! Hopefully we'll get the flowers and veggies in the ground!

Thanks for checking on me!

Day Fourteen - 5/6/08

It's the day before my birthday. I went in to work out today instead of tomorrow because I'm working late tonight and so I could sleep in tomorrow. We are hoping to spend the day working on the garden tomorrow. That will be plenty of exercise!

Today we concentrated on arms. They felt like Jell-o by the end of the hour. We also ran, did dips, crunches, cardio, etc. It was an awesome work out. I learned some new exercises for the flabby part of my arms. I will add that to my work out routine at home (along with bra-fat exercises...LOL).

We run a mile on Friday. Wish me luck. I'm hoping just to keep the same time that I had last week.

Thanks for checking on me.

Day Thirteen - 05/05/08

Today was the first day of the new four week class. I figured she'd take it easy on us. Our class doubled in size, so we had a ton of first time campers. We've even had to move to another part of the park so we all fit.

So, did she take it easy on us?? Noooooooooooooo. LOL. One of the new girls asked if it gets easier to wake up early - YES! Does the class get easier? I told her that it gets easier to deal with, but not "easier".

And like me, several said they'd NEVER be able to run a mile. :-) I told them if I could, they could.

It was a good group of new folks. I'm looking forward to getting to know them.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day Twelve - 5/2/08

Ah the "last" day of boot camp. Well, the last day of this four week period.

I'm pleased with my results. Maria (the trainer) forgot to give us the sheets with our info on it, which is why I didn't blog Friday. I STILL don't have the info, but this is what I remember.

I lost only 2lbs. Now, at one point I was down 10. My average was about 6lbs. Why it's only 2 I'm not sure. I can tell you this, I showed 2lb weight loss, but the three women who weighed after me, showed a gain of about 2lbs each. We are thinking that it's possible that the scale was off by a little. Either way, it's ok. My energy level is what I'm happiest about.

I lost a few inches all together. I can't remember what they are, so once I get the sheet I'll post them. My sit ups and push ups remained about the same. However, my running.....YAY....I took a total of about 2.5 minutes off of my original time! :-) I'm excited about that.

So, more updates when I have my stats!

Thanks for checking in on me!

4 week stats

Here are my stats after my first 4 weeks of boot camp.

WEIGHT: -2.0lbs
CHEST: -1/4 inch
WAIST: -1 inch
HIPS: -2 1/4 inches
R THIGH: -1 inch
L THIGH: - 1/2 inch
R CALF: +1/4 inch
L CALF: +1/2 inch
R ARM: -1/2 inch
L ARM: -0- No change
BODY FAT: -.3
BMI: -.3

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day Eleven - 4/30/08

We ran today. We jumped. We lifted our weights. We did crunches. We had lots of sweat even in 35 degree weather. We had a great day!

We did a small circuit today. One of the ones that I like, that really makes me feel the burn in my thighs is throwing the 6lb or 8lb ball against the wall and catching it as we squat. Wow. I really like that. I need to figure out if there is a way I can do that at home. We don't have brick walls, except out front. Otherwise, I'll just squat while using my dumbbells.

Yesterday, I came home and got dinner started, then went for a walk. When I got home I did my arms. Biceps, triceps. It was feeling good....until today when we did MORE arm work. Ha ha. It was ok though. I'm really enjoying it.

Friday is weigh and measure day. It's also mile-run, push-up and sit-up day. Wow. I can't believe it's been four weeks. Very very cool.

Thanks for checking in on me!

Days off

I've been trying to make sure to keep active on the days I don't go to boot camp and for the most part, it's been pretty easy to do. Now that it's Spring, it's even easier with lawn work and gardening that needs to be done.

I've now added doing 2 sets of 25 crunches and 2 sets of 25 cross body crunches - every night before I go to bed.

I should incorporate some arm work, but haven't yet. I need to get that into a routine, too. I need to get some 5lb and 8lb weights. Right now I'm borrowing Tricia's 5lb weights, but I need to move up the lbs.

I'm looking forward to working out tomorrow. I'll be heading to bed early and I'll be ready to meet the morning with a smile.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day Ten, 04/28/08

Today was rainy. I remember Maria telling us, rain or shine, we are to show up! So, I did. And so did almost everyone else (one did not).

We worked on our arms again, but we did do some running when the rain turned to sprinkles.

It was actually really cool being out in the rain and working out. It would have been cooler if I could have laid down on my mat to take a nap in the open, in the dark, listening to the rain fall on the Amphitheater ceiling.

We did some new weight training today for our arms. We did some new stuff for our butts. And we did some of our regular stuff (Crunches, wall sits, etc).

This Friday is the end of the four weeks, which means we will be measured and weighed. I'm not as worried about the weight, because I FEEL so much better that it's not a big deal for me to weigh less. Although, I know I've lost weight, and I THINK I've lost inches. So, we will see.

I was considering not going in May for the next four weeks (money), but I'm going to do it for one more month. Then go a less expensive route of a gym membership and hope to retain all of the stuff I've learned. Fortunately, Maria has written down a few things that we've done and of course I remember a lot of it. I just need to know when to do it. :-)

She did suggest we do Yoga on the days we didn't work out. Lots of stretching and breathing, etc. I'll have to find some kind of Yoga program for free on line, I'm sure that won't be a problem. Anyone have any suggestions??

Thanks for checking in on me.

Day Nine - 04/25/08

This was our third Friday. :-) I'm still going strong!

Today was interesting. The part we go to work out was blocked off. Today the Tour de Georgia is coming through there, so it was closed off. We all parked a mile or so away and walked to the pavilion. We got to workout in front of workers putting together the site. It was fun though. They cheered us on and joked with up. It was fun.

We did crunches, sprints, push ups, wall sits. We did some cardio. We worked lats and arms too, which I really like to do. I love the burn. My legs end up feeling like Jell-o, but my arms usually end up feeling great!

The work out was improvised mostly, since Maria wasn't able to bring her equipment in. But, we did work. And we did sweat.

Thanks for checking on me again!

Day Eight, 04/23/08

Today was a good, but tiring, workout. We had a circuit of exercises to do first. Arms, abs, legs, were all worked. It was very good.

We then had to do mountain climber push up thingys. Don't ask...I don't know what the real name is, but basically we had to crawl up the hill (which might as well been a mountain) and do push ups along with it. I wasn't able to do the climbing part very well, but I did what I could.

The shoes came in handy with the running around the circuit and then running the laps. I really do love the way they feel. More so, I like that my shins aren't hurting like they did before.

Afterwards we did some other types of abs work. We were definitely feeling it!!!

It was a good workout. Not as cold as it was in the beginning of the 4 weeks, which was also good.

Thanks again for checking in on me!!!!

Day Seven, 04/21/08

This is the third Monday of Bootcamp. Only one Monday left in this session. I think I'll be going again.

I can't believe how much energy I have. And it's not "fake" energy. It's not caffeine. I have one cup of coffee in the mornings and ZERO Cokes. I take that back...I have had one Diet Coke on each Saturday - during Casino Jobs. Other than that, no sodas.

This weekend I didn't get to go for a walk or jog like I wanted to, but I did work in the yard. I mowed the lawn and then went back and sprayed the weeds. It was a nice day to be outside.

I'm down 8lbs now. I can't believe it. Actually I CAN believe it, but it's just such a nice feeling. I don't feel it in my clothes yet, but my work out partner, Tricia, says she can see the difference. I don't see it, but I FEEL it and that is so awesome to me!

My shoes were a good investment. We ran a bit today and I can tell how much better my feet (well, my foot) feels.

Thanks for checking in on me today!

Day Six - 4/18/08

I shaved a minute off my mile!!! 16:48. :-) It was a good run.

However, my push ups stayed the same and I lost one on my sit ups. Oh well. :-)

The shoes feel great, but being 6lbs lighter feels better.

We did crunches, lunges, sit ups, and some others that I don't know the names of, but they look silly and make you work! It was good all around.

I can't wait until Monday!

Tomorrow I'll go for a walk when I get up and Sunday I hope to go for a run.

Thanks again for checking in on me!

Shoe Shopping

Let me start by telling you, if you don't know me already, that I hate shopping. I am not the typical woman who loves to buy shoes and clothes and spend hours at a store or mall. ESPECIALLY shoe shopping. Because I have the half amputated foot, buying shoes is generally frustrating and annoying. That being said, I had to find some running shoes. Some good supportive shoes to work out and run in. I was told about two stores that did similar work. The one I went to, because it's closer, is Fleet Feet Sports.

I got there as was greeted at the door by Kitty. I told her I needed to be fitted for some shoes. She was very helpful from the moment I sat down. I explained that I didn't have feeling in my left foot and that it was partially amputated. She didn't even flinch. Asked me to take my shoes and sock off and to look at the orthotic. She had me walk without my shoes and socks so that she could see how my feet "walked".

She then measured my feet and gave me a pair of socks to put on. She came out with three pair of shoes. I tried them on one by one. I couldn't believe the immediate relief in my feet. The shoes were secure and you could tell were supporting where I needed support. I tried on and walked/jogged with all three pair. I picked the pair that we both agreed seemed to have the best support, etc. She then brought out three more pair. Tried all of those on and did the same thing.

Finally, the decision was made and a pair of shoes was picked. They are a brand I'd never heard of "Brooks". I did some research after coming home, and they seem to be a top rated shoe. Brooks Adrenaline is the type I got.

Fortunately my mom helped pay for it because it's more than I normally would have spent on shoes, but I do believe it's necessary or I wouldn't have done it. I can't mess with my feet. I just can't.

The other thing I want to say about Fleet Feet is that they did all of this work to fit me and get me the proper pair of shoes, and the shoes did not cost me a bit more there than they would have on line or at another store! KUDOS TO FLEET FEET. I'll be sure to write to them as well to thank them.

Thanks for checking in on me!

Day Five - 04/16/08

Here we are, day 5. It really is getting easier to get up at the crack of freakin' dawn. :-) But today as I was doing crunches in the park I realized...I am staring at a dark sky with STARS. It's still NIGHT TIME. *sigh* Oh well.

I improved on something today. It's not going to sound like a lot, but to me it's HUGE. I was able to jog almost the entire lap today. (3 1/2 laps is a mile) Again, I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but I wasn't able to jog more than just a few steps last week.

We played a couple of games today. Lots of running and heavy breathing. Most of us lost our breath from laughing so darn much. It was hilarious. I can only imagine how we all look out there running back and forth in the cold.

Speaking of which, it was 34 degrees this morning. Brrr. I had my jacket on, until we started moving, then it came off.

We went back to the house and had breakfast, showered, got ready for work.

I'm going to try to go today to look for some good running shoes. My mom is helping me with buying them (early bday present) which is a great help. I think it will make a difference. I'm going to go to a shoe store called Fleet Feet. I've had a couple of people suggest that store for me, specifically because of my feet. They apparently evaluate your feet, the way you walk, size, shape, everything. I'm going to give them a call to give them the heads up that I'm coming. I'm just not sure how much this will run me, hopefully within my budget. (Heh...run....).

We were supposed to go to a nutrition class tonight, but the man who was going to do it had to reschedule, so that will be next Wednesday. I'm looking forward to that class.

Day Four - 4/14/08

I didn’t eat great on Saturday – two casino parties in a row will do that to you. However I ate a lot less than I normally would. I also had one Diet Coke Saturday, the first one I’ve had in a week. Sunday I got up at 9:30 am and walked the neighborhood. I’m guessing it was about a mile, but don’t know for sure.

It's getting much easier to get up at 4:20am.

I have my toast with peanut butter and a big glass of water then head on my way.

I wear my sneakers, workout clothes (generally a long sleeve t shirt and a pair of cheapy knit Capri pants), and my hat.

I take my weights (that Tricia so kindly is letting me borrow), mat, water and towel. I have my little routine in the mornings and it's working out well.

I generally get out of the house by 4:45 and get to the park at 5:00. Tricia and I are generally first, followed by the instructor, then the other 8-10 ladies who are on the track of better health. We have some ladies that look like they have worked out for ages, but they haven't. There are some intermediate girls and then the group I fall into which is "I never run unless someone is chasing me". LOL. We have a good time. We encourage each other and cheer each other on.

No one is left behind. A lot of alternate exercises are made for me. I can't do anything that requires the use of my toes (push up - I can accomplish on occasion but generally I do it on my knees). I can't jump rope. So, there are other things I do. There is a woman who can do even less than I can, and she still gets her work out in. We all do.

It's been great!!!! I am so glad I did it!!!

Day Three - 4/11/08

Yesterday I went to the Greenway and walked/jogged 2 miles. I meant to do one mile, but didn’t see the ½ mile mark. Ugh. Paul also took some "before" photos of me. Hopefully when we take "after" photos we'll see a least a little difference!

So today - I did it. I "ran" one mile in 17:52. No, that's not an awesome time, but you know what? I did it!!! No stopping. I either jogged or walked. It was great to finish.

Also for one minute:

Push ups - 27
Sit ups - 21


The goal is to improve my own time/amounts. I know people can do way more than I can...but *I* want to do more than I can right now. :-)

We went back to the house and had a big breakfast of egg whites and toast. It was good and filling. :-) Tricia and I are excited about our first week being over.

Day Two - 04/09/08

We mostly worked arms today. It felt good to do that. I need better strength. I’m still having trouble with my balance and still do half jumping jacks, half "modified" jumping jacks. Also still can't jump rope, so I do modified jumping jacks for that as well. Hey, it's more than I've done in the past and I'm glad I'm doing it.

Friday I'll be walking/running a mile. It will be timed and then we'll do it again at the end of the 4 weeks. The expectation is to shorten the time between then and now.

I'm anxious about it, but excited. :-)

Also bought the protein shake mix and that was good. Easier than 6 egg whites. So that shake and a banana is a good after work out breakfast. Still had half a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter before hand. That was easier to eat too. :-)

Day One - 4/7/08

Tricia and I have lost our minds and decided to join boot camp. I am going to try to keep a diary of what I hope to be PROGRESS.

I got up at 4:20 so that I could have my half a slice of wheat toast with peanut butter before heading to my first day at "Boot Camp".

I was tired, didn't sleep well the night before, but I was looking forward to it.

We laid our mats out and stretched, most of us first timers to the class, not exactly sure what to expect.

We were informed that this Friday we will be running a mile. I can't tell you the last time I ran.

We did an assortment of exercises, from jumping jacks (she said it was 25, but it was 1, 2, 3 - ONE, 1, 2, 3 - TWO...so that would be 100 in my book) to jogging/walking (she adapts for those of us who can't do the harder things...I walked with 5 lb weights...moving arms, etc as I went along. By the end of the hour we had run, jump roped, did crunches, push ups, worked with weights on our arms, threw a 6lb ball and squatted, stretched etc. All of it LOOKS easy enough, but I learned a few things. I can't jump rope to save my life. I can't run backwards without feeling like I'm going to fall (and did once). I can do about 15 of her jumping jacks before my legs turn to Jell-o.

I came home, had a banana (small one!) and 2 egg whites. You are supposed to have protein right after you work out to help with the muscle. Who knew? :-) She wanted me to have 6 egg whites, but after all that working out there was just no way I could eat more.

I took a HOT shower and napped for a little bit.

On my non-workout days (Tues, Thurs and Sun - Saturdays I'll be "off") I'm hoping to walk with the weights or ride my bike. Walking/running for me is so tough because of my hips/legs and the way I drag my leg, but I'm going to try. That's all I can ask for.