Hi Feathers!

Finally a sunny day, lol. I took my older son sprinting with me this morning and had such a blast. He was able to keep up with me pretty much until the end. I love having him for a workout partner. Funny, there was a time not too long ago (when he was a baby) that I could have never imagined him this big and us doing things together. It's awesome now that he's almost ten.

Dorian5: I so wish I had your problem with the boobage, lol. I'll take your leftovers...really. I hope you have a terrific time at the wedding this weekend. I'll be thinking of you in your gorgeous dress. At my point in life, I've been going to a lot of communions of friends children. I haven't been to a wedding in a long time. And good for you to saying no to the Krispy Kreme donuts!! Yay!! But they are delicious, I agree. A protein shake is a much smarter choice.

krampus: Good to see that you are working in a run. Have fun visiting with friends too. It sounds like you are feeling a little better.

mamamorgan: That's awesome about the job interview. Hope you get it. And I can so relate to the 4 a.m. thing with a baby ready to go, my oldest was like that. It does get better...eventually. They grow so fast, I almost can't remember what it's like to hold a baby and it's only been a mere six years. I wish I had a gym membership but with college tuition less than ten years away, it's a pipe dream...at least for now.

So I'm a self-proclaimed fitness junkie, lol. Have you ladies heard of a guy named Rusty Moore? He has an internet blog called, "Fitness Black Book". Anyway, I've been reading his blog since it started in 2007. He's 41 years old from Seattle, Washington and not a fitness professional. He just gives tips on everything he's learned for the last 25 years. His site gets like three hundred thousand hits per week or something crazy like that. He's like a rock star in the world of internet fitness blogs. He's giving away this e-book called, "Abs Blueprint". So, I downloaded it, of course. I was reading it and was blown away. A lot of the stuff I was doing for my core work is so five mintues ago. I totally spent the better part of yesterday afternoon devouring all 45 pages of it. My routine is now completely different. I'll let you know how it goes. I have to work on strengthening my overall core strength as well as maintaining the definition I have and sharpening it a little. That's another one of my goals now. Here's the link to his amazing site in case any of you are interested: http://fitnessblackbook.com/

Anyway, tonight is Pilates and planks. I'm really feeling it from my intervals this morning and the new core routine from last night. But it so worth it, lol.

Hope the rest of the afternoon goes well for everyone. You ladies are so inspirational to me.

fitmom - I just did HIIT running for the first time ever and thought of you. I finished 15 minutes ago. Holy crap! That is my new favorite thing ever, it hurts so, so good.

Isn't it the best? OMG! You'll be feeling it for days, trust me. I can only do it like once maybe twice a week because it totally wipes me out, lol. It burns about 200 calories but the afterburn effect lasts for 24-48 hours after the workout which is why it's so effective for fat loss. I'm so excited for you!! Yay, Dorian5!!

122.8lbs this morning! My lowest is 122.2lbs so I am thrilled to be here after all the food nonsense that has happened since I weighed that low. Tomorrow is my weigh in, I will be happy even if I weigh today's weight.

I feel pretty good with how I've done since Tuesday, I pried a LOT of that water off. I've been eating really light spinach salad for lunch and drinking a naked smoothie -- anyone else like those? The Green Machine one is my favorite! I have to basically make it a meal though because there are 280 calories in it.

The boyfriend works tech support at a small software company and the wife of guy who owns the company is Swedish and she is constantly giving all of the tech boys STACKS of various European chocolate bars. He came home yesterday with a TON of them! I did eat one (maybe two) of the truffles, and had a bite of some kind of nasty sport chocolate? Ovosport, I think? I'm pretty sure it was made of leftover chalk, salt lick, and chocolate ovaltine powder. I couldn't read the package so I don't know what the purpose of it was.

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mamamorgan - I'm sorry life's been trying to get in your way -- good for you for hitting the gym anyway! Let us know how the interview goes! And cardio IS rough with a tense shoulder, I hope it gets better soon. Know anybody who could give you a massage?

Fitmom - I am totally in love with it HIIT, it seems to be just what I needed. There is no way to get bored and it seems to be the best way to run with my asthma, oddly enough (the cool down is just long enough to let my lungs stop freaking out before I sprint hard again) So, thank you thank you! I checked it out because of you!

fitmom, dorian5 Im so impressed with you two and your HITT. Please give me some sample routines. How long do you normally do it for?

skinnyelle39 - fitmom would be the expert (and she may even critique mine, she's most welcome cause it was my first!) but this is what I did yesterday on the treadmill after a warm up walk outside with the dog:

1 minute at 8mph, then 2 minutes at 3.5mph

I did it for 21 minutes at 5% incline. It kicked my arse, hopefully I can get better at it to do more reps and/or a faster sprint.

skinnyelle39: I do my HIIT outside in the nearby playground parking lot not on a treadmill but Dorian5's routine sounded just fine. I sprint for like 20 seconds then walk for 40 seconds then sprint again then walk again. Not more than a few seconds between the sprinting and walking, otherwise it defeats the purpose. Do this for 20 minutes and you'll be drenched in sweat. It's the only thing I've found that really blasts away the last little bit of weight and/or belly fat. I only do it once maybe twice a week b/c it leaves me wiped for a few days afterwards. But I've definitely noticed a difference since doing it. My goal is to do a longer, faster sprint...but baby steps. Hope this helps.

Well, I'm sore as heck from my HIIT but that's to be expected. Not much to say except today is dusting and vacuuming since the rain is back. I lead such an exciting life, I know. LOL.

And my abs are aching like crazy from the new routine I'm doing. I'll give you Feathers an update in a few weeks - hopefully I'll have made some more progress.

Weighed myself this morning since TOM is long gone and I'm back at 117 lbs. Good to see the number move back down.

Hope the rest of the week is good for the rest of you. Bye for now!

Dorian5: I've never done my HIIT on a treadmill but from what I've read it sounds like you kicked some serious butt, lol. The incline and speed of the treadmill are what mimic the conditions of sprinting say uphill outside. You did great by my estimates and I'm so not an expert. Keep going. And very cool about the weigh-in too.

fitmom, dorian5 Thanks ladies! I avoid sprints like the plague. Cant stand that feeling of oncoming sudden death during/after each one, lol. They are no joke especially on an incline. But if its really as effective for blasting fat and taking off the last few lbs as you say it may be just what I need. Plus I love that I can be done in 20 minutes!

Im excited to give it a try. My weight hasn't changed much in the last month or so and I know Ive formed some nice muscle tone I just need to drop that layer of fat covering it all. I think my diet/ exercise plan just needs a kick in the butt for the last 10-15lbs. Hopefully this will get me there

Im happy both of you have returned back to your low weights. You both are awesome!

skinnyelle39: Definitely give it a try. You're so close to your goal weight, this will get you over that 'hump', so to speak. Considering it's only twenty minutes, it really packs a punch when it comes to melting the fat away. Let us know how you did. I'm so excited for you!!

I just had a super low-cal lunch and yummy too. It's Tomato Garden soup from Campbell's Select Harvest line. It comes in at only 90 calories per serving. Sodium is low too. I was so excited. Had one bowl with a glass of water. The soup is basically tomato broth with tons of vegetables. It is really delicious! Thought I pass along the findings to the rest of you ladies.

Ahh, back from the beach to real life again. I didn't take a single pair of shorts w/ me since none of them fit . I don't normally wear them anyway, but DH always comments about wearing pants at the beach.

All this talk about HIIT motivated me to do some exercise at work today. (not that I did that exactly, but better than sitting on my rear all day.) While waiting for my lunch to heat, I went into an empty office to do burpees, a set of 10 then a set of 9. Later I did 8, then 7. Maybe tonight I'll finish the descending set. Lately exercise has taken a back seat due to schedule and family duties (weaning my 2 yo from her pacifier makes nap and bedtimes not ideal work out times at present). So, I'm going to try for short snippets, maybe using DD for weight (25 pounds), something's better than nothing, right?


mamamorgan, I have a sore neck/shoulder right now, too. I think it's a combo of picking up the baby with one side all the time and tension. I've been using stick on heat wraps with some success, but they are not pleasant to wear in this heat.

I'm new here. I have been doing master cleanse and juice fasting for 28days and now in the process of going back to normal eating. I have been lost about 11lbs with the cleanse, but want to lose at least 5 more lbs for the next 50days. I have been posting about my journey in my blog. You are welcome to check this out. promisewithme.blogspot.com But I am not a native English speaker, so I would appreciate if you understand my poor expressions here.

121.4lbs this morning. That is just excellent news for me, it's my lowest weight yet! I can't imagine what 120 will feel like, since that's the tip top of my maintenance level.

I'll try to get in front of a camera at the wedding so I can have a new avatar picture, since I'm blonde now and weigh at least 5 pounds less than I do in the current one.

I've worked pretty hard the last 4 days and pried a lot of pounds off, I was planning to relax a little today -- but I think I'll keep at it for today and tomorrow and get back to normal on Sunday. I've been doing protein shakes for breakfast and Naked smoothies for lunch with a small salad and a multivitamin, greek yogurt for a snack (protein) and something for dinner with protein AND lots of fiber, I average 1200 calories (usually I'm closer to 1400.)

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fitmom - Oh! I'm glad to hear that I did it right. I just looked up a routine on the internet. I wanna do it again tonight! I don't think the boyfriend likes it, cause I basically start passing out around 10pm, leaving him awake with no sexy time. Good to see that you're back at your normal weight -- and I will definitely try that soup, I LOVE soup (just not sodium!) so that would be a welcome addition to boost my lunch calories alongside my usual salad.

skinnyelle39 - You should definitely try it to see if you like it -- I expected to hate it, especially with my asthma, but I enjoyed it so much! The sprints ARE rough, but by the end of the cool down interval you don't have that "oh god please just kill me" feeling anymore, and I definitely felt it for a long while afterward! It might be just what you're looking for.

Amy3680 - I'm sorry about the shorts. BUT how cool that you found the time/space to get some exercise in at work, that's great! Burpees are the most evil thing ever to me, which probably means I should be doing more of them. Good luck with the pacifier situation, that' gotta be rough! Hope you get some more time for YOU soon.

Petit Aria- Welcome! I was always scared of juice fasts and the master cleanse, I don't think I would be able to manage that. 11lbs in 28 days is serious, I am glad you're getting back to normal eating now! I'm sure you'll be able to pry those extra 5 pounds off with a healthy diet and exercise.

Good luck, ladies!

Dorian5: LOL, I know what you mean about the 'no sexy time' - I conk out early too but that's why God made mornings. Ooo, a new low for you - awesome!! You're so close to getting out of the 120's. I'm so excited for you.

Amy3680: Your post brought back some beautiful memories for me. I remember when I took my son's pacifiers away from them, it was two nights of incessant crying and then they forgot about it. I so remember those days and kind of miss them. I remember burpees from PE class in school but I think they called them 'squat thrusts' back then. They are a great way to keep in shape, I agree.

Petit Aria: I'm in awe of anyone who can do those fasts and/or cleanses. I'm just not that disciplined. I'm sure those last few pounds will melt right off you too.

Well, ladies...I'M BACK!!!! What the heck does that mean? It means that the girl from 30 years ago (yeah, I'm old, lol) that used to kick butt in the elementary school track meets is back once again! Woot! I ran 3.3 miles in 21 minutes door-to-door!!!! Can you believe it? I know I can't. My DH and DS's were like, 'you're back early' and I was like, 'yes, I am'. I was sweating like a pig and breathing hard but I did it. I really, actually did it.

Anyway, enough with the self-love, lol. Last night I did my new revised core routine and I'm not that sore today. Any of you ladies try renegade rows? They are basically where you get into a push-up position with two dumbbells in your hands and slowly row the weight towards your chest, alternating sides - your abs contract to keep you from twisting side to side. They are killer, I tell you, killer! I did 3 sets of these with 5 reps each and my obliques were on fire, seriously. I also did my kettlebell circuit to banish the 'Tori Spelling arms' that I seem to now have.

Tonight is my Pilates and planks. I'm finding that to ease my soreness, running and/or cardio totally helps relieve it. I feel invigorated today. Funny how steady state cardio leaves me feels energized and HIIT leaves me wiped for a least a day.

I've been reading some fitness blogs online and everyone's diet seems more controlled and tied to what exercise they are doing. I don't change what I'm eating depending on my workout that day and it seems to be working. Is anyone else like that or am I just weird?!?

Have a nice relaxing weekend ladies!!