August Workout Challenge

After successfully completing the beginner's calender from Blogilates.com, I decided to dive in and try the August calendar. Just by looking at this calendar I can already tell it's going to be much more physically challenging than the beginner's but that makes sense. For starters, each of the workouts this month are about an hour long compared to the previous calendar with 30-40 minute workouts. That means exercising for at least an hour a day 6 days a week. Good stuff.

                                              

One thing I really like about the August workout calendar are the meal/recipe suggestions each week. Let me break it down because I know you care....

Sunday - Cook a new recipe from the blogilates.com recipe index (all healthy, cheap eats)
Monday - Meatless Monday
Tuesday - Eat fruit anytime you want to snack
Wednesday - Drink 8 oz of water before each meal or snack
Thursday - Give up one "bad" food or condiment for the day
Friday - YOLO meal aka splurge on whatever you want
Saturday - Veggies with EVERY meal today

I have to admit, I've already failed my first meatless Monday. I just couldn't shake the craving so I'm gonna try to go meatless another day during the week to make up for it and start fresh next week. I also haven't bothered to cook a new recipe from the website but I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually. Other than that I've been good about following the diet suggestions so far.

The monthly calendars on the website are password protected so I wouldn't feel right posting it on my blog. If you're interested just sign up for the newsletter. It's definitely worth it. That's all for now!

Beginner's Pilates Challenge: DONE!

So, a while back I decided to try the beginner's workout calendar over on Blogilates.com as a way to help me start working out on a regular basis and as an intro to Pilates which I've been wanting to try for a while now. I'm happy to say that I have officially completed the entire calendar. Yay me! This is a huge accomplishment for me because in the past I've never actually stuck with a workout routine. I'll usually start and stick with something for about a week or so before I get lazy and just say forget it. I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it and completing the entire four weeks.

There were a couple of days that I didn't get up early to do the workout videos before starting my day but I made sure to do them later in the day when I had time. There was also one day that I didn't workout at all so I had to double up and do two day's worth the next day to stay caught up. Also, on rest days there's healthy meal suggestions but I only tried the very first one; the banana pancakes recipe. Now that I'm done with that calender I'm not sure what to do next. I'm not going to jump into the July workout calendar at the end of the month so I decided to make my own schedule for the last couple weeks of the month. I just went back through the calendar and picked out some of my favorite videos to do.

To be honest I haven't seen much, if any physical results but it's largely my fault. I really haven't changed my diet too much and I know I should. Just working out isn't enough to see real results, you have to change your diet too which I've learned. That's a lot harder for me and it's gonna take a while. It's actually really easy for me to ADD healthy foods to my diet but getting rid of unhealthy ones is my real challenge. What can I say, I'm a work in progress.

That's all for now.

Beginner's Pilates Challenge: Week 1

My week in review:
***Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I'm gonna do a post like this every week. If I do it may not be as detailed.***

Day 1: Total Body

Not much to tell for today. I woke up at a reasonably early hour and did the total body workout per the calendar. I've actually done that particular video before so I knew what to expect. However it's been a few weeks since doing it so it was a little tougher but doable. That's really it.

Day 2: Abs

Due to a change in my work schedule I didn't get up and do my workout first thing in the morning. Had to be to work by 8am and I really wasn't trying to get up that early to exercise so I put it off until later in the evening. First off, I nearly died doing that 1 minute plank. I wasn't able to do the full minute all at once but I was able to last about 20 seconds at a time before breaking down. I think that's good considering I've never done a plank before in my life.

Day 3: Total Body

It probably took 30 minutes or more for me to do 10 roll ups because I had to rest between each. Terrible I know. The cardio workout was really fun. The total body was cool but I realized yet again how terrible my balance is with some of the side lying moves. Guess I have to keep trying.

Day 4: Lower Body

The 10 burpees were easier to do than I was expecting. For some reason I really thought I would struggle with that because I've never done them before but I didn't. Although they did make me VERY winded. I was so out of breath after it was crazy. I'm still having balance issues with some of the workouts calling for you to balance on one knee and one hand but otherwise the videos were today were alright. Also, I really enjoyed the quite cardio this morning. Not much else to say about today's workout.

Day 5: Abs

Another ab day. I honestly don't have much more to say than that. Oh, other than the fact that my balance is still terrible. That's it.

Day 6: Total Body

I realized that I can just barely do sit ups but around about 15 of 20 I got a little better. The back workout was okay but nothing I'd want to do on my own. The booty workout was short but definitely intense. I really felt the burn with that one. Not much else to say about today.

Day 7: Rest

Self explanatory.

4 Week Beginner's Pilates Challenge

Okay, so I'm not entirely sure this thing I'm doing is called a challenge, but it will be for me. Over on blogilates.com there's a 4 week plan for those just beginning their Pilates journey which is perfect for me. For one it has everything you need to do each day spelled out in front of you so you don't have to worry about it. Also, there's a different combination of workouts everyday so you don't get bored. There's also a rest day included with healthy meal suggestions.

Basically, there's a calendar that you can print out that has a few different workouts each day for you to check off and sign to mark your progress. On the website there's links to the videos for each day so you don't have to bother with trying to search for them. 6 days of Pilates workouts and 1 day of rest at the end of each week. I've already decided that I'm probably not going to follow the healthy meal suggestions just because I don't want to have to go out and buy anything. I'll just continue with my smoothies, salads and oatmeal and call it a day. I'll make weekly posts updating my progress.

See you in a week!

Time to Get Healthy

A while back I said I was going to start working out on a regular basis. In fact I've said it several times but it never really happens. I'll work out regularly for a few weeks, maybe even a month or so, then I'll start to get lazy again and just stop. Why you ask? I honestly have no idea. I guess I'm just unmotivated but I'm trying to motivate myself now.....again.

Let me start by saying my goal is not to lose weight, but to get in shape and just be a healthier person overall. I'm skinny but I'm definitely NOT in shape so that's what I'm working towards. Also, I really want to get some nice beach ready abs for the summer. The hardest part for me I think will be trying to eat healthier. I'm not a huge candy/junk food eater but I have my cravings now and again. Especially around that time of the month. Chocolate could easily be my downfall because I love it and I'm not willing to give it up. It's all about moderation they say but chocolate is the least of my problems. I also love salt, hot sauce, cheese, butter, white bread, fried foods and ketchup. I can also be really lazy about food. I'm more likely to eat something healthier while out at a restaurant than I am to take the time to make it at home.

So anyway, that's where I am right now. Slowly trying to incorporate exercise and healthy eating habits into my regular routine. So far I've started making fruit smoothies at home which isn't much but at least it's something. Baby steps and all. And as of this post I'm on day 2 of starting Pilates. I've been wanting to try it for a while now but I'm a little worried about going to a class with people who have been doing it for years and looking a hot mess. For now I'm using YouTube videos because not only are they FREE but I can do them at my convenience in the comfort of my own home. I've started with some POP Pilates beginner videos from blogilates. So far I'm enjoying them and the instructor, Cassey, is really good. Give it a try for yourself! I'll keep you posted on my progress.