Well, I opened up dvd #6 of Bob today, and as Linda had heard through the grapevine, Mike is now the trainer and Bob is gone. I watched a bit, and decided that I did not mesh with his personality. Then, I started having problems with the dvd itself, and skipping and not playing right, then the dvd player said it couldn't read the disc...this makes the second defective dvd I have gotten since I began....sigh...so I quite my membership tonite, via email. It is ok. I am still only on dvd month 4...so I have plenty of material to work on yet.....

Well, Renee, if you want to move on to something else...like Billy and TaeBo- would you believe I have 12 different TaeBo VHS tapes. Does that tell you have long I have had them- and they have never been touched! I know- for shame, for shame! They were too advanced for me when I tried the intro way back when, and I am working my way into them. But I can share, in the meantime.

Tonight was the 4 mile Fast walk- 50 minutes. Total so far for the cardio challenge- 120 minutes. My goal tomorrow night is to get a nice bike ride in, and maybe do one of the shorter (1-2 mile) walks with the weights- maybe the Power mile.

Sorry to post and run, but I have hubby waiting for me tonight. Happy hump day, ladies. More in the morning.

Great to see so many 'familiar' faces here from the journals!

Yesterday I got in another 43 minutes and today I got in 65 minutes (combined total of 40 min weights/25 min treadmill) soooo I believe that puts me at 49 minutes to go! I received my new Turbo Jam Maximum Results DVDs tonight (I already have the first set, have been using those since about last summer on and off). I debated on what workout I was going to do tonight. Normally, I am thrilled to tackle new ones but tonight I am so crampy (Tom) and decided to proceed with my weights since it's slower paced, and the treadmill. Tomorrow I will tackle Cardio Party 3 (a new one! 50 minutes) and Friday will be Fat Blaster, which is a quick 30 minute DVD which will be perfect for Friday morning. I have to get Friday's workout in early since I will have guests and a FULL house Friday - Sunday.

Jennifer, WOW you are the water queen! Unfortunately, I LOVE coffee so my first 3 cups of liquid each day are that I am trying to up my water intake. As far as Turbo Jam goes, I really love it. I am not very coordinated at all, but once you learn the moves it isn't difficult. I have had the set since last summer, and added on a couple single DVDs over the winter, and just today (as I already went on about earlier) I received my Maximum Results package. As far as intensity goes, I have to be honest - sometimes I don't work up that much of a sweat doing the workouts. It's also true that I don't always put in 100% like I should, but I used to do the Firm and found some of those workouts much tougher. It's basically a dancy-kickboxing though, and I like that! I do NOT like the Ab Jam, I find the standing ab work to be worthless, in my own personal instance.

LwyrChick - Great job on the workouts! I am similar to you in my maintenance, but I think I fall off the wagon far more often! It's been 3.5 years now since I hit goal, but my lack of focus sometimes has resulted in me gaining and losing the same ten pounds over and over again. The good part is that I always seem to catch myself and have still kept off the weight this long, and I finally feel like I can honestly say I will never be 245 pounds again. Anyway, I am going off topic here ... your post just has me thinking about my own eating habits, the being "good" on the weekdays and being ... well, we won't go into the weekends here! What is that saying? When I'm good, I'm GOOD ... but when I am bad, I'm so so bad. Or was that a song? haha, I need sleep I think!

Linda - 90 minutes a day?!?! You are the exercise QUEEN!! It gives me muscle fatigue just thinking about it!

Renee - The salad you picked out at lunch sounds terrific! Sorry to hear that it didn't work out with PUSH! You could always try Turbo Jam! Push sounds interesting, but I don't think I would last through DVD 1.

Okay, sorry to cut short but kids want cuddle time, gotta run! Have a good night ladies!

Kelly

Well, its not midnight yet - but I thought I'd do a quick late night post. DH is already in bed and waiting for me b/c he has night call tomorrow...that means after tomorrow morning I won't see him till Friday when I get home from work! He gets off Friday morning, but unfortunately I'll be at work. We have a date Friday night tho, so I'll look forward to that.

ANYWHO, I'm writing to update my exercise log: I did 60 mins of cardio again tonight, putting me at a grand total of 180 mins this week. It's been GREAT - literally, it's been 3 years since I did this much cardio in one go, lol. I've been skimping on the weights because I don't want to spend my entire day at the gym, but I think if I go to the gym at all on Saturday or Sunday, I'll just do weights. That leaves two days (Thurs and Fri) for me to do 20 mins of cardio - I think I can manage that.

Renee, PLEASE don't up the exercise ante - 200 mins is enough! The KEY to this challenge, methinks, will be stamina. If I can keep up 200 mins/per week for a month, I'll be really proud of myself. DH's hospital has a "retreat" for the residents and their spouses at a little maritime/yachting village on the Chesapeake Bay in the middle of April - that's the reward I'm looking forward to. I'm already planning a hot stone massage there while they do their meetings!

Kelly, you're doing an awesome job on exercise too!! WTG! Enjoy your family this weekend. Also, like you and Renee, I can't get my morning started without coffee. Coffee, sweets, and salt - just can't get away from 'em!

Linda, you are an exercise queen. Do you get tired of hearing that? Does kitty know what a health diva mommy is?

Jen great job on that 4 mile power walk!! Dontcha love that exercise high? I do, but it's keeping me up late at night!

Alright ladies, have a wonderful night and I'll see you tomorrow!! Much Love.

well ladies sorry for not posting yesterday, it was a rough day for me.

Linda--i don't think i have quite met yoga queen status yet, i just put in the tape and TRY to do the poses. i think the only one i have gotten right so far is the one where you lay on the floor and stretch out your arms and legs. but i am having a good time trying and the pm tape seems to really relax me so that i can fall asleep.

Renee--yes! that is my hundy Mike in the pic with me. we have been together for 11 years now and everyday i fall more and more in love with him. do you think it shows?

ok so here is the scoop on wednesday...only drank 2 glasses of water and replaced the rest with diet coke and powerade.
food was great until about 830 last night. i ate a pint of ice cream and cereal out of the box, so i have no idea about how much cereal i ate.
and i didn't workout any...
that is my confession this week.
last night my daughter's church group had a special program for the parents telling about how hard they are working on service projects and the things they are doing to help them keep their virtue and draw closer to heavenly father, so i didn't get to do my usual store walking while she was in church. and then after that i met with my bishop (he's like the head minister of the church) and it was a good meeting but very emotional and i was so drained afterward that i just pigged out and went to bed.
but for today i will be back in motion. i have a session with a personal trainer for the weight equipment this afternoon and then i will get in my cardio.
also our gym is having this new contest for the month of april and the winner gets 10 free personal training sessions. I WILL WIN THIS TIME!! but for me to win i have to do 45 minutes of cardio AND 45 minutes of strength training everyday for the whole month!! i know with the encouragement i get here i can do this!
i will come back later tonight and post my exercise time for today.
hope everyone has a great day!
amy

SORRY I HAVE NOT KEPT UP WITH POSTING BUT I AM NOT DOING WELL IN THE EXERCISING DEPT RIGHT NOW.
I THINK A CHANGE IN PLANS IS INSTORE. SO I AM TAKING A BREAK AND WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
I HAVE SOME THINKING TO DO.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES IN THE MEANTIME AND WE'LL CHAT AT A LATER DATE <--TO ALL AND GOOD LUCK ON THE CHALLENGE!

Good afternoon all!

Mel, take all the break you need and know that we will be here waiting for you when you return!

Amy, sorry you had a bad day yesterday, but I am glad you are back on track today. We are human, and bad days are inevitable I think. We all need to develop better tools to deal with emotional issues and such, and realize that sometimes life throws us off course and as long as we get back track, it will be ok. One thing I have been doing is portioning out all my food (good or bad) if I eat crackers, I put them in a bowl and count out one serving. Maybe this would help. I don't know. I am just glad you haven't lost your resolve.

Lwyr, I will not up the minutes in the challenge. I am not sure I could do anymore than this right now myself! The reward sounds heavenly! What specialty is dh planning on going into after his residency?

Kelly, great job on the turbo jam and treadmill. I am going to have to check Tj out. I know you could do PUSH! Sorry tom is giving you a workout too!

Jenn, thanks for the offer for the dvd's! That is so sweet! I think that bob will be keeping me busy for a couple of months though...because I am still on session one, month 4 and I haven't even touched 5 yet...WTG on the watp tape! Wow, remember when you didn't think youcould do the 4 mile tape! Gosh, you are doing so well!

Ok, my exercise for the day was 45 min on the treadmill. I did not get a chance to get anymore than 20 in yesterday, so that leaves me with 55min left to go for the week! Yeah! It is going to be a busy weekend, so I am going to try my best to get it all done between today and tomorrow. We will see! I will pop in later, if I walk somemore tonite!

Finally getting a chance to post today. Been a day of interruptions and not of the good kind (people giving me money etc. )

I got in the remainder of my cardio last night for a total of 95 minutes. This morning I got 70 minutes of step aerobics and traditional aerobics and only felt like passing out 75% of the time. I IS POOPED!! Tonight I need to do 20 minutes to get my 90 for the day and make my goal of 450 minutes for the week. I am really hoping to get it over with tonight so I can be DONE, but I do have my Trader Joe's trip after work so if I get home too late the 20 miutes may have to be on Saturday.

Renee - salad sounds nummy. I decided on making some Med salads next week to accompany my turkey burgers. Gonna add red pepper sauce, ff feta, artichokes and other veggies. Sorry bout Bob.

Nice exercise Jenn. Are the owies feeling better? I mean general owies , not any specific ones.


Kel, nice workouts for you as well. Hope you enjoy the new DVD.

Lywr - all kitty knows is that when I exercise, she doesn't get enough attention. She either pouts or darts around making a nuisance of herself. You got some good cardio it too! I think you ladies should up your challenge by 15 minutes a week. If you work out 5 days, that is only 3 minutes a day

Amy how nice to have a personal trainer. I'd like to do that some day, but I doubt I'd find one working at 4:30am

Mel I am sorry you are feeling poorly. Do what you can, but even if you cannot exercise at all you SSTILL can control your food. 'K?

And now I need to do a few things and try and sneak out of here early. Happy almost FRIDAY!!

Amy, I was just rereading your post, and I have a question? Does the gym expect you to do 45 min cardio and 45 min strength training EVERY SINGLE DAYto win? Just curious. I know when I went to the gym, the trainer guy there said you should "rest" your muscles after strenght training for about a day, before you do it again...at any rate...a personal trainer would be the bomb! I hope you WIN!

Renee,
i wouldn't have to do the weight machines, some of the classes count as strength instead of cardio. my plan is to do machines on mon-wed-fri an dto do the pilates class on tues and thurs and tae kwon sculpt class on saturdays. i told my mom even if i didn't win the prize i would still win because with all that work i would have to look great!
also checking in my workout today was only 20 of walking and i plan to do my yoga tonight so that will be 40 minutes total. 25-40=more than 200!! i made goal and early too!!
talk again tomorrow...amy

Evening ladies!

Well, this afternoon I tackled the new TJ Cardio Party 3 that I got yesterday. This one is slightly longer - 50 minutes - and IMO, more fast paced. I *really* enjoyed it! I think I am at 201 minutes right now (have to check my spreadsheet at work ). I am also getting up early tomorrow to put in a 30 min Fat Blaster DVD because I won't get in any workouts while I have house guests Fri - Sun. My mom, aunt and cousin are staying Fri - Sat, and my dad is coming Fri - Sun. In the middle of the visit, I have a wake to attend Saturday and a baptism plus birthday party on Sunday. Oh, and Saturday night is my make-up St. Pat's dinner (last week was a snow cancelation, lol)

Sorry for the quick post but it is 8 pm and I am still not yet done with my to-do list. Off to clip all the kiddies nails, lol. Everyone is doing AWESOME. I am so glad you guys started this.

I think next week I will keep the 200 minute goal, but the following I may up it a bit, perhaps adding 10% additional at a time. I will NOT be able to do 450 a week like Linda though!!

Have a great night girls and keep up the great work!

Kelly

Hi ladies! I can't believe it took so long to get here, but I didn't want to post until I had my exercise in for the day. Don't want to be the slacker!

First off- Mel- mom2, my dear adopted mother- you have to take care of yourself first and foremost, so if you need a break, and to heal eyes, body, and mind- we'll be here. You're always going to be my "mom," whether you are posting or not. Love you lots- and hope things get better soon.

Ok. Did a 2 mile WATP w/ ab belt to get in some upper body work, and then did 10 miles on the bike in 35 minutes. 65 minutes total for tonight...This week's total is now...lemme scroll back...120 plus tonight's 65 minutes= 185 minutes. Wheee! Ok, doing good then. When I put the TV on, I'll do more upper body, since the 2 mile doesn't get a lot of arm work in. The scale is playing games with me this week, so I'm positive that with the switching up of the exercise, and our challenge goal, I'm going to see some difference come next Tues or Wed.

Kelly- great going! Sounds like you have a really good rotation of workouts going there. And 3 years of maintaining +/- 10 pounds is quite an accomplishment. Bravo!

LwyrChick- that resort and stone massage sounds like just the perfect reward. And yes, the kicked up exercise keeps the muscles buzzing- last night I tried to go to sleep at 9pm, as I was totally exhausted, and laid there until 9:40 willing my body to just STOP already, and go to sleep!

Amy- You're back on track today, which is the most important thing. 1 night of indulgence isn't going to kill us...it just can't be every night. We're human, and we're not always going to do the smart, sensible thing. Occasionally, we're going to fall into the ice cream, or cookies, or bagels (mmm bagels). That sounds like a really interesting challenge at yor gym. I hope you win- that's definitely a great prize!

Renee- who would believe that just 3 months ago, 15 minutes was a lot to ask for me to do. But with you and Linda here as wonderful examples, dealing with Bob, I kinda had no choice but to get with the program, and get things moving. And now- well, let's not tell Linda, but it feels good to be moving, and active. Shhhh, we didn't say that. La, la la la la,....nothing to read here...just keep skimming, Linda.

Hi Linda! LOL. 450 minutes. Dang. I think my legs just collapsed under me THINKING about that. I've come up with some unique solutions, like a big bath towel folded up to make a pad for the bike seat. With all this fat on my butt, you'd think that just a little would have been in the right place to give me some cushioning and comfort? Noooo. But it seems that once I get through the first 15 minutes, the endorphines kick in, and then I don't feel anything until it is time to try and get OFF the bike.

All right- I think I've earned some down time, so I'm taking my weights and resistance bands, and I'm going to find something mindless to watch while I get the upper body work done. Tomorrow is Friday- we made it through another week, ladies. Have a great night!

Good evening ladies. Just wanted to do a quick post and update my exercise for the day. I went to the gym after work and got in 45 mins of cardio and then 30 mins of weight training. That puts me at 225 mins of cardio for the week and 60 mins of weights for the week so far which is 285 minutes of exercise this week! That's really exactly what I feel like (the carrot)! ...and that's not including the dog walks or the massive closet switchover I just did from sweaters and tweed pants to skirts and summer dresses. No sweat involved in those activities though, so I guess they don't count.

Anyway, GREAT job on all the wonderful exercise ladies - we are all kicking some serious arse here! I think this is just what I needed before summer started.

My body is really tired tho - I'm going to go tomorrow after work but I think I'll take Saturday and Sunday off. I need a break. I just hope that taking time off from the gym won't lead me into temptation. Seriously, I plan to indulge this weekend as always - just not to the extent I usually do. MODERATION!

See you tomorrow ladies!! Much Love.

PS - Renee, my DH is doing an internal medicine residency and wants to do a fellowship in either cardiology or GI when he's done.

Where are all the forum ladies? Everyone is MIA today! I'm posting for accountability's sake. I went to the gym after work as planned and did 45 mins of cardio. NOW, my weekend begins...

I was planning to take the weekend entirely off, but DH didn't get a chance to go to the gym much during the week and he wants to go in tomorrow SO I guess I'll join him - altho I think I'll stick to weights and no cardio. I'M POOPED! This body needs a break if its going to last for 3 more weeks for this challenge.

Alright ladies - time to par-tay. Indian food for dinner at home tonight - I got samosas and DH and I are making spicy turkey kababs for appetizers too. Then later we have a reservation at 11pm at a lounge bar by the water for after dinner drinks and dessert. Good stuff.

Have a great weekend gals. Much Love.

I am off exercise for today, FREEEEE day so I got to sleep in until 5:45. I felt so decandent!!

Lwyr, it seems the posting trickles down here on Friday, is pretty much non existent over the weekend and then people come back on Monday. They know they had BETTER not be staying away cuz they are having a binge fest and not exercising You are going OUT at 11pm? Holey jeepers!! I'll be sawing logs long before that... Youth is really wasted on the young. Have fun for all of us old codgers!