Jessica's Journey...December 1st...stats!

Today is the day.  I am seeing what progress I have made over the last year and over this last month.

I can go through all the measurements that I have taken but I'm not going to do that.  It will just bore you to tears :)  I am just going to share one specific measurement because it is pretty crazy...I think.

I started this new program on October 31st, 2011 that Jeff Burbank has set up for me.  Before that I had been working so hard with everything that I knew how to do to keep slimming down.  My progress was getting very slow and I hadn't seen any results for months.  Since I started this plan in October I have lost 2 inches in my waist.  2 inches!  I thought that my jeans were fitting differently and now I know why.  I guess those planks are working :)   (This kindof sounds like one of those radio commercials that I hear when I come back from the gym...just take this pill and you will lose inches all over, or just eat this before you sleep and the pounds will melt off of you without exercise.  Sorry, people...exercise is pretty important if you want to lose the fat.  And no, this isn't an infomercial.  I am telling the truth.)

Overall, some of the other measurements are pretty small in comparison but still very important.  Some didn't change at all and my measurement for my thighs actually went up in the last year (not the last month though)...hopefully because of muscle.  I did write a blog post about my measurements back in December 2010.  If you would like to read that blog you can view it here.

Isn't that crazy?  2 inches.  I think I am still in awe a little bit.

So, here is a photo of me back in December of 2010.

Here is me now (me what I look like just about 2 minutes ago...I took my hair out of my ponytail just for the picture!)

I still look like the same me but my face isn't quite as puffy as before and my hair is a lot longer and darker.  Who knew that getting healthy could change your hair color  :)

I did get to the gym this morning and went to a spin class.  Love spin!  I was very careful though today because my asthma is not quite ok and once I start coughing I tend to cough for awhile.  I tried not to push too hard but it is so tempting to go as fast as I can and increase that tension to as high as possible.  I didn't though today.  I still worked hard but did back it down just a bit today so I didn't have to be assisted by an ambulance.

Tomorrow is day 4!  Then my week is done and I will just have one more week of Phase 2...and the plan is to run on Saturday.  Sid can now join me at the gym too if I get a note from her doctor.  That reminds me...I have a phone call to make.

Jessica's Journey...November 27th

At the moment I am watching a show about The Biggest Loser and more of a reunion type of show around Thanksgiving.  I heard this quote and just had to pass it along.

"Tomorrow is gone but today is here."    Olivia...The Biggest Loser

I don't think she could have summed it up any better.  Today is here!  Get up off your butt and start moving.  :)

Do you watch The Biggest Loser?  I am pretty much addicted to that show.  I have been known to watch the show while eating Culver's ice cream (that will really make you feel guilty too!) but lately I am usually just folding clothes or working on the blog while I watch the show.  I know that a lot of the show is drama and to give it appeal so people will watch but it truly is amazing how a body can change just from eating right and exercise.

Another part of the reunion show had Tara on.  Tara is quite the ambitious person and if you watched the season when she was on...you know that she won pretty much all the challenges during the show.  To find out a little bit more about Tara Costa and what she does today, you can click on this link to see an article that was just written about her.

Another contestant from the current Biggest Loser show, Bonnie, is full of spunk.  Bonnie is not a spring chicken, has some problems with her knees and really hadn't done much physically for awhile.  She wasn't sure what she could do and The Biggest Loser helped her see that she can do so much more than what she thought she was capable of.

I was reading a blog today that reminded me of Bonnie.  Jeff, the person that is helping me, has recently started helping a client.  She too is writing about her journey...and it is very interesting to get her perspective.  I am sure that our journeys are a little bit different but I do like hearing her thoughts.  She is blunt with how things are going and she is on the path of her journey and taking one step forward each day.  She already accomplished something that she didn't think she could do...which is how she reminds me of Bonnie.  If you would like to read the blog of the new client that Jeff has, just click here...Oh, and her name is Phyllis.  (Hi, Phyllis...hope you don't mind me linking my blog to yours.  I haven't met you but I know the journey you are on.  Keep up the good work!)

If I had Bob Harper in my house or with my at the gym each day I am sure that I would already be at my ideal size.  The reality is though that Bob, Jillian, or the new trainers are not with me.  I have to do what I can with the resources that I have.  I am thankful for those that help me out...both at home and for what I have to do at the gym.  I do get a little nervous about some of these crazy workouts that I have to do (and the ones that I don't know about yet) but I will keep pushing on and do my best.

Today I did go to the gym.  I wasn't feeling 100% so I did the best that I could today but...I was at the gym.  It was a little later than usual because this was my night:
1)  Quinn wasn't feeling too hot (he is 4) and got up a few times at the start of the night.
2)  Micah (6) got up and was sleepwalking and then wanted to have a conversation with me during his sleepwalking.  I'm sleeping, talking to me while you are sleeping is not a good idea.
3)  Sid (10) was coughing so I tried to convince her that she should put some more pillows under her to prop her up.  She didn't want to but I managed to get the pillows under her anyways.  Mom power!
4)  Quinn woke me up saying, "Mommy, my tummy hurts.  It's going boing, boing, boing."  Not the way I like to be welcomed in the morning.  We cuddled, tried to figure out what really hurt and see how he was doing before I totally freaked out.

My plan is to get to the gym in the morning.  My cough is back though so I am going full force on the meds to try to keep this to just a cough and not turn this into an infection in my lungs again.  I still have a really hard time telling the difference between asthma and a cough.  I am sure that there are things that trigger one and then the other but it is so hard for me to know the balance.  If I am up a lot in the night I will be home and in bed in the morning.  Just gonna have to see how the night goes.

Jessica's Journey...November 26th

I've been writing now about my journey for 25 days.

I have even written on this blog word for word some of what I did in phase 1 (which means...you could probably figure out how to do phase 1 with just a little bit of effort and reading).

I have put out some pictures with a glimpse of how disgusting I can get during a workout...I don't know many people that will put a photo out for the world to look at of their gross clothes.

I have had the courage to try everything that has been on my list of "things to do" at the gym.  I don't think I failed at any of the exercises because I actually tried each one...even the ones that I didn't want to do.  Believe me...my mind was having a battle at times and kept telling me not to do some of what was listed on my sheets.  I haven't missed a workout and I have even done the workouts that I haven't wanted to do.  I start week 2 of Phase 2 tomorrow morning, bright and early.  That means that I have completed 4 weeks so far of workouts.  In terms of actual days at the gym, I have been there at least 5 or 6 days each week.

I am still in the process of working on this eating thing but that is a work in progress.  I have been told to just keep working on this and be gradual in the changes that I am making.  I can do gradual.  This week wasn't too great and if I had to give myself a grade for eating this past week I would definitely get a big, fat "F".

So...that's what I have been doing the last 25 days.

What have you been doing?  Have you tried something new or are you too afraid?

I'm not trying to be a bully and this isn't one of my posts where I am trying to sound sassy.  I am being very genuine and honest...and I am serious.  What have YOU done?

I am not a personal trainer and only know what has worked for me.  But...here are a handful of things that you can do anywhere and tips and that you really should try:

• Drink more water!  You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.  Your skin will look better, you will feel better and your body will love it.
• Walk stairs.  Either at work or home...take the stairs.  If you are at home, walk up and down the stairs several times just for fun.  Yes, I said fun.  You don't have to run them, just walk them and feel your legs enjoying this little workout.  It won't feel fun if you haven't walked a lot of stairs in awhile but everything gets easier after you do them a few times.  Go up and down a bunch of stairs 2 times the first day, do it 4 times the next and just increase it each time.
• Planks.  There are a huge variety of planks that you can do.  Simply though, lay on the ground with your tummy down, feet apart a bit, clasp your hands together...rest your body on your lower body on your toes and your upper body with your hands to your elbows.  Hold it.  That is a four point plank.  For more information about planks you can look at a website by livestrong that has lots of different information  on health and exercise.  (Click here, or here, or here :)  After I did these the first time my arms were pretty sore.  The next time though...not quite as bad!
• Step-Ups. I did these at the house the first time.  I grabbed some soup cans, went over to my fireplace and started stepping up and down on the hearth.  You could do this on a stair too.  If you want a bigger challenge, grab 2 milk jugs that are full (could be full of water) and use those as weights. 
• Try roasted vegetables.  I haven't been a lover of vegetables but have learned to love them and now I crave this recipe (I'm not gonna lie...these don't taste like french fries...they taste so much better!).  I cut up carrots, parsnips (if they aren't too expensive at the time), green beans and have also put in sweet potatoes or regular potatoes.  Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, some rosemary (I LOVE rosemary!), pepper if I feel like it and sometimes onions or whatever else I might want to add or have on hand.  Roast these for 45 minutes to an hour and stir them once in awhile.  I add grilled chicken in them usually too but not too early because it gets too dry.  Nummy!  I can be found eating this as my lunch at least once or twice a week.
• Find a song that motivates you.  One song that has really been a motivator for me is Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers.  The song is just over 6 minutes long and is great to get your warmed up, push you through that plank that you are trying to hold or even finish up your workout with some intervals.  Funny story though...the first time I put this song on I decided that I was going to just run for the length of the song.  This was before I knew how long the song actually was.  I kept thinking to myself..."how long is this song?"  It would sound like it was going to be done and then, it would start up again.  It kept me going though.  It also taught me to look at the length of a song before I decided to run the entire time.  ;)

Don't be afraid to fail.  Be afraid not to try.

If you want a more precise plan that is designed just for you, I can get you in touch with the person that is helping me.  It is working...you really should try it.  :)  Just send me a message or leave me a comment and I can connect you.

Today...I spent a large part of my day in a car driving back home after our time with family this Thanksgiving in Illinois.  Today was an off day for me and I didn't hit the gym or do any type of exercise.  I have made an extra effort to keep taking my vitamins though these past few days and staying on my asthma meds since everyone in our house is coughing and/or has a sore throat.  Wish me luck!  The last 8 to 10 times that I have gotten a cold I have gotten bronchitis.  I would really like to avoid that if possible this time :)