Exhale, does pilates help to loosen areas or muscles that are sore? I know it can be a stretch workout as well as strength building...is that right? I, on the other hand, do not have the guts to even take a pilates class. I find it totally intimidating.

novangel - Congrats on finishing L2, that's very impressive! Great accomplishment to end the week on. Good luck beginning L3.

PhillyGirl - Glad you're feeling so wonderful today. It's a beautiful day here on the West Coast so I also plan on getting a nice walk in during lunch. Enjoy the wonderful weather & have a spectacular Friday.

Exhale - Good luck today. Have you been doing Pilates long? I realize I have no idea what a Pilates workout entails or what it targets. Are you enjoying it and/or finding it beneficial?

Have a fantastic Friday, everyone! I'm stuck at work for another 6.5 hours on this beautiful day. At least being a teacher affords me the ability to get outside with my kiddos a decent amount. One of the girls in my class asked me yesterday if we could do yoga in class. Thinking of maybe doing some very basic yoga poses with them soon. Could be a good way to get a small amount of exercise time in while at work!

Really a gorgeous day today...

Philly, Pilates does help to loosen/stretch you out as well as strengthen. You should really give it a try.

ak, I've been doing Pilates a couple times a week for a couple of months now. I find it greatly beneficial in getting my middle in shape and improving my posture.

Today's class went well. We've been doing a lot of plank variations, which are a challenge for me. I've learned, though, that as long as I breath and focus I'm ok. If I let my mind run amok with 'ughhhhh', I'm done for


Check out Pilates segments on YouTube....check out the ones from 'Balanced Body' as well as 'Pilates on Fifth'. Better yet, if you can find a certified instructor, take a class in person

P.S.....ak - your students want to do yoga? Fantastic !

PS I have been eating terribly bad lately & new insights aside I decided to join WW online today. Figure I'll do it for 4 months & see where it gets me. I basically know what to eat but I forget ... And for some reason I start to slip when I'm doing well & it starts to seem easy - I think I start to take things for granted. So this will provide the various trackers & make it like a game & maybe spark a little competitive thing in me ...

Exhale....What a coincidence. My best friend is seriously considering joining weight watchers. Wouldn't you know that Jillian latest podcast talks about the different forms of yoga. I haven't listehed to the whole segment so I have to tell you what she said later.

Exhale - Good luck with beginning WW, and thanks for the info on Pilates. Also I liked your insight on how your thinking/mindset can totally affect how tough a workout can be. I know I spend way too much time thinking thoughts like "How much longer until this is over?" or "No WAY can I follow along with this move." Much better to remind ourselves to just be in the moment and take it one move/pose/interval at a time.

PhillyGirl - Didn't know JM had a podcast! I've been on a podcast kick lately, listening to This American Life and Stuff Mom Never Told You, so adding some health-based ones into the mix can probably only help me with my new goals. Thanks for the heads up on that.

By the way, my boyfriend's parents arrived last night and they both look awesome! They've both been very conscious about their diets and have been adding regular exercise into their lives, and the effort totally shows. Last time I saw them was Thanksgiving and there is a very noticeable difference now. Their efforts are very inspiring to me.

Thanks! Got L2 done tonight.....gonna be a while before L3.

153.0 almost 152 (hopefully!)

novangel - Those pics look amazing! Seriously only 10 days apart? Congrats on that big time - really shows what a consistent commitment to being on plan can do for you. And yay for being down to 153.0! In my mind, I totally tend to round down when I see that .0 in there.

Enjoy the weekend!

Gabi...are you frickin kiddin me!? You've been stressing about scale numbers but look at the difference in your abs!

Jillian's podcast is on itunes, but if you want to just download here's the link

I also like Cut the Fat Podcast

Hey guys!

Gabi- you look great! Big difference

Ive been so busy today, and I'm exhausted right now
Did level 2 today that was tough but I loved it! I'll continue with level 2 till another ten days maybe.
Good luck to everyone and stay OP

Great going Gabi !

It was warm this morning, but has gotten chilly. I was looking around the stores, and tried on a Spring jacket. I pulled the 'L', as is my usual, and though it fit, thought maybe I could do better. Turns out the 'M' was Much better! So now my default will be to pull out 'M's, because this has happened with workout pants, too . Didn't need, or buy, the jacket but it was a nice NSV.

On a dumb note, my excesses of the past week brought me up 4 pounds. It may be mostly water, but pudge is pudge and I'll have no more of it - except that I blew through most of my WW points by 11:30 this morning Got 3 left for the day ! 'Cause I've been carb loading And haven't had enough fluids, I've had no produce, and no healthy fats. I am really glad I've joined...this will definitely smack me into shape! Now I gotta go get in my exercise points...

That's very good news about the smaller sized clothing. Sorry exhale, but the going through your points before noon brought a chuckle. Kinda like when I started logging my food and my carb and fat count was so high and didn't go with the calories I'd eaten. I am much more mindful these days. Umm...except last night I kinda went crazy with snacking and ellio's type pizza...opened a bag of bbq chips that were here and I don't even like bbq cause it just tastes like salt...whole grain cheez it crackers...cashews and my last so delicious coconut milk frozen treat bar. I paid for it too. I've got to stop doing this cause it just causes all kinds of yucky things to my body. I am really trying to stay on plan today.

You know Philly, when I read 'bbq chips' my mouth actually started to water a bit It is very very good, though, that you notice the yucky aftermath of a junk-fest. That negative-feedback is really good to have.

It's OK about the chuckle, it is kinda funny.

Exhale - Good going moving down to a Medium jacket size! Must be a very good feeling, especially as it's getting closer to new clothes-buying season. Hope WW is able to help you out with keeping track of diet. Do you earn extra points from exercising? If so, do you plan on using those points or sticking to your daily original allotment? I've heard various debates about "eating your exercise points/calories" so would love to know your opinion.

Good job getting moving today!