I started off the day by going checking out the local garage sales and running some errands. The hubby had to work today so I had to keep myself busy. I think I am starting to catch a slight bug or something, or it’s the change of seasons that is affecting me. My throat is sore and I woke up drenched in sweat last night. That’s alright though. I normally get one kick ass cold a year and then I’m fine. Better to get it out of the way now as opposed to when I start work officially. YIKES! The cold weather has definately set in. I find myself wanting to pull out the old cookbook and make stew and chili. I grew up on the coast so this 5 months of winter crap has NEVER settled well with me.

So anyways, today was yoga, cardio, and abs. My flexibility has vastly improved since starting this program. I was already pretty flexible for a 25 yr old, but this has most certainly been improved. My balance is getting along very well too. I really enjoy yoga. It seems to just work the whole body and really give you peace of mind. For lack of better words, it’s like a spring cleaning for your body. Cardio is always a great way to get you going. I find myself wanting to do this workout just because I’m cold. It really gets the blood flowing! I am still making it through 100% Those problems witht he hop squats are a thing of the past. Finished out the day with abs. I hope you guys can see the definition in my abdominals starting to take place. I can definatelt tell the difference! I can’t pinch as much as I used to. Now if I could just get those love handles under control! So far though, I have seen the biggest loss in my chest area. I know this sounds weird but my mother always said the boobs and the butt are the first places a woman loses and gains weight. The woman must know what she’s talking about because none of my bras or shirts fit right anymore. I guess I’ll have to treat myself to a new wardrobe here pretty soon. I think I like the sound of that! Well guys, until tomorrow……..

Whew! I am feeling it today. These 2 workouts a day are really taking their toll. Not that I can’t handle it though. My body is still a bit sore from yesterday’s 10 Minute Tariner workout coupled with the P90X Yoga X wokrout. So needless to say, I was not in any hurry today to do my workouts. I lounged about the house a bit and took advantage of the morning. Started it off with a whole wheat bagel, some cottage cheese, and an orange. Quite scrumptious I must say. After that I got the kiddies off to the bus…….only to be called by the school nurse an hour or so later. It seems my son some how managed to get his finger stuck in some part of the seat belt buckle on the bus. Two nurses, some soap, some ice, and an hour later and he was free! No major damage to report thank God! Only my child…….. After that fiasco I met my husband for lunch. We went out this time and enjoyed a nice adult lunch at Panera bread. We ordered fat free turkey breast on whole grain with some fruit. We even ate outside. I am thoroughly enjoying the adult time again with my husband before I go off and start a job. So after a nice afternoon I came home and started the total body/cardio/lower body workout for 10 Minute Trainer. Really enjoyed it! It felt like I covered the map today. Got my heart pumpin’ and worked some major muscle areas. I really like the lawn mower exercise in the total body routine. It is basically like pull starting your lawn mower with your bands. I like it when you can add a little pretend to your workouts! I am still feeling the burn like crazy on lower body. This being the less toned portion of my body I try to give it my all. There is one series of exercises that I find quite humorous. It’s hard to do them while laughing. You get down like you’re a jockey riding a horse and you do little hops on the balls’ of your feet. You change position and speed slightly throughout, but it is hilarious to see and do! After dinner we watched Speed Racer with the munchkins. I was already falling asleep on the couch and in no mood for another workout, but transition I must! So we shooed them off to bed and started Core Synergistics for P90X. Let me tell you……..my least favorite workout of all time. Strictly for the fact that it is HARD! It is exactly what it says, it works the core. Not just abs, but back, butt, thighs. There were a few things I couldn’t complete due to being so sore from yesterday. I gave it my all and sweated like cray though. In the end I felt good just having made it through without killing myself. Definately not for the weak and weary. So I am taking my sorry butt to the showers and then to bed to dream of workout bands, water bottles, and a 45 year old man that yells at me to “bring it”. LOL. Good night!

Boy what a day! I had to go to my husband’s work this morning and yell at his payroll lady……they shorted him by 6 hours of overtime AGAIN! Sometimes you need to just send in a woman to get some results! Needless to say, things are now resolved. After that I ran a few errands. It’s been raining here all day. Kind of nice, sets the mood for fall. Tomorrow we are even taking the kids to the local apple orchard. Every year we can our own applesauce and make apple bread and other such things for Christmas baskets. Now the busy time of year begins! So I have been running around all day. I only did a 10 minute workout today. It was a cardio day. I kicked butt I must say! I felt totally charged despite my hectic schedule. Rocked it right out! After I got some more things accomplished I took the dog for a mile jog. I think she popped out before I did. I don’t know if it’s the change in season or what but man I am feeling good today! So after that I showered and did MORE stuff. Oh, side note, I think I’ll definately be getting a job offer next week. I applied at a CNA Training program to have my lisence renewed (I let it laspe too long so I would like to get a refresher course). They called all my references and it sounds like a go. After I pass my State Exams again I’ll have a decent paying job and still be able to spend a lot of time with my kids WOOT! After dinner we took the kids for ice cream. I’ll admit I had a little, but you gotta live some. Feeling a little guitly…….I decided to join my husband in his workout tonight. He had the P90X Legs and Back tonight. I have seen or done tis one before so it was something new. I actually made it through the whole thing! It was 58 minutes long too. I didn’t stick around for Ab Ripper X though. I recommend you guys checking this program out after you finish 10 Minute Trainer. I definately plan on moving up to that once I comfortably complete my program. so it the famous words of Porky Pig……….th….. th……th…..that’s all folks!

So I am a little over 1/2 way to being 1/3 of the way done! LOL! I have resumed exercise again, no pain what so ever witht the foot thanks to proper support and stretching. I have fallen into a nice comfy routine now that the kids are in school. I work out generaly in the AM, unless errands and housework say otherwise. It’s a great way to kick start your day!

I wanted to touch on the food things again. I went grocery shopping today. I only go every other week. I sit down with the nutrition guides for both my husband and myself and plan out the meals for the week. Then I make the grocery list. So I spent $210 today at WalMart buying all the healthy stuff I am supposed to be eating. I know some of you may be having sticker shock at the moment but hear me out. $210 every 2 weeks. That’s only $105 a week when you break it down. I am feeding a family of 4 healthy and nutritious food for $105 a week (that includes household items as well). I noticed today that my cart doesn’t get as full these days. Not because we’re starving ourselves, but because the in between crap snacks and everything else along those lines has been cut from our diets. Like I’ve mentioned, we still get snack in the AM and PM. They aren’t dounuts and cookies, but they are tasty just the same. Who doesn’t love smoothies? So if you are thinking you can’t make this part of the program work for you…..think again. I am doing it for 4 people (why shouldn’t my kids join in right?) for about $100 a week!

On to the workout. Today was lower and total body. I am still getting back into the swing of things after taking those rest days. But I didn’t regress much at all. I can still do a good amount of reps and keep up. I am really feeling the burn in my buttcheeks during all the squats in the lower body workout. This is great for me because my lower body is what needs the work. I know I’m not overweight (I cannot stress this enough). But I am out of shape. Just like any of mom, my upper body rocks! I could pull a Dodge Hemi a block if I wanted to……thanks to all the lifting, carrying, and pulling that goes along with the “Mom” title. My lower body isn’t so great. So I am really pushing myself on these lower body days. Total body isn’t too hard anymore. That must be a sign! Time to increase the resistance band level. I can’t wait to move on the advanced DVD in a week and a half. New workouts and everything! If you guys want more info on the program check out this link The Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer See you guys later!

So I went to the doc today and I have been cleared to do the lower impact stuff from 10 Minute Trainer for the rest of the week. Depending on how I feel by the end I can resume normal routines next week. YAY!!!!

 I did the normal mommy/wife grind today. I also went and got the kitten we had looked at yesterday at the shelter. She is adjusting quite well! After that was all settled I went to the doctor. I have regained a little range of motion and the pain is not nearly as bad as last weekend. Goes to show that a little rest and relaxation can do a world of good. They weighed me while I was there as well. I have lost a total of 2 1/2 lbs. They told me not to expect to lose too much more weight wise ( I wasn’t exactly concerned about being overweight). They said probably within the next 2 weeks (if I keep up the pace) I will start seeing some gain in muscle mass on the scale. Good news for me since my main goal was to tom up. So I came home and did abs and lower body. Neither of which are too hard on the foot so i felt good that I was able to get back into the swing of things. No 30 minutes this week. I think I’ll ease back into it. But it all went well without incident. I found things a little harder though because of taking the few days off. Amazing what that’ll do! I wasn’t as bad as day 1, but I sure as hell wasn’t breezing through things either. I know I’ll be feeling it tomorrow. After that was over I took the dog for a mile walk. I felt fine the rest of the day so I am really confident that things will all turm out for the good. I have continued to eat the best I can…..with the occasional cookie of course. I am drinking tons of water as well. Very important during this program. Hydration is key. You will sweat a lot and you don’t want to lose all that valuable water for your system. So drink drink drink!

That about does it for today. Tomorrow is my off day, but I think I will do some stretching to keep the injury healing and maybe a little walk. I will check in with you guys so make sure you check in with me!

Started off the morning with a mixed berry protein shake. I recommend the Vanilla protein powder. It makes a ton and leaves you satisfied, not to mention it tastes good! My mid morning snack (that’s right, you get snacks) was a green apple with 2 tbs of peanut butter. I am a huge fan of anything with peanut butter in it so this was great for me. Lunch was a Mexi-Chicken Salad right out of the nutrition guide. This is now one of my favorites! Here’s the recipe so you can try it at home:

2 cups mixed salad greens, 4 oz. of diced chicken breast, sliced cucumber, 1/2 cup corn, and 1/3 of sliced avacado; dressed with 2 tbs of light dressing. Only 413 calories and lots of good for you stuff in it!

My afternoon snack was some pistachios. I have never had them before but my husband asured me they were good. Now I love them! I may be on the “injured list” but I am still trying to stay somewhat active. I am not doing any exercise routine at the moment, but I am still out and about and moving around. We took the dog for a walk and we went to a fund raiser for a local animal shelter. I was given a brace by the doctor so as long as I wear that and have proper foot wear I feel fine. It’s not the intense workouts I am accustomed to, but it’s better than nothing. In fact, my foot felt great today after wearing the brace so I think after a little physical therapy I will definately be back on track! I really miss doing my workouts! Dinner was pizza and a salad. Yep, pizza is still an option here. Now I’m ot eating 3 slices, but it still satisfies that urge. Just a nice slice topped with some veggies and served with a side salad. Very good! So that wraps it up for today. I will see you all back here tomorrow. Stick with me guys. I know this injury is a let down to everyone, but I’ll bounce back sooner than you think!

Today was a much better day. My son’s ear is doing A LOT better and the need for worry has past. Thanks to aIl for their well wishes. It is much appreciated! I slept in AGAIN today! I have noticed sinced starting this regime that some of my habits/patterns have changed. I was generally a person that went to bed late, got up early, and woke frequently during the night. Now I am asleep by 10:30pm and sleep through the night until about 8:30am. This is a major thing for me. As a busy mom of 2 sleep is generally foreign to me and I have gotten used to getting very little over the years. Now I wake up feeling great and not wanting to crawl back into bed every 5 minutes. We had our last BBQ today. I tried esgargo (snails). It was good. I also snacked out a bit, but didn’t stay camped out at the snacks. I have found myself not having a strong desire for crap (for lack of a better word). My body is actually craving healthy food. I still want the occasional chocolate or salty fix, but even then it dies down a lot quicker than before. A couple of chips or hershey kisses satisfies the urge where as before it was 1/4 of a bag of chips and an ice cream.

Today I did 30 again! it was cardio, abs, and yoga. I am finding myself more capable of completeing the program with less effort. I still have to back out before the end of the hop squats, but I know I’ll make it there. Abs were a killer. I find that a lot of the moves work my arms as well because you are having to stay in plank position most of the time. So if the abs don’t poop you out, the arms/shoulders will. Again, Yoga Flex was a great way to finish things up. I think for now, as I am easing into doing 30 mins I will only do it on days that have stacked the Yoga in. I think it’ll be a nice transition. I will see you all back here tomorrow for Yoga Flex and Lower Body. Definately not adding an extra 10 tomorrow. I have a ton to do to get the kids ready for school!

We went ot Motley Crue last night. It was great! I mainly went for Buckcherry, but all the bands rocked! I even got an autograph from the guitarist in Sixx AM. We didn’t get to bed until the wee hours of the morning and then we were up at 8am!!! I have never been so tired! I went to the bridal shop today to look at dresses. I found THE ONE guys. It was soooo beautiful. Not one of the big puffy princess dresses. Kind of old school, vintage looking. I put down my deposit so now this is definately feeling official. I am getting so excited. When they went to measure me to order the right size I got some interesting news. My measurements are 32 bust, 25 waist, and 36 hips. This is interesting because I’ve lost 2 inches in my bust (I was never “blessed” in this area and the only time I ever  have been was after my kids were born). So apparently breasts lose weight too. My waist lost an inch as did my hips. So I may not be able to see dramatic visual results, but they are a happening!

Today we had a BBQ to go to. I ate good this morning and at lunch (protein shake and a turkey burger) so I didn’t feel AS guilty about the crap I would be eating later. I tried to be health conscious but I didn’t want to take all the flavor out of life. I opted for grilled chicken instead of burgers. I had beans and salad as well. So not too bad. I am sure the ice cream cake wasn’t on my 10 Minute Trainer meal guide though. Oh well, live a little sometimes right?!? The good news is that I came back afterwards and still stuck to my workout plan. Today was Yoga Flex and Abs. I must say I thought the yoga would be a little more intense since the rest of the workouts are hard core. But it is yoga after all, I don’t think they intend for you to kill yourself on this one. It was certainly a “feel good” workout. Nice deep strecthes. Abs were a killer again today, but my form is improving. I’m thinking maybe next week I might add an extra routine at least once a week. I’m feeling a lot more energized and I want to stay challenged. Hope you all are having a great Labor Day weekend! Everyone be safe!

Today is supposed to be my rest day. AHHHHHHHHHH, must deserved rest and relaxation. Wait a minute, I have 2 kids, nevermind that rest part. I’ll probably spend the day doing some housework and playing with my babies. Catch you guys tomorrow when it’s Day 4!

All I have to say is OWIE!!!!! I woke up this morning and my legs were aching from the Lower Body routine yesterday. I had my breakfast (which seemed much smaller than yesterday’s, a bowl of cereal with some almonds). Still quite tasty though. Today was Total Body and I threw in the Cardio routine as well. Man!!!! After that Total Body workout my arms were sore! I couldn’t even imagine lifting them above my head for at least another hour. And this was only from a 10 minute workout. The DVDs come with the option of doing a warm up and cool down before and after each routine. I reccommend this setting just because it gets you prepped and there’s less chance of injury or muscle strain the next day. So I really liked the Total Body. It wasn’t as intense as the Lower Body or Cardio so it was nice to have a little “break”. Don’t get me wrong, you are still busting ass. Cardio was tough work today as well. Still couldn’t get through that full minute of the squat hops at the end. That is going to be my 4 week goal. By 4 weeks I want to be able to finish that.  So now it’s time for the showers and good eats for the rest of the day. In case you were wondering, I do my workouts in the morning about and hour and a half after breakfast. This just works easier with my schedule since I’m home with the kids. But I keep a positive outlook on the things the rest of the day. I keep in mind what I should and should not be eating and I still try to stay active….maybe do a few rounds on the monkey bars at the playground or something. Tomorrow is my day off based on my workout calender. All I have to say is THANK GOD!!!!!!!