Awesome-ness

Ahhhhhhh .... that was SO much better!  Last night I took the same bootcamp class that I did last week.  However, the instructor took us outside for this class - which I absolutely love and prefer to workout outdoors.  I know I had to stop taking these classes for financial reasons, but boy I didn't realize how much I loved and missed them.

This time I took an Abs Only class before bootcamp. It was the same instructor as bootcamp and she puts on a good class.  Plus, it's at the same facility, back to back, and you pay one admission and can use the facilities as much as you want.  Heidi likes to get her money's worth so anytime I can take more than one class at a time is a good thing.  We did use the ball a fair bit in the abs class, but for ab work I do like and appreciate it and the moves this instructor used were much more effective than the class I took the other day.  I know it takes about 24 hours for abs to kick in, so I'll be feeling this later tonight.

The one thing I'm really noticing this time from the last time I did bootcamp is I suck!  Last time I was in pretty good shape and was usually in the top 25% of the class (if not the top), even when I just started.  Right now I'm struggling and am often the last to finish my sets and sometimes have to modify moves to complete them.  I'm quite a competitive person and do not like being in this position, even if I am EASILY 10 years older than anyone else in the class.  I like to be good.  I like to be the best, or darn near it.  But it just motivates me to work harder.

Last night was kind of funny because we actually did a lot of running.  We started off with about a 1 mile warm-up run.  I started about mid pack and by the end of the mile had moved right to the front with the others dropping off.  Then we did a bunch of sets that included various strength moves followed by various running related activities (suicides, high knees, runs).  For every strength move I'd be slower than pretty much everyone else and last to finish, but in the run portion I usually caught up.  Definitely know where my strength and weakness is. It's time to balance these out!

After class I got talking with one guy.  Him & his wife have lost 35 lbs each in about 9 months mostly just by taking the bootcamp class twice a week.  Now, I ... more than most, realize that nutrition also takes a HUGE place in weight loss.  But, it was very inspiring to hear of their success.  They both look fantastic.  I left there and headed straight for the grocery store where I stocked up on $80 of mostly fruits & veggies.  My lunch today is so yummy and healthy!  It may be taking me a long time to get back to a fully healthy lifestyle, but I really am getting there.  I just have to keep it up and I will soon begin to reap the rewards.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.  We have a long weekend here.  I have a long run planned (which I hope my legs can handle) and then a few fun activities.  Hopefully a little sleeping in too ... even until 9:00 would be nice!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Where, Oh Where has Heidi been???

Oh where, oh where can she be???????

Hmmmm ... I'm right here ... not missing.  Last week I got myself in a blogging funk and couldn't get to doing it.  Some days I just don't have anything to say, nothing interesting to take pics of, nothing to report.

But, my absence does NOT equal falling off the wagon.  I've been healthy, active and all that fun stuff.

So, what have I been up to .....

SHOPPING

I went shopping with my sister in law and finally found myself a pair of jeans.  I swear I tried on about 20 pairs before I found one that was OK (still not great, but pretty good).  Also bought a few boring tanks & t-shirts and then one super sexy top that will be revealed later.  I want to surprise my hubby with that one. :)

My sister in law is a super shopper and I'm really glad she came with me.  I kept trying on things, thinking they looked horrible and she'd tell me No, it's too big - get a smaller size.  And she was right!  I started out trying on jeans in a size 30 and ended up needing either a 29 or sometimes even a 28.

Then when we were trying on tops I'd grab a medium or a large and every time I needed it one size smaller.  I NEVER would have tried on a size small, but she was right, it looked much better.  Any idea how long it's been since I've had a size small in my closet???  Long time!

RUNNING

The other day I ventured out for a longer run.  I had planned on doing about 10K, but part way through I changed my mind on the route and figured I'd end up being a bit short.  So when I got close to home I still had tons of gas in the tank and decided to add on the big block around my house.  I figured this would get me around 12-13K which is about what I run most Sundays.  It was one of those days I could have just run forever.

When I got home I mapped out the route I took .... 15 Km!  HAHAHA, a little longer than planned and it certainly didn't feel like it.  It was a nice route too, so I'll be sure to do it again.

SPARKPEOPLE

I'm still entering EVERY SINGLE food I eat on sparkpeople.com - every bite. It's making me really nervous because my calorie range is 1260-1610 and I've been averaging around 1350-1400 and haven't felt the slightest bit hungry. 

According to calories in vs. calories out I should be losing 1.5 lbs per week, but it sure doesn't feel like it. So ... I caved and got on the scale yesterday (first time this month). And ... yeah ... I've lost nothing, zilch, not even a .2 :(. So frustrating, makes me want to smash my head into a wall.

I hear over and over that weight loss is as simple as calories in vs. calories out - but why isn't it that way for me?? I feel like duct taping my mouth shut and climbing on the treadmill 24/7.

But ... I don't know what else to do so I just keep going on.  That's probably insane, who knows.  I could lower the calorie intake, but with the exercise I do I don't think that's wise.  I know I can't/won't stop or give up - that's just not an option.  It sure would be nice to lose this tummy pudge though.

Here's my menu for today, which is fairly typical.  If you see anything on here you'd like to comment on, feel free.  I'm open....

Breakfast - 1 cup plain, fat free yoghurt and 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal, 1 Kiwi
Lunch - 1.5 cups homemade turkey soup (broth, turkey & vegetables only), 9 wheat thin crackers, 1 light Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, 2 med carrots, 2 small peppers, 2 med. stalks celery
Snack - Nectarine
Dinner - 3 oz. roast beef, baked sweet potato (no butter), Salad with light balsamic vinagrette
Snack (after workout) - 1 apple, 1 tbsp. peanut butter

Calories - 1220

This is more fruit than I usually have in a day, but I bought a bunch recently and don't want to waste it.

Tonight I'm doing my own little mini bootcamp which will include stairs, sprints, lunges, push-ups, tricep dips, crunches, and planks.

Bad Scale - you're in detention!

BAD SCALE

Well, I did it! I did not step on that scale last night or this morning. Why? Because it's pissing me off and I think it's lying. :) HAHAHAHA

But seriously, I don't understand why my weight jumped up and has stayed up for about a week now. I can't find a logical explanation and I'm sick of getting on that scale hoping that it has come to it's senses.

I am a twice daily weigher, and I'm OK with that. I know that when it begins to frustrate me the scale needs to be disciplined and it gets put in detention.

I'm just starting to stress because I set myself a completely reasonable goal, which is 2 weeks away, and I don't feel confident that I'm going to reach it. I get oh so close to reaching that magic number and then BOOM it disappears like a flashing light. I was wondering last night if I'm not getting there because I don't truly believe I can. But if that's true ... how do I make myself believe?

PRIVATE SESSION

Last night I showed up for the last session of bootcamp. I won't be able to attend the summer sessions, so that's it for a while. Anyhow, I showed up and .... I was the only one there! Normally there is about 10 people in this class. I know that 1 person had a previous committment, and 2 others had to switch to the later class - but as for the rest of them I have no idea.

I SOOOOO wanted the instructor to just call it quits. One word and I would have left. But, nope, she just trundled on with what she had planned. It was a bit awkward at first, but then it ended up being pretty good. This is the substitute instructor who I didn't like when I first met her. But we ended up having some really good conversations. She is a personal trainer, working mostly out of her home or at clients homes, and she sometimes does a bit of work with the city recreation programs.

My friend is working on becoming a personal trainer (and I have to admit the idea intrigues me, but not yet), so it was nice that she shared a bunch of info on that with me. We got talking diet planning and I tried to pry her for some suggestions as to why I'm not losing weight but she basically just offered sympathy ... oh well, can't blame her, she's not even close to being paid to help me with that. It did leave me wondering if I should try to save up some money and go talk to a dietician or something. Although I have no idea to who or where I would seek out someone.

DATE WITH DREAMLAND

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. No school for either of my kids, no work for me, no early morning committments. I'm really hoping to catch up on some of the sleep I have been missing. I shouldn't be complaining because I'm getting about 7-8 hours most nights, but I really find I do better on 8-10, at least for most days. I'm exhausted in the morning and yawn for hours so that's my indication that I could use some more sleep.

Got a Butt Kickin'!

Last night I had outdoor bootcamp. My instructor is away this week and we had another lady. She is TOUGH! We did not stop moving for the entire hour.

We'd sprint across this huge field, do 50 squats, sprint back, do 20 overhead presses - then, unless you were the last person back, you had to do high knee running or butt kicks until they got back. We also did sets of 25 walking lunges, 10 burpees, 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups - sprint across the field - then repeat it all again. Plus she'd put 2 minutes of straight hi intensity cardio in between these other sets. My heart rate was way up there the entire time. But I love it - heheee.

I have another class with her tonight.

Here's today's meal plan:

Breakfast - Red River Cereal (2)
Lunch - Orange & red peppers, Small La Tortilla Factory Hi Fibre Wrap with Almond Butter & Strawberry/Rhubarb jam, Pear (5)
Afternoon Snack - Apple, 1 oz. cheddar cheese (4)
Dinner - skinless chicken drumstick, broccoli sauted in olive oil & garlic (3)
Post-Workout - Protein Smoothie with yoghurt & frozen berries (7)

Total Points - 21

Exercise - 60 min Bootcamp class

Yesterday I got all geared up and headed out for my bootcamp class. I was excited because for once I was going to be a bit early AND it had stopped raining (YEAH!). I got to the field and the parking lot was packed. I had to go wayyyy around back to find a parking spot.

There was a high school meet going on and they had command of the whole track, field & grandstands. Grrrrr! Usually my instructor is quite game to work around these situations, but last night she packed it in and said we'd have to cancel. I must admit I was quite disappointed. Though I did enjoy staying to watch the kids compete for a few minutes. They were doing the Junior Boys 1500M Steeplechase (which is my son's age and one of his favourite distances). The fastest boy completed in 5:30 and I think the slowest was 7:00 - that's pretty fast in my books :).

Even though my planned workout was scrapped, I didn't let the evening go to waste. I went home and had enough time to do Level 2 and half of Level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred before the Biggest Loser Finale came on.

Made a few adjustments in my eating plan yesterday (marked with a strikethrough on yesterday's post), but still stayed at 21 points (yay me!).

I keep seeing Jenna at Eat, Live, Run having her morning oatmeal with a scoop of Almond Butter. It looks so good so I thought I'd give it a try this morning with my bowl of Red River Cereal. Ehhh, yuck, not for me thanks. I like these two foods on their own, but combined it just tasted mushy and odd.

Today's planned menu....

Breakfast - Red River Cereal and Almond Butter

Lunch - Carrots & celery, Asian Noodle Salad, Vegetable Beef Soup

Afternoon Snack - All Bran Guardian Cereal and milk All Bran Oatmeal Bar

Dinner - Lasagna & Salad ... added a small bun with butter

Post Workout- Protein & fruit Smoothie was asleep, didn't work out - therefore didn't need it.

Total Points - 23 21

Exercise - Level 1 and 2 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, 30 min elliptical Fell asleep very early on the couch, must have needed the rest.

I'm taking a bit of a break from running to let my foot heal. These exercises don't seem to affect it as much, but they definitely keep my heart & muscles burning.

Sometimes a 2nd impression makes all the difference

Last week I blogged (here) about a woman who came out with my bootcamp instructor and I did not like her. She came out to watch as there was a possiblity that she might substitute once in a while. I predicted that if she came back I was going to butt heads with her.

Well .... last night she came out. My regular instructor went on a date night with her husband for his birthday. And guess what ....

I loved the class!!!!!! She was awesome!

That first time she came out she was all hard nosed Miss Tough Girl without a heart. But last night she was fantastic. She IS tough, but she's also smart & fun. I sweated WAY more than normal and I loved every second of it.

She mixed up cardio and strength moves so fast you didn't realize which you were doing because your heart never stopped pounding. I loved it!!! The only thing I didn't love was she had us do jumping jacks between sets while we waited for the others to finish and catch up and, well..... being a Mom, jumping jacks for prolonged periods are tough (if you've had a baby you know what I mean). Also, it was really irritating my sore foot - so I just substituded with high knee runs on the spot. I think that accomplished the same thing.

I didn't 100% stick to my eating plan yesterday, made a couple minor changes, but also was quite hungry after class so I went a bit higher on points - 26.

Today's plan:

Breakfast - Oatmeal & grapefruit
Lunch - raw veggies & hummus, ham wrap sandwich on a La Tortilla Factory hi fibre wrap, and Broccoli Soup
Snack - Yoghurt w/Vector cereal
Dinner - Crunchy Tilapia with coleslaw (homemade oil/vinegar dressing) & mashed potatoes

Total points - 22

Exercise - I'm going to give my foot a bit of a rest and do the elliptical and some weights tonight

Well, new location but not new instructor - which is OK. I was sort of hoping for someone new just because I like variety, but how can you complain when you already like the person. We did a ton of stairs. These stairs are super long too so by the time you get to the top your heart is just begging to jump out of your chest.

Only thing was I found the class to be too short. We ran the track for warm-up. Then ran a lap of the track, then up and down all the sets of stairs (ummm, guessing about 6 full sets and 4 half sets). Then we used the rubber bands and did some chest, back and shoulder work. Then a couple minutes of plank and lower abs and we were done.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think this class should be at least an hour & a half. Though there was a ton of people in class who would strongly disagree.

Eating was not fantastic yesterday by any means: Kaiser bun w/ham, English Toffee Cappucino, 2 sticks licorice, mac & cheese, 3 cookies, pea soup, 1 pierogi, ham sandwich. That came up to 32 points and I labelled it my "Carb & Sugar day" - yuck!

Today is going better....

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Raw carrots, celery & red peppers with spicy hummus, Ham Sandwich
Afternoon Snack (pre work-out) - yoghurt & strawberries, Small La Tortilla Factory wrap with Almond Butter
Dinner - Beef stew (with lots of veggies)

This comes out to 21 points (which is where I should be)

Bootcamp times TWO!

Last night was my bootcamp class. Every week the instructor tells us that we're welcome to stay for the 2nd class if we want to. Everyone else rolls their eyes and says "yeah right!". But me ... well the idea has been milling around for a while. Almost just to see how I would do.

So yesterday I posted on a forum I'm on that I was going to stay and do the 2nd class.

I got to class and first thing ... the parking lot is FULL - like crazy full. Apparently the local hockey club was having their team photos done. I eventually find parking and then fight my way towards the room that we always start in. As I get there, the instructor & class are heading out the door. Apparently because of this hockey thing, the room we were use was locked up and unavailable. The city is horrible about anything that happens at this facility (poor equipment, communication ... ).

One thing I can say about my instructor is she is amazingly adaptable. Whatever curveball she is thrown, she will catch and toss right back. So we head out to a side parking lot and gravely field to do our class. But she has another surprise for us. She has another instructor with her who wanted to watch over the class (and co-instruct) because she will be teaching a few of the sessions in the future. Right off the bat I don't care for this woman. Apparently she's very hard core (which is fine) but I get the sense that there is not a warm bone in her body. She tells us that she makes her students count out every rep - out loud - and we're not allowed to stop until we do. I can promise you right now she will NOT get me to do that. If I wanted to count out loud I'd be an instructor. I do think you should be ABLE to count for yourself, I just don't see why I should be forced to do it out loud. But the class was pretty good considering the conditions. We did lots of running to warm up. Then we ran flights of stairs. Although, again here, this other instructor rubbed me wrong. I had left for a moment to go the bathroom and when I came back I asked someone how many flights of stairs we needed to do each set - and was told ONE. When I came to the other set of stairs I noticed people were doing multiple sets, so I asked the instructor what we were supposed to be doing and she told me FOUR sets. Then the other instructor said I was lucky she wasn't in charge because she makes her students do push-ups or something for not doing the right amount. My blood boiled. I am NOT a slacker - ever! And I said as much too. I always push as hard as I can, much harder than most of the students. Then near the end of class (after doing sprints, lunges, push-ups, dips, bicep curls, squats...) this "other" instructor takes over and tells us all to get down on the ground for sit-ups. Now I'm not a wussy, but this was a dirty, dusty field covered with tons of rocks and twigs, and in odd places bits of glass. I just thought it was SO stupid. I actually got down after a few minutes and did a few sit-ups, but then I got up and said this was crazy and I went and did a plank against a curb instead. I'm thinking if this other instructor comes back to lead a class we are going to butt heads!

Anyhow, even after all of that, I stayed for the 2nd class. Partly because I'd had a slack couple of days, but mostly because I had already said to my online friends that I would (ahh the power of accountability). I think I actually shocked my instructor - I don't believe she really expected I would stay. I think I may have shocked the other instructor as well because not only did I stay, but I definitely pushed it harder than anyone in that class. I can't believe the difference between that group of people and the ones in my group.

I did well with eating yesterday. I had posted my intended meals on that forum as well and managed to stick to it. This is a great little victory for me. Now I just need to keep it up.

Tonight I'm making chicken enchiladas for dinner. Not really the lowest calorie meal I could have, but I will keep portion size small. The big challenge tonight will be that I have to bake. I volunteered to supply something for a cake walk at school. I tried to pick up something premade at the grocery store yesterday so I could avoid the temptation (homemade baked goods do me in!), but there just wasn't really anything suitable. So I'm stuck baking. :(

2009 Goals

Last night it was back to Boot Camp - WAHOO I LOVE that class. I wish I could do it at least 3 or 4 times a week (hmm maybe I wouldn't love it so much then). This seems like a really fun group too. There's about 1/2 of the group from last time and then some new ladies who were having so much fun.

She divided us up into groups of 3 last night and I was so happy to be put with the 2 other most competitive people in the class - our one and only guy and a super fit girl. The 3 of us have been in the same class for a while and we're always super competitive with each other. So it was great to be with them as we pushed each other alot harder.

I've set myself some goals for 2009:

* 20 consecutive big girl push-ups
* run 10km under 1 hour
* run the entire Ft to Ft non stop (about 14 km)
* climb the Grouse Grind in 50 minutes or less
* eat fish at least once a week
* REACH MY GOAL WEIGHT!

If I can surpass any of my fitness goals by the end of June then I will reevaluate and change as necessary.

Tonight is fish night. I'm making a recipe from one of my WW's books. They call it Easy Crusty Cod, but I've adapted it and call it Crusty Citrus Sole :). It's sole fillets (super thin, no bones!) top with a mix of flour, milk, olive oil, lemon & lime juice & cayenne pepper, then sprinkle with a bit of bread crumbs & green onion and bake in the oven. I'm not a huge fish fan but this is so good, quick and simple. So far I haven't been able to under or overcook the fish so it's a good one for me. I'm a bit freaky that my fish is fully cooked without getting tough.

I just have to post a link to this post on another blog http://doinitforme.blogspot.com/2008/09/weigh-in-process.html. So funny, and scary how true that I do alot of those things (not all) before I have an official weigh-in.

Last night was Boot Camp and I'm LOVING it!!! Hopefully I'm not as stiff this week. I just love doing so many different things and challenging my body in different ways. I've been so bored with the typical step class and such that I've taken on and off for years. This really inspires me to get out there and try new things.

Hmm, let's see, we did (among other things like alot of sprints): Burpees, push-ups with an elastic band across our upper back for resistance, planks, jumping jacks, combination tricep curl/bicep curl with opposing arms while balancing on one foot, "axe-chopping" while on one foot, lat raises with an elastic, overhead presses, bent arm lateral raises, inner/outer thigh raises (with a weight on mid thigh), and a variety of ab exercises for upper and lower abs.

I'm so glad I'm already signed up in the next session. If they add another day of it that I can attend I'd love to. Definitely worth the $6 per class.

Also tried another new recipe last night. It was OK, but not outstanding. I wanted it to have more flavour and I certainly didn't find it spicy at all. Perhaps some hot sauce or cayenne might do the trick, or more garlic. Should probably just be called Marinated Pork Chops. Original recipe called for chili sauce, not powder, but I didn't have any - maybe that makes a different.

SPICY MARINATED PORK CHOPS

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 large pork chops

In a large resealable bag, mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, chili powder, and garlic. Place the pork chops into the bag, carefully seal the bag, and marinate for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. Turn the bag over about halfway through.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Grill 5 to 7 minutes on each side.

Class was pretty good last night. Though, while it wasn't easy, I would have liked it to be a bit harder. Did a variety of sprints/runs alternated with some strength moves - push-ups, burpess (OMFG!!), planks. Did some lunges, a ton of squats and the move that is killing me today - outer thigh abduction ... ouch! Then did a bunch of different weights and sit-ups. I haven't done squats for a long time and actually missed them(that sounds weird even to my ears). I think I'll perform my own boot camp class at home at least one other day per week as I like the basic idea of it and the variety of mixing things up.

Made a yummy veggie pasta salad this morning for lunch (which I'm eagerly waiting for heehee). And I've been looking for some new ideas for dinners. Going to try this one this weekend:

Sesame Chicken Strips

6 Chicken Breasts, 4 oz each, cut into thin strips
2 tblspn. sesame seeds

MARINADE
½ c. chicken broth
2 tblspn. soya sauce
4 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp ground coriander
few drops hot pepper sauce
¼ c. finely chopped parsley
¼ c. finely chopped green onion

Combine the marinade, add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes (or longer for more flavour).

Preheat broiler. Drain the chicken & discard the marinade. Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds.

Broil 4" from the heat for 3 minutes. Turn and broil for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until the chicken is no longer pink.

You could do this with whole chicken breast too, but I’d think you’d want to marinate it longer to get the flavour infused. You could also thread it onto skewers if you wanted, make sure to soak them in cold water first if using wooden skewers.

I also have a hankering for Grilled Tomatoes (like you get at the Keg) topped with olive oil, salt & pepper, some parmesan cheese and maybe cilantro or oregano. Mmmm - so good!

Wearing my new jeans and fitted sweater today and not only are they comfy but I feel pretty good wearing them. WAHOO!! Hubby gave me a hug this morning and said I felt slimmer - hahha. Sad thing is he probably could tell as he's very intune to minor changes which can be a good thing and a not so good thing depending on which direction it's going.