Crazy Week

Last week was crazy.  I had volunteered at Hudson's school, we went to Nashville for the weekend and during the week I had lots of other things going on.  Sadly, I didn't lose any weight this week...but I didn't gain any either!  I tend to do so well during the week.  I meal plan, stay at home, exercise and cook yummy foods and eat healthy snacks.  The weekends kill me!  We play too much!  Can that be true?  The weekends are usually filled with less workouts and more eating out.  I have really got to work on having a cheat meal instead of a cheat weekend.

I have tons of recipes to post and will do that later this afternoon.  I have all our meals planned for this week and looking forward to trying some new things.  :)  Over the weekend I definitely had some wheat and sugar.  Like I said, I like my pizza with crust and my hamburgers with buns.  We went to the funnest burger place in Nashville with some friends.  It was called The Pharmacy.  They have an old fashion soda fountain and the kids loved it.  The burgers and BUNS were the best I've ever had.

This week is crazy too but I think in a good way for weight loss.  My friend and fellow Zumba instructor got in a car wreck yesterday and while she is okay she got a mild concussion and whip lash. I am covering her classes this week which means I just picked up 2 more classes (5 this week).  A little extra cardio never hurt :)

Gotta run but I'll post some recipes soon.

Week 2: Weigh In

So, I lost another 1.9 pounds this week.  Not what I was hoping for but at least it is moving in the right direction.  I would really like to lose a minimum of 2 each week.  I really need to teach myself to only weigh once a week because the fluctuations from looking every day can really mess with you.  How can one semi bad day make you gain 3 pounds or one really good day make you lose 4?  I do believe that it is calories in and calories out overtime but your body changes daily with water and this weight can be so confusing.

So what is the exact science behind losing weight?  Most people don't truly understand that it is math!  A single pound is 3500 calories.  So if you want to lose a pound you have to burn 3500 calories more than you take it.  I want to lose 2 pounds a week so that means that I have to burn 7000 more than I take in within the week.  If you break that down then it is about a 1000 calorie deficit every day.  You can achieve this one of three ways: eat less, exercise more or a combo of both.  The combo is the easiest.  It would be hard to eat that few calories or exercise that much but if you do both!  That is great!
I will post more about this soon.  I want to cover things like basal metabolic rate and how many calories are in carbs, protein, fats, etc.  These are all things that people should understand, even if you aren't trying to lose weight.  It is basic science!

I am so close to a new threshold on my weight were the digit in the 10's place goes down.  I am going to try very very hard to make it there this week.  I'll need to lose a full 2 pounds!  Wish me luck!

Day 14

Since I was feeling bad about the weekend I tried to really clean up my diet on this day and eat cleaner meals.  When I talk about eating clean that pretty much means only eating foods that God made.  Not eating processed foods but more natural foods.  These include: milk, eggs, meat, fruits, and vegetables.

Have you ever tried to eat clean for a week?  It is harder than it sounds.  It is amazing how many processed foods we eat.  From cereal, bread, and pasta to lean cuisines and instant potatoes.  I actually try to avoid a lot of the processed foods but what can I say, "I like a bun with my hamburger" and "I like bread on my sandwich".  So many things are processed!  Pretty much all the stuff in the middle aisles of the grocery: crackers, granola bars, chips, canned foods, baked goods, etc.

Try eating clean for a week!  It is a challenge!

Last night I also had Zumba and I am not sure why but I just got this extra jolt of energy in the class. We literally killed it!  I almost felt like I was bouncing off the walls.  I wish every class was like that!

Greek Chicken & Quinoa Salad

Greek Chicken

Chicken thighs or breasts

1 C plain greek yogurt

2 TBSP olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 lemon (zested and juiced)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1/4 C fresh parsley chopped fine

Put all ingredients in a plastic bag and marinate for at least an hour.  You can grill the chicken or bake it in the oven at 350.  You may eat it separately or I like to chop it up and serve it on top of my quinoa salad with tzatziki sauce.  I also like to add it to a pita pocket with more greek veggies and tzatziki sauce. (from recipefavorite.com)

Quinoa Salad

Prepare your quinoa (1 C quinoa, 2 C water or broth)

+ greek vegetables

• artichoke hearts
• olives
• tomato
• purple onion
• cucumber
• feta cheese

Pour some balsamic vinaigrette over the top.  I like to put about 1/2 C on the whole salad and then stir well.  The quinoa and veggies will saturate it up.  Chill for at least one hour.  If you need to add more dressing, you can when you serve it.  This salad is super yummy and fresh tasting! (by Cheryl)

Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 C Plain Greek yogurt
• 1 TBSP Lemon zest and juice (you could also use white vinegar)
• 1 Cucumber peeled/seeded and chopped fine
• 2-4 tsp garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• to taste-salt & pepper
• 1/2 TBSP dill (fresh is best)

These are estimates.  I taste as I go, some people like more/less vinegar or lemon.

Days 12 & 13 (The weekend)

The weekend was not good.  I totally went off plan.  I had a sandwich one day, Travis took the family to pizza one night (I only had one piece) and I totally indulged in a small bowl of ice cream!  Yikes.  It seems like once you head down the slippery slope it is easy to keep sliding.  Not every choice was bad but there were a few major flaws.

It was a busy weekend though.  Saturday I had Zumba and then we power washed our deck.  Sunday I taught a pro bono CPR class for all the childcare volunteers at my church.   The weekend just seemed to go by fast.

Day 10 & 11

To be honest, I can't remember a whole lot about these days except that I survived them. Just seems like I have been super busy lately.  Definitely doing lots of taxi trips with the kids, etc.  Thursday I ate really clean and had a good Zumba class.  It was throwback Thursday so we did some old songs that we hadn't done in a long long time.  It was fun.  One benefit to teaching Zumba is drinking lots of water; in a single class I can easily consume 30oz.  Thursday night I made this awesome Balsamic Pork Roast and some broccoli/cauliflower salad.  Recipes below.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Roast

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

 (original recipe: http://www.candcmarriagefactory.com/2011/01/brown-sugar-and-balsamic-glazed-pork.html)

Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad
1 small head of broccoli and cauliflower chopped
1/2 purple onion
6 slices of bacon
1/2 C slivered almonds
1/2 C sunflower seeds
1 C raisins and/or craisins
Dressing: 3/4 C light olive oil mayo, 2 TBSP rice vinegar, 2.5 TBSP sugar or splenda
(This makes a very large salad, so you may want to make it smaller)

Yesterday was day 11.  I had promised Reese that I would take her to a special lunch at Chic-fil-a and she could play at the playground.  I had 8 grilled chicken nuggets and also against my better judgement I had some french fries (I figured I deserved a treat and they were gluten free, right?).  This really wouldn't have been so bad except that I had 3 very (almost too) ripe bananas on the counter.  I hate to see them go to waste so I quickly made two loaves of banana bread.  My intention was to give one loaf to a friend and one loaf to a neighbor.  I didn't use oil, I subbed out for applesauce and I was out of nuts so I saved some calories by omitting them.  I gave one loaf away but when I asked my neighbor if she wanted a loaf, she said no thank you.  Long story, short...I ended up eating two slices.  

I made a greek dinner.  It was super yummy.  I made greek chicken, quinoa salad and tzatziki sauce.  It is very tasty, healthy and fresh.  I will post the recipes a little later.  

Update

Some of you may remember that I started this challenge with my mother-in-law after their recent visit here to TN.  I committed to eating like her (gluten and sugar free) if she agreed to exercise like me (at least 4x per week, 30 minutes a day).

I am proud to report that she called me last night and she is doing really well.   She has done walking in her neighborhood, she has walked on her treadmill and even rode her bike several times.  I am happy that we are both doing this and holding each other accountable.

Sometimes eating healthy is hard, exercise is hard but I think so many of us take our bodies for granted. We have strong and able bodies!  I have a friend that is in a wheelchair; he would do anything in this world to be able to run...we can run but instead most of us chose to sit.  There are people in hospitals eating cafeteria bland diets or even being fed intravenously and would love to just eat a healthy meal...we take all of this for granted!

When my mother in law was visiting I insisted that we go on a bike ride at the greenbelt.  It is a relatively easy, paved, flat trail.  I think she was a little apprehensive but she did great.  We went 5 miles and we all lived to tell about it.  While cycling we saw a man in an electric wheel chair enjoying the day and taking in the views of the water and trees; how lucky we were to be able to see the beauty from a bicycle and not a wheelchair.

Don't take this life for granted.  Use your body!  Fuel it, take care of it and use it!

Day 9

Yesterday was kind of a crazy day.  It is definitely difficult to get into a new routine or waking kids up at 6:20 and having them out the door by 7:10.  I am so thankful that Travis takes the kids to school because it would waste so much time in the morning for me and it is on his way.  I do really good if I have a project, whether it be cleaning, CPR work, etc if I can wake up and get started on it.  However, that first trip to town kind of throws a wrench in it all and when I get home I don't have that same drive. That is why going to the gym in the morning is kind of a problem for me.  I get a great workout but then I get home and feel worthless.  I am tired and sweaty and its hard to get into a good groove and flow to start doing chores or whatever it is I have that day.

Yesterday, I had a meeting early with the Chamber of Commerce about CPR Choice.  Then I had to rush to be at the Hudson's school at 10:30 because I had promised I would eat lunch with him.  Yep, they eat lunch at 10:30!  Crazy.  I packed a lunch of left over cranberry pork loin and some rice with a few raw carrots.

Once I got home I got into the throws of CPR.  This is a huge change for me as I never have had time to really work on it in the past.  Wednesdays both kids go to school from 8-2:30 so it is my day to get real work done.  I had a few snacks at my desk but I forgot to lay out the meat to defrost.  I was tired at the end of the day and didn't really have dinner prepared so we all just fended for ourselves.  Travis grilled up some hotdogs for the kids and I just munched on miscellaneous things, yogurt, apple, cheese, smart popcorn.

The day didn't go as planned but I think it was still a success!

Day 8

I lost 2 Lbs exactly this week.  I think I actually lost a little more but like I said, I am retaining a little extra water right now.

Today was a crazy day!  I had a CPR class early this morning and then had to run some errands, pick up Reese, volunteer at the church, pick up Hudson and then I was home for about an hour before it was time to take kids to karate.  I wasn't home much at all.

Eating wasn't great in that I didn't eat enough at the right times.  For breakfast I ate a banana, when I picked up Reese at noon I had an apple and I didn't actually eat anything of substance until I got home around 3PM.  I ate some chicken salad and a couple of nut thins with cheddar spread.  Then around 6:15 I had a small piece of left over pork roast from last night and 1/2 C of rice.  I also had 2 dark chocolate squares (instead of 1)!

Still feeling good though and feeling like I am on track for success.  When I stopped at the church around 1, I was hungry and there was pizza and cookies there and I resisted.  For that I am proud!

 Zumba last night was great.   I was so tired and totally not feeling it but then the lights turned off, the music turned up and it was a great time and a great workout!  It is fun working out with friends, I am so glad that I have made relationships with so many of my Zumba peeps.  It has been life changing for me and I am getting to do what I have always loved....Dance!

Day 7

Temptations are so hard!  I am snack helper for my daughters preschool class tomorrow and my favorite thing to make in the fall is apple slices with caramel puffed corn.  I shouldn't have made it, I should of just bought a box of squeeze yogurt...but the Pinterest mom inside of me told me to make something so yummy and homemade.  A good chef always tries her food, right?  Ok, lets not beat around the bush...I had a large handful of caramel corn and it was super yummy.  I am naughty!

I woke up early and got busy on some chores and didn't eat any breakfast.  Bad Cheryl!  By 10:45 I was getting pretty hungry but didn't want to spoil my lunch so I totally had my lunch early.  I had left over taco salad and it was so yummy.  For dinner we are having cranberry pork loin and a small green salad.  Other than the caramel corn I have been on task with my diet.  I haven't had any snacks today and don't even feel hungry.  I have Zumba tonight and I am looking forward to burning some calories, hopefully a few extra calories.

Tomorrow morning is the end of week one.  While I haven't been perfect I have definitely be conscious of my decisions and food choices.  I am kind of sad because I am retaining some extra water right now, it should be gone in a few days...if you know what I mean?? Hopefully it doesn't discourage my weight loss too much.  I'll be reporting in the morning, my progress.

Cranberry Pork Loin
1.5-3 Lb Pork Loin
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/4 C worshestire sauce
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp dehyrated onion

Put all the ingredients into slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.  I personally like to cook mine a few hours and then drain off all the liquid and then add the rest of the ingredients (mixed together). This recipe isn't the best looking but it tastes great.  It is good served with rice, potato, sweet potato or salad.

Day 6

I am pretty proud of myself.  My kids had a birthday party at the bowling alley this afternoon from around 1:30-4.  I knew there would be foods that I couldn't eat so I packed some snacks for me.  I had a helping of chicken salad for lunch and then packed some nut thins w/ cheese spread and an apple with some peanut butter dip.  At the party they had cake, ice cream, chips, pizza and grapes.  I cut my apple, grabbed some grapes and ate my cheese and crackers.  Everyone indulged and I can honestly say that I really didn't even crave it.

My problem is ability to stop!  If I am abstaining I seem to be okay, it is once I indulge and eat one cookie that it turns into five.  I really need to work on self control.

Tonight I made Catalina taco salad.  It was super easy and really good.  I have plenty left over to have for lunch tomorrow.

• Catalina Taco Salad
• 4 cups torn romaine lettuce or lettuce blend
• ½-1 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained thoroughly
• 1 cup diced tomatoes 
• 1 cup pitted ripe black olives, drained
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• Fritos corn chips
• Catalina salad dressing

from Jennifercooks.com

Preparation: The Key to Success

I believe that preparation is success!  I think this is especially true when it comes to what you eat.  I make a pretty conscious effort to plan our meals.  This decreases trips to the grocery store, time spent figuring it out, etc.  Every week I figure out what we are going to have for dinner and make a grocery list of any ingredients that I need to buy.  I also try to have 1 or 2 days that I spend a little more time prepping the food.  For example, I might chop lots of vegetables or cook a large thing of chicken that will be made for several meals, etc.  Here is my menu plan for this week.  I will try to post the recipes in my daily posts but didn't want to overwhelm you.  Blogging everyday in itself can be overwhelming.

Sunday: Catalina Taco Salad
Monday: Cranberry Pork Loin w/ green salad
Tuesday: Salmon w/ rice & broccoli salad
Wednesday: Sirloin steaks w/sweet potato & left over broccoli salad
Thursday: Greek chicken w/Quinoa salad (never heard of quinoa??)
Friday: Balsamic glazed Pork Loin w/asparagus
Saturday: Vegetable stir fry

Lunches: Tuna salad, chicken salad w/grapes & left overs

Day 5

Today (Sat) was mostly successful but not 100% perfect.  I had lifted weights on Friday and I am still doing the 45:15 workouts so I went into my Zumba class pretty darn sore!  I fought thru the pain and I know in the long run it will actually help my soreness.  It was a good workout but because my muscles were so tired, I wasn't quite 150%.  I love teaching Zumba but it does make it hard to embark on other challenges.  I am adding weight training into my schedule twice a week and when you are the teacher of a class, I don't think your students understand how sore and tired you are from other workouts. They still expect that 150%.  I am constantly thinking as I workout...will this affect my Zumba class?  So, if you are in my class and reading this, please understand that I workout more than just when I see you guys :)

My husband has made this tradition of taking our kids out for happy meals on Saturdays after our workout.  Yep, you heard me right, I said McDonalds happy meals.  I however, had the southwest chicken salad grilled.  It is low in calories and super yummy.  If you are ever in a rush and want something low in calorie but fast, I encourage you to try it.

The rest of the day we were busy running errands and I did eat an apple in the middle of the day.  We had planned a date night with a babysitter and had been wanting to try out the new Barley's restaurant in Maryville.  I had a chicken wrap, so I did eat some wheat in the tortilla.  That was my big fail of the day.  I also had a green salad and a coke zero.  (I never promised to give them up completely but I am trying hard to reduce my intake).

I still feel good about what I got accomplished yesterday.  I started this process on Tuesday and I know I have already lost weight.  I will be weighing in every Tuesday and reporting how many pounds I lost every week.  Watch the ticker at the top of this blog to keep up on my progress!

Day 4

Today seemed easier!  While I am still wanting that diet soda full of delicious carbonation I still have not had one!  I started off the morning with a protein packed breakfast similar to yesterday.  Then I headed to the gym to meet my friend for some weight lifting.  Today was a jam packed day and I had a hair cut appointment at noon.  I thought that I would come straight home afterwards and eat my left overs from dinner last night and then go pick up my boy from kindergarten.  However, my hair cut took longer than expected and because I live in Greenback I hated to go back home only to have turn around 15 minutes later to go back to Maryville.  So, I ate an apple and ran thru Starbucks for an iced coffee.

I had about an hour to spare; I called my husband to check in for the day and he suggested that I kill my hour at the mall.  What man tells a woman to kill time at the mall? An awesome one!  Anyways, I had worn a hole in my Zumba shoes and needed a new pair.  I scored some great deals at JC Penny; 2 new pairs of workout capris, 4 new t-shirts and a new pair of shoes from the Shoe Depot.  I am looking forward to getting to use some of my new gear at Zumba tomorrow!

As soon I got home I ate some meatloaf, I was pretty hungry.  For dinner I made a huge, hearty salad. Recipe is below.  There will be a separate post on pumping iron, coming soon.  Till then you can read my past post on compound movements here.

Chicken & Chickpea salad

• 2 large romaine hearts, washed and chopped
• 1 cup pulled cooked chicken breast
• 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3/4 cup sweet corn 
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1/3 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
• 1 small avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, if desired

from ambitiouskitchen.com

Day 3

Well, I am still craving that one diet coke a day but I have been good and resisted the urge.  Even thought I know that they don't have sugar in them; I have read countless studies on how it tricks your body into thinking that it is real sugar and can still spike insulin levels.

Yesterday I prepped lots of food.  I had bought a 2 Lb pack of really lean ground chuck and I browned 1/3 of it with a little taco seasoning for a salad that we are going to eat later in the week.  The other 2/3 I made a meatloaf and that is what we had for dinner.  I also put a large package of chicken in the crockpot and let it cook on high for 4 hours.  When it was done I shredded it up.  Some of it will be used on the salad I am planning to make for dinner tonight and the other I am going to make up some chicken salad with grapes & nuts for lunches.

Last night I had Zumba and I neglected to finish the 45:15 challenge, but I am going to do it this morning and maybe I can do it again tonight to catch up.  Zumba was awesome!  We had 42 people and there was lots of energy.  I felt like I had spring in my step and I know it was a great workout.

So far, this hasn't been too hard yet.  I have bought some of the precooked crumbled sausage bites from Jimmy Dean and have been making that with one egg and a little bell pepper for breakfast that last two days.  It is yummy, fast, and high in protein.  Because I have been making fairly large dinners there have been left overs which I have enjoyed for lunch.

Headed to the gym soon to lift some weights and do the 45:15!  For those of you interested in my meatloaf recipe, here it is.

Meatloaf
1-1.5 pounds of lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1/2 C Oatmeal (I use old fashion but quick oats would work too)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 small can tomato sauce
1 egg beaten

Mix all the ingredients together and form into a loaf shape and put in a loaf pan.  Cook at 350 for 1 hour.  When I am not watching my sugar intake I also mix a little ketchup, worchestire sauce and brown sugar and pour it on top for the last 15 minutes.

Day 2

Today was definitely a little harder.  While I didn't really eat any wheat and only a very small amount of sugar I felt like I over ate other things.  2 helpings of salad, 1.5 apples with dip, extra handful of nuts, etc...you get the point.  It was good healthy food but you can still over eat those too!  I have also been trying to give up diet soda.  I don't drink many, 1-2 a day but they have always been my treat and that cold yummy goodness has probably been the hardest part.

I do love to cook though and I am making some great food.  Here are some of the recipes I ate today!

Autumn Salad
Romaine & Green leaf lettuce
2 pears sliced
1 C of craisins
1/2 C feta cheese
1/2 C chopped pecans
6 slices of lean bacon crumbled

Toss all of this together.  For the dressing you do 75% poppyseed dressing and 25% balsamic vinaigrette.  I use the Newmans Own light.  Shake those together and serve.  Sounds like a weird combo but it is really good.

Since my salad was lacking some good protein and I had some country ribs defrosted I decided to just bake some ribs in the oven.  These were boneless and so good.  I only ate one.  For those of you on a budget these can be delicious and are very reasonably priced.

Oven Ribs
Mix a couple TBSP dijon mustard with 2 tsp of liquid smoke
Coat the ribs with this
Then add a dry rib rub (you can make one or just buy a premixed)
Broil in the oven for 5 minutes
Then bake at 300 for 1.5 hours
Cover with a little BBQ sauce (I use sweet baby rays)
and cook a little longer or broil for a few minutes

They are so tender and taste so good.  A little high in fat but no carbohydrates and high in protein.  If you are are really worried about the fat content then you can trim the ribs better before you start.

Yummy Snack: Apple Dip

I pinned this recipe on Pinterest a long time ago and one of my friends told me about mixing the yogurt and PB together.  Today I tried it!  It is so good.  You should try some.  It makes four 2 TBSP servings and is about 65 calories.

Apple Dip

• 1 container of Oikos vanilla non fat yogurt
• 2 TBSP creamy natural Peanut butter
• 1 sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1/2 TBSP honey

Mix together and serve with apples!  You could also serve with banana.

Day 1

So I am making some realistic goals for the no wheat/no sugar.  I am cutting all wheat but still allowing myself natural sugars like in fruit and milk or sugar that is added to items like ketchup, salad dressing, cheese, etc.  But I will not be eating any refined sugar or anything that is a baked good, soda, candy, etc.  Today I watched sugars very carefully and still consumed about 35 grams.  I think as long as I keep it under 35 that is still good.   I am also allowing myself one dark chocolate square per day.  It is 35 calories and only 3 grams of sugar.

Tonights dinner was Red Beans & Rice.  It is so good and so easy that I have to share.  It is a recipe from southern living.

Red Beans & Rice
1 pound dried red kidney beans
3 celery stalks chopped
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 green bell pepper
3 TBSP creole seasoning
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 Lb Andouille sausage, sliced into circles
7 Cups of water

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with steamed rice (white jasmine or brown).

Another yummy favorite is berry oatmeal for breakfast, super easy but very yummy.

Berry Oatmeal
1/2 C frozen berry medley
1 half cup old fashion oats
1 tsp ground flax seed (optional)
1 C water
Serve with agave nectar/sweetener and 2 TBSP of half & half

You can either put all of these ingredients in the microwave for 3 minutes or you can cook the oatmeal on the stove and add defrosted berries.

45:15 Challenge

I also started a 45:15 challenge with some of my Zumba peeps and family members.  Here is how it works.  I will try to post a video soon for any of you who may not know what I mean by the names of these exercises.  The challenge is to do 10 minutes every day!  There is always time for just 10 minutes, right?  It is an interval set of 10 different exercises.  You are to do each exercise for 45 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds, move to the next exercise until all 10 are completed.  The best part about this is that it is super short, no equipment, gym or trainer needed.  Literally there are no excuses!  Is it too hard?  Start with 30 seconds of exercise and 30 seconds of rest.

The exercises:

1. Jumping Jacks (regular)
2. Burpees (feet together squat to touch hands to ground, jump feet out to a plank, back in and then stand up)
3. Butt kickers (run in place bringing your heel to your butt)
4. Speed skaters (jump side to side touching the floor in front of you)
5. Jump Rope (in place, no rope required)
6. Squat Jump (squat in place and then jump, 1 dynamic movement)
7. Shuffle jumps (shuffle in a squat position, step together step, 3x to right and then jump shot, then to the left)
8. Plank jacks (hold a plank position on your elbows and jack your feet in and out making a V)
9. High Knees (run in place lifting knees up as high as you can)
10. Mountain Climbers (with your arms on the floor and your body in an elevated plank position, alternate your knees to your chest like you are running)

I know these descriptions are vague but you can google most of these exercises for a quick description. Also i will try to get a video tutorial on here ASAP!  Any of you up for the challenge?  It is only 10 minutes but I guarantee you will be dripping sweat when you are done!

Good luck!

Hello Old Blog

Well, I am not sure why but I have been missing the accountability of my blog.  I still have not reached my goal of losing 100 pounds.  I have had lots of major set backs and some gains and have finally lost again and can start to see the goal in sight.  I only have about 30 pounds to go!  I was thinking that maybe if I started blogging about it again that I would keep myself more in check.  I am hoping to blog every day for the month of September.  I actually became a Zumba instructor almost a year ago and I need to prove to myself as well as to my students that this is the best way to live.  In order to kick start myself and it should be a hell of a quick start I have gave myself a challenge.

The past 10 days my mother-in-law, father-in-law and nephew have been visiting from Idaho.  My mother in law has recently given up wheat for many reasons and while I don't feel like it is a lifestyle change for me I do feel like it would help jump start me to give it up for a while.  I had read the wheat belly diet a while back and I do think that there is some validity to it.  However, my weakness has always been sugar!  So I know that I really need to put that in check too.

So here is the deal.  My MIL was so good with her diet while she was visiting.  We all ate sandwiches, and bread and homemade cookies and she totally refrained.  I never saw her cheat once.  I am so proud of her and the changes she made.  I on the other hand totally indulged in some of the yummy goodness. But...I workout a lot.  I cycle, teach Zumba, cross train, etc and my mother in law pretty much doesn't exercise at all.  This week while she was visiting we had her doing tons of walking, she came to one of my Zumba classes, went on a 5 mile bike ride, swam in the lake and more.  Her body is totally capable but its hard to get that first step out the door sometimes.  She lost weight on vacation!  Who does that??

I made her a deal.  If she would promise me to exercise for 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week for the whole month of September (like I have been doing)...then I would give up wheat and sugar for the whole month (like she has).  I was hoping we could help the other person with our weaknesses.

We are similar in size and can pretty much share clothes.  We took some before pictures and are working as a team to keep this going.  I'll be blogging every day about how I am feeling and what I am eating.  For those of you that see me, if I am grumpy this might be why!  Haha.

Wish me luck, I am going to need it :)