Work hard, Play hard

I had a really fun weekend full of friends, fitness, family and food! Saturday I did my last day of hip meta sequence 6 and danced to '08 cardio for 40 minutes. I planned to do another 20 minutes of freestyle like I did on Friday, but my shins were really hurting like they haven't before. Instead I iced my legs for 40 minutes. 

My sister came over a bit later and we had big plans to take a really long "city hike" and do the lyon street stairs a few times. Here is the view from the top of the stairs:

And from the bottom:

You can't even see the top! I think there are 288 stairs. We ran it once pretty fast and walked it twice. Now, I think I'm in pretty good shape, but those stairs kicked my ass! I was so sore by the afternoon on Sunday that I couldn't even roll out my muscles on my foam roller without yelling in pain. Today I'm feeling a bit better but my I.T. bands are still pretty sore!

I even did the first section of legs and all the arms on the Tracy Anderson mat DVD with my sister when we got home. She wanted to see what I've been raving about these past few months. She loved it and went home and bought her own copy!

I figured I burned around 1,400 calories that day so didn't feel bad at all for eating almost an entire breakfast burrito and a drinking a large I.P.A. It had eggs, avocados, refried beans, hash browns and fresh pico de gallo. So yummy!

I had to work Saturday night until 10pm, then I met up with friends at a bar to say goodbye to my bestie who is leaving for Spain to study abroad at the end of this week. I ended up staying later than I planned and wound up crashing at her place.

Needless to say, no work out happened on Sunday. I was ridiculously sore and couldn't have managed anyways. I weighed in at my lowest in a long time Sunday morning, 126.6! But I'm sure I was dehydrated from my massive workout and from the drinks with my gals.

Sunday ended up being very fun and relaxing. My husband and I took his parents to brunch at Waterbar and we all really enjoyed ourselves. I ate a delicious crab benedict and we all shared some amazing "breakfast breads" that included a jelly donut, lemon poppy seed muffin, banana walnut bread and cinnamon roll, handmade by the pastry chef. I've got to come back just for drinks and dessert with my hubby!

I was feeling pretty confident and even rocked some shorts, which is super rare for me. Hopefully it will become more of a reoccurring option in my wardrobe!

We continued the fun at home by relaxing with some t.v. and champagne. It felt really good to have the late afternoon and evening to ourselves with no plans. I added some raspberries for fun! We ate bbq chicken and veggies from a place near out house and had pasta shells with turkey meatballs for dinner with more veggies. So not terrible but not my usual healthy diet that I eat during the week.

Today, Monday, I weighed in at 131.6. I somehow gained 5 pounds overnight! Not terribly surprising as  this is a trend I've noticed every Monday. I blame the pasta, salt and booze. (And it's TOM this week, so sure that's a factor as well.) Still, I'm .8 lbs down from last Monday and hoping that this pattern continues.

I started sequence 7 today. I'm not even sure what to say about it as it's really different. Lots of tricky balancing moves and the leg sequence ends with sit up like moves. ? I hope it makes more sense tomorrow! I did Dance Aerobics from 2007 for cardio and didn't do any freestyle to make an hour. I want to take it easy on my shins. I would be so crushed if I got injured to the point of being unable to do any dance cardio!

The rest of the week should hopefully be smooth. I have plans of Wednesday with my girlfriend who is leaving for Spain, but not sure what yet. Friday is a housewarming party that should be mellow. Saturday-Monday we are going to Healdsburg for some wine club events. I am trying to figure out how I am going to fit in some exercise up there! I know I will be having lots of wine and yummy food and don't want to blow my progress. hmmmm.

I'll be blogging later on with some new easy/cheap/healthy lunch and dinner recipes.

Cheers!

It's a New Day! Recovering from Vacation.

I'm back! Well, technically I've been back for since Sunday night but you know how it is after vacation. Unpacking, catching up on sleep, preparing tons of pureed foods...Well, that last bit may just be me. Anyways, we had such a blast! So nice to be able to reconnect with my husband, let someone else worry about the cooking and cleaning and just soak up the sun! The food was truly delicious and the deal we had included the champagne buffet breakfast and cocktails and horderves in the evening.

Here's a pic of one of the evenings spent with ceviche, canapes and rum and diet coke. There was also cheese!

I did find time two mornings to get in some time on the elliptical machine while whale watching, how cool is that! So that's the good news.

The bad news is that I sort of blew up like a whale. I was too scared to weigh in until Wednesday when I was sure that some of the fluid retention had subsided. Man can I retain water! I was up to 130.6 so I'm guessing I hit back up around 133-134 by the time I made it home. I made a decision to start the week one Meta diet just to detox a bit and get me closer to where I left off. I'm starting Day 4 today of the diet, Day 3 of exercise today. I'm now at 128.8, so down almost 2 lbs since Wednesday.

The diet has been tough for me this time! In fact I have been snacking a bit at night, a cheese stick and whole grain bread, better n' peanut butter and low sugar jam on whole grain bread, and let's not forget the wine...but still progress is being made.

I've decided I'm so fine with taking things a bit slower these next few weeks. I want to keep this weight off for the long haul and that's not going to happen by starving myself and exercising all the time. Plus, I love food. I want to eat normal things every day not just on "cheat" days. I miss oatmeal. I miss my friends. I miss getting dressed up at night and hitting a bar with the ladies. I've been avoiding being social because that means I miss my am workout and sabotage my diet. I've got to find a balance.

So I've been working on a food plan that is around 1300-1500 calories per day, mostly clean eating. I also want to keep my workouts to around 1 hour each morning, 30 minutes ms and 30 minutes cardio. I plan to incorporate other forms of exercise occasionally for variety. To be honest I'm getting bored of the dance cardio and don't want to shell out more cash for DVDs right now. I'll still be doing them most days but on a nice weekend day a run in GGP sounds so refreshing or take a yoga class with a friend. I miss running and yoga so!

That's my new plan. To loose weight more slowly and be practical about my eating habits. I still have 3 days of cleanse food in the freezer for another "bloating emergency," but enough with the cleansing for a minute. Tomorrow I start my new plan. I'll let you know how it goes!

Next Friday I will take measurements and I'm hoping my weight will have settled in around 127ish. I'm not sure where I want my ultimate goal weight or measurements to be yet, but honestly it truly is about finding a balance and being happy. I think I look great, not perfect, but like me, fit and smiling.

Day 13 and Final Weigh In Before Cabo

So this will be me and my husband in a few hours, hopefully! Except my hubby hasn't gone grey yet...

I thought I'd check in real quick and give a final update before our little trip. Wednesday went fine. I worked out hard doing Meta Hip 2, double arms and abs, DC 2 combos 1 and 3 twice through and adding in an additional 10 minutes of Meta cardio but had to quit as my achillies tendon started to act up. Good thing I am taking several days off of dance cardio, perfect timing so I can let it heal.

I also want to add that I am sore from this second sequence! I wasn't really in the first one, even though I had trouble completing all the moves. This time I can do all the moves but I am feeling it! Even my arms are sore. They are looking good for me btw. I tend to get really big shoulders and biceps and I think they are leaning out!

I ate pretty good but did snack a bit, mostly fruit, a bit of low fat cheese, couple crackers but also some chocolate...I think I may be through with this low calorie stuff for a minute. It's getting really boring eating the same thing all the time. I'll be eating a lot on vacation while trying to balance it out with cardio at the gym. When I get back I'll probably do a detox to get back on track and then figure out how to eat "normally."

I weighed in Wednesday at 127.6 and this morning at 128. It's not 125, but oh well.

I'm pretty sure my inches are about the same but no time for that now.

I'm happy with this. My ultimate goal is to stay under 125. But for now, I am really pleased. My clothes are loose. My muscles feel tight. I've really never looked so good! I'm trying not to nit pick and just be happy where I am right now. I will not freak out when I've gained a few pounds when I get back! At least that's what I'm trying to tell myself. I feel confident that I've made real changes in my life that I can stick to. And that feels both empowering and hopeful. I mean, it's pretty awesome to have lost about 10 plus solid pounds in the past 6 weeks even with plenty of cheat days thrown in the mix.

I'll post some pics of my trip when I get back. I'm hoping to see some whales and mostly just drink and eat by the pool/ocean. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone! haha!

Day Five

I am happy to report that I am surviving so far. I think that the results on the scale are what are really keeping me focused. I'm down another .6 lbs. for a grad total of 5 lbs in 4 days! With a cheat day! Kind of amazing! I am slightly below where I was before I got sick and halfway to my "short term goal." I still have 9 days left to loose another 5 lbs, though I know they are not going to come off as easily as these first five. I'm not fooling myself! Can't wait to take measurements on Friday!

Here are my sweaty and slightly achy legs after 30+ minutes Meta/freestyle cardio. (Added in the Combo 3 Breakdown from DC 2)  Corn makes a sweet ice pack. I'm really hoping that I don't get bad shin splints! Yikes! I plan to do a stretching and strengthening move I read about on the Facebook fan page. You flex your feet hard while sitting down, legs out straight for 5 minutes. It should burn but different than the shin splint. I don't think I have them yet, just don't want to get them! 

Before cardio I did the Hip Meta 1, doubling up on abs and arms. Legs are still tough and I'm really feeling the arms and abs doing them twice. I have 5 more days with this workout so hoping by the end that I will be able to do the whole leg series without stopping. Fingers crossed!

Diet is going well. I'm loving this water from Trader Joes I'm finding it really helps with food cravings and the bubbles feel real nice on my throat that is still a little sore from my cold. 

Today was my first full day back at work, 7:30-5:30, so it's a long one. I packed all my food for the last 3 days of this diet and stored it in their fridge. I'm a nanny by the way. I made the 2 year old a turkey sandwich for lunch and I just wanted to try that bread! I have a ladies brunch planned on Saturday with my bestest girlfriends so I just keep that in mind when I want to cheat. Soon I'll be having an amazing meal with even better company. Just 3 more days...

Here is the gazpacho. It has the longest ingredient list of all the recipes. Lots of herbs, roasted tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, some spices and rice wine vinegar.  

It makes me sweat when I eat it! I have this around 4:00 in the afternoon and it really carries me through until "dinner."

So only 2 more days of this food. I'm a little nervous as it looks pretty sparse. I may have to add in something, not sure what yet...I'm not a robot! I have to care for 3 kiddos! Luckily I have two cheat days this weekend so hopefully those calories will carry me through until next Thursday when I leave for Cabo!

I just wanted to thank anyone who takes the time to check in with me and my little blog. I love the Facebook fan page so much. I get ideas and inspiration all day long from it. I hope I can do the same for someone else!

My Metamorphosis is beginning!

Welcome to my new blog! I hope to inspire and encourage others along their path to wellness as some many others have for me!  I am starting out here to find a way to keep myself accountable to my goals as well as a place I can vent, share tips and tricks and just have fun along my journey!

All my adult life I have been active in dance, yoga and running, even running 3 half marathons. But I've never been truly disciplined enough to see real and lasting results. I began really working on my fitness and nutrition goals in the beginning of this year. I have been working our consistently using the Tracy Anderson Method Perfect Design Series and Dance Cardio and doing my best to stick with a healthy diet consisting of lean meats, healthy fats and lots of fruits and veggies with the occasional whole grain. I was even able to have a "cheat meal" on occasion and wine/chocolate a couple times a week. I was doing really well! The scale was shifting, my clothes were fitting loosely and my measurements were the proof I needed that this was working. However, I had a minor set back last week, I got this horrific cold and it totally threw me off my game. I couldn't work out as my head was pounding all the time and my nightly little indulgences got way out of control. I think I was missing my daily endorphin rush from exercise and was trying to get it through food (chocolate) and also my energy was so low I was eating to get through the day.

I am headed to Mexico with my husband for a much needed vacation in 13 days. I finally braved the scale and it was up 4.5 pounds since last week. boo!! I'm trying not to panic and am sure it's some bloating from not exercising and eating crappy for a few day, but it's not making the idea of getting into a swim suit seem at all appealing! I was getting so close, it's tough to have such a set back!

Let's start out with a look at my goals.

Short Term, as in the next two weeks:

1. 30 minutes minimum of dance cardio daily, as much as 60 minutes
2.1 Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis Hip mat workout daily, switching to next level after 10 days.
2.2 Repeat abdominal and arm exercises 2 times, add in additional arms when time allows
3. Stick to the Meta diet, except for Feb. 13th, 19th and 20th when I have plans, I will make adjustments.
4. Loose 10 pounds. I know that sounds crazy but 4.5 of them should just fall off and the other 5.5 will be sweat and dedication.

I will revisit my goals after I return from my trip to see where I am at and what looks like it needs work.

I am writing this on Saturday but Friday was my first day, and it went well! Here are my starting weight and measurements:
Height: 5' 4.5"
Weight: 134.4
Thigh-22.5
waist-27.75
lower waist- 29
hip-34.5
butt-37
bicep-11
calf-14
bust- 35
under bust- 29

In my next blog I'll discuss how the exercise is going and start discussing the diet Tracy has prescribed.