10!

This morning during my Kathy Smith workout video I did 10 REAL pushups! I've been working my way up ever since Katie posted about hers. Thanks for the encouragement! Happy pushuping!

no-sugar starts tuesday!

i've been super lazy and careless in my "diet" since the tough mudder and it's time to change that. starting tomorrow, tuesday the 12th, i'm going without unnatural sugars until sunday the 22nd, the date of my team's picnic. if any of you wanna join me, say "yay!" in the comments and we'll go for it.

why tomorrow and not tonight? because tonight i'm meeting a girlfriend for a long-needed visit and ice cream sundae at fentons. --wink wink--


sugars that are not natural that are OK: the sugars found in my protein shakes; the tiny amounts of sugar found in the tiniest of altoids and sticks of gum. 

you're an inspiration!

each of you are an inspiration in your individual exercise efforts. i'm amazed at your dedication to carve time out of your busy busy lives to get your heart rate up when i know there are a million other demands knocking down your door. i'm a firm believer that exercise is one of those high priorities. it provides so many benefits and not just to our physical health--it's time to clear our minds and process and focus our thoughts, among other things

keep it up. every little bit counts. and know i'm cheering you on and i'm so proud.

Whatever...

Does stacking bales of hay count as exercise? And helping dad load the old dishwasher and air conditioner in and out of the car?
I'm afraid I haven't done well in the exercise area over the last week. Things must improve.
Keep it up ladies. You are my inspiration.

The G word

I started going to the gym this week. Ben and I get free passes through his work and they have free babysitting, so I really had no excuse not to start going. The first day was great. The kids did great and I had an awesome workout. I think they just had no idea what was going on because now they hate it. Ellen is actually doing fine now as long as they turn Dora on and she has a snack. James, on the other hand just cries the whole time. They only let the kids cry for 10 min. before they bring them to you and so I would calm him down and try again. He's not having it. I have to keep trying though or I'll never get to exercise again! :)

Gym Buddy

We have been saving our "fun money" for a while now, and we just decided to use it on a family gym pass for a month! And guess what? It wasn't even my idea. Robert wanted to! I am so excited to have a buddy to go to the gym with...for a month, at least. We plan to make the most of it! What's your favorite thing to do at the gym? Pretty sure mine are the classes, and the elliptical. Probably followed by the free weights. Yippee!

Shoes & Posts

I was going to vote in the shoe poll -- but my shoes aren't included there!  Can "other" be added to the list?  Do any of you know of good but inexpensive arch supports?
Of course, since seminary and school have started, I have completely fallen out of the exercise routine I had carefully and barely established over the course of the summer.  I can't exercise before work because that's when seminary is, and by the time I get home in the evenings, run errands, and fix dinner, I can barely haul myself up to the bedroom before I fall asleep.  But I am on my feet all day and almost never have the opportunity to sit down once I get to school, so I guess that's something.
Hopefully, once the adoption classes are over, and I get into a routine, and I finish my stint as a guest photographer for a PhD thesis, I can find some way to get started again.  I wish I liked exercise a little more; that might help.

Good luck, Katie! Rah rah rah!

Huff then Puff

You ladies have inspired me. Coming back from a long hiatus of exercise is no easy task at my age, but I'm giving it a try. My efforts include sit-ups, leg lifts, push-ups, and jump rope. (No squats or lunges, yet.) None for extended periods of time; it's just a start. And I am trying to walk more whether Sylvia and Chip want to come along or not. The farm is really beautiful this time of year and it feels good to out on the property.
Keep posting your efforts and encouraging me. You're the best.

Healthy and Tasty Dessert

I got this recipe from my mom--and it is soooo tasty! And a lot healthier than many other cakes or brownies. I thought I'd share the recipe here.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream these ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the following ingredients:

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I did half of this wheat and half of this white)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Blend all of these together, and then add to the wet ingredients and mix.

Then add:
1 1/4 cup grated zucchini, and mix well.
Pour into a greased 9x9 pan, and sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts on top (I did sliced almonds--I also added chocolate chips IN the cake as well as on top--it's yummy with a little extra chocolate).
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 325.

Enjoy the healthy (or at least, healthier) deliciousness!

boxes of butter.

think of your weight in boxes of butter. each box of butter is the equivalent of one pound. if you lose a pound, pat yourself on the back. that's one box of butter down! if you lose two pounds, even better! if you gain a pound--well, shucks--you might as well tape that box of butter to your toosh or thighs or tummy, wherever you carry your weight.

i've always been cognizant of my weight but the lightbulb lit up when she told about the boxes of butter. give it a try and let me know what you think. did it help? was it more frustrating?

i'll be a tough mudder in 9 days.

i'm starting the countdown. in only 9 days i'll be roughing and toughing it through mud and other filth in squaw valley, tahoe, with my other hair-brained friends in the norcal tough mudder. when i first registered, i was under the impression the course was 8 miles. then i learned it was 10 miles. just the other day when i was looking up our start time (9.40a!) our course was listed at 11 miles. 11 miles!!! with an accumulated elevation of 2300 ft. we really must be nuts to have signed up for this challenge. i'm excited but pangs of nervousness tear through me from time to time.

jennifer, my trainer, and i have been working really hard. a few months back i signed up to see her every week instead of just every other week and i've seen a real difference. not only am i 9 pounds lighter than i was when i ran my 1/2 marathon, i'm stronger, too. it's really something to watch your body change so much. the rewards are high and increases my motivation like you wouldn't believe.

last night i hit the stairclimber for 30 minutes at a choking speed and then 16 minutes on the cybex--that's 46 minutes total in cardio. i was hoping it would work out some of this soreness i'm still experiencing from my trainer workout on tuesday but the squats i did were so heavy and i did so many jumping lunges that today i can barely sit down on the john. it's a good soreness but still...

here are some of the exercises in my repertoire with jennifer:

• side plank dips
• pushups
• squats
• jumping lunges
• jumping jacks
• jumping rope
• one-leg leg press
• plank on a balance ball
• chest bench press
• lat pull-downs
• dips
• step-ups with weights
• curls
• bungee cord pull-back and run squat
• tricep dips
• walking lunges
• side lunges
• jumping twist squats
• plank

anyone want to join us? it'll be the best 60 minutes of your day.

my plan for working out next week is 1/2 a session with jennifer on monday followed by lots of stretching and then easy cardio and yoga for the rest of the week. i don't want to be quite as intense as i have been but i also can't slack it off.

sidenote: i am now collecting pep talks. the race is saturday the 17th. eek!

Elliptical

I don't know what it is, but every once in a while I get a craving to work out on an elliptical. This morning was one of those mornings. I am so happy that the gym is back open, and done with their two week cleaning! I love the options that I have as far as resistance on the elliptical, and it breaks up the usual running routine. That sure is nice sometimes.

Also, I can't believe it's already so dark in the mornings! Dear fall, here we come...

Here we go!

I had't been jogging since the last time I posted on here, but I went for a 3.5 miler on Saturday and it felt so good. I'm having a hard time finding a good time to go because I don't want to wake up at the crack of dawn and go before Ben goes to work and now it's getting dark earlier so I can't really go at night. Sooner or later I'll probably start hauling the kids to the gym. We'll see.

Now, Ben and I are off to play tennis! Happy Labor Day!

I Miss Exercising!

Wow, I haven't exercised for a few days and I can feel it! Sometimes it takes a few days of not exercising to realize how great it makes you feel. I can't wait for tomorrow morning's exercise adventure. Hope you ladies all get some great exercise in for the Labor Day holiday!

20!

20 plank-style pushups this morning!

new personal record. new standard.

and now i'll pull out the brownies from the oven and have one for breakfast. they're a reduced-guilt mix from trader joe's made with nonfat vanilla yogurt. yummm.

Side Planks, Tested

After my power walk this morning I tried out some of the plank exercises that Katie posted here. Wow! Talk about a work out! I was definitely huffing and puffing trying those babies out. They are great, and so easy to do at home. I plan on keeping those in my workout schedule. Thanks for the tip, Katie!

Jogging Jaunt

This weekend we were in Seattle and Saturday morning my sister and I went on a little jog. It was about 3 miles and it was beautiful! It was way easier to run there than in Moses Lake probably because it was just a nice change of scenery. It was uphill, downhill, round and round. Way better than the flat, flat, flat I'm used to running. A great way to start the day! This week I've been walking with the kids each morning. I can't jog and push them in the stroller at the same time, but sometimes a nice walk is just what I need and the kids love it. This morning we probably only went 1/2 mile because James started to fall asleep so we headed home. Happy walking!

Short Runs

I don't always have the time (or place...) to go on longer runs, like this morning. But there is no better way to start your day than a little jog in the fresh morning air. I love it! All it takes is 15-20 minutes outside, and I come back feeling great. And I get to enjoy the outdoors before it's roasting hot. Hopefully I'll get a few longer runs in this week, but if not--short runs are my friends! :-)

bicycle rides.

there's nothing like an easy and relaxing bicycle ride on a sunday afternoon to squeeze in some exercise on a sunday. it was only 2 miles to my friend nick's apartment but hey, that's 4 miles total. it counts. :-)

saturday mornings at the gym.

i love saturday mornings at the gym. i roll right out of bed into my gym clothes--before i allow myself to be lazy--and take my pick of cardio machine and floor spot. there's only like 5 other people there and since i'm usually on a more loose time schedule, i can take as long as i want and casually work my way around the machines and weights. it's awesome.

i hit the cardio machines hard and then finished up on a floor mat with a 20 pound medicine ball for some ab work and a couple side planks. side planks are a fantastic way to trim up your waistline. here are some versions of side planks by my friends at fitsugar.