Lake Arrowhead

Having a great and relaxing time on vacation. Still doing great with my cardio! 

Lily getting her 20 hours of daily sleep in.

Working out twice a day creates a TON of laundry.

I mean, she really sleeps a lot.

Safety first! Lily in her life vest

Progress Photos

Probably should have taken these photos before I had 2 cheat meals here on vacation, but - here we go!
Week 1 vs. Week 4. Still a long way to go, but I see a little bit of difference in my legs and in my shoulders.

Dear God. Did I just put my butt on the internet?

Vacation!

We hit the road this week for a mini vacation in Lake Arrowhead. (Thank you family-in-laws!)
I am determined to keep up with my cardio and diet because I won't be able to lift weights while in the mountains. Lily loves it up here because everything smells like nature! Yeay, pee on everything!

We may or may not have fallen asleep during the drive up.

Saturday Morning Weigh In

Sigh. I did not lose any weight this week. Why? Sugar.
Remember kids, Sugar Kills (diets).

(9 rounds of cardio, 2 weightlifting days, 2 pilates sessions)

bleh.

Taking Lily to visit my home away from home.

Week 1 vs. Week 4

I really need to clean the bathroom mirror

Wait a minute!!! Stop everything. I look awesome! I think I needed these photos to see that I really am making progress. Not on the scale, but in the shape of my body! Carry on!

Feeling Better!

Woke up in a funk today. I still have more body fat than I prefer to carry around and I was feeling guilty about my eating choices this week. But! I had a great Pilates duet with Beautiful Anel and Aaron Porter and I am ready to TAKE ON THE WORLD! (or at least take on the weekend)

Off The Wagon

I ate sugar again this week, I just lost control. Peanut M&M's, cookie dough, chocolate cake, pasta. Get yourself together woman! Because I am still working out hard I didn't gain any weight, but I didn't lose any either. This certainly is not a recipe for success. All I can do is start over today and do better.

Week 4

Next week we are going to Palm Springs and then Lake Arrowhead on vacation. Yippie! I am going extra hard this week so I can have a few cheat meals thrown in while we are traveling.
Also retired my first pair of running shoes. Bye bye teal babies.

Top of Runyon Canyon. My first time up the "hard trail"

Wednesday morning Pilates

You have served me well

We made it! It was hella bright sun up there. 

Saturday Morning Weigh In

Yippie!
Had a good number on Saturday! 5 pounds lost so far. Slow and steady!
Week 3 I did 8 sessions of cardio and 4 days of weights. We celebrated on Sunday with cheat food.

Mini ice cream cones from Trader Joes

Breakfast mega spread

Sooooooo worth all the hard work

Salvaging a Bad Day

Stumbled out of the gate this morning and succumbed to food temptation. I scarfed down a coffee drink and a muffin on the way in to work. But instead of it letting myself spiral I hit up Runyon Canyon for a hike mid afternoon and I'll be at the gym tonight to lift weights. I hope the scale has mercy on me this weekend!

Inspiration.

Dog shenanigans at the office today. 

New Reality

I can't exactly say my entire life has changed in just 18 days, but I do feel a major shift in the way I think about food and exercise.
Yesterday I had a small cappuccino with a sprinkle of sugar on top. I immediately felt guilty that I wasn't eating clean and staying faithful to my diet. Last month I would eat a slice of cake for lunch and not think anything of it but now I am ringing my hands over milk foam and 1/3 teaspoon of Sugar in the Raw.
This new me feels good! It feels good to wake up early and exercise while the streets are still quiet. Gone are the nights that I lay in the bathtub eating chocolate pots de creme and drinking champagne.

Trying to get up to 96oz water a day

Selfies are more fun with cat ears.

Hey there beefcake. How about doing some squats? Chicken-Legs! 

Equipment Round Up

Here is an overview of my current favorite gear:

- Nike Free Run 5.0+ Women's Running Shoe. Super comfortable and they come in great colors.

- Gap Fit Women's Sportswear. Great designs (mostly copied from Lululemon). The clothes don't really last forever, but with a $25-$50 price point it works for me now.

- Cellucor pure whey isolate protein powder. I have the the Peanut Butter Marshmallow flavor. It is not amazingly delicious, but I take 1 scoop mixed with water or almond milk a few minutes before my workout and I feel really powerful. Psychosomatic? Probably.

- The Whey powder goes in a Sundesa Blenderbottle with Blenderball.  

- Lily wears a pinch collar with 4 foot leather leash.

We don't have a shoe problem, YOU have a shoe problem. 

HI! 

Wednesday July 17th

Got stuck at work late last night so instead of driving to the gym I hiked Runyon Canyon with a new doggie friend George. Fun!
I also cheated and jumped on the scale mid-week this morning and was VERY happy with the number. Keep up the good work, me, and I will have an awesome Saturday Morning Weigh-in picture for this weekend.
After our morning cardio today Lily had a big rash on her belly so I took her to the vet. Very stressful for my doggie friend, but they gave her a cortisone shot so she should feel better soon.

Sooooo tired mom.

Not related, but it made me laugh this morning 

Tuesday night hike with George!

Guess what is still not fixed?

Grinding it Out

Yesterday was hard. I didn't get off work until almost 8pm and I was all set to skip the gym and go straight home to workout in the living room. "I'll just do some push ups and squats at home" <---- how I got gained weight in the first place, saying stuff like this. I called Mr. Man to ask for advice and he told me to get my ass straight to the gym and stop messing around. Unfortunately by the time I got there I was psych'd out and had a terrible workout. I didn't push myself hard and left after only 40 minutes. Then I get home to find out the toilet was broken/filled with "stuff" and I am out of clean sports bras. (those 2 things are not related!)
Bleh.
BUT, today is a new day and I am going to KILL it today.

Some good news: this week my cravings for sugar and carbs finally went away. 16 Days of eating clean and I am feeling GOOD! I am prepared for weight loss this week and to start seeing some muscle definition in my arms and legs.

WOOO! (see? blogging makes me feel much better)

Yesterday: "You suck, and you are a disappointment" - Bubbles

Today: "Who is ready to work harder and have a great day?"

Saturday Morning Weigh In - Week 2 Slump

So, I didn't lose any weight this week, and I was all set to be miserable/furious then eat ice cream and quit. But then I Googled this:

Validation!

Anyway. Good week overall. 6 days of cardio plus 6 days of weight lifting and 1 Pilates session. I only ate bad carbs on Saturday (pasta cheat meal!) and I felt energized and happy all week. I think I am getting the hang of this.

Next week: more intense cardio, drink more water, and keep killin' the fat! 

Gym Rant

Now that I am a regular at the gym (2 weeks makes you an expert, right?), here are a few things that REALLY bug me! Don't be one of these people.

Guy who slams down the weight stack. If you can't lower down the weights with control the stack is too heavy for you! Don't be a hero. You are pissing me off.

Chick who plays with her phone on the Leg Press machine. Are you texting? Are you watching a movie? Come on! The Leg Press is not a chair. Go away. You are pissing me off.

Guy who does some crazy/dangerous workout move like a spaz. Playing catch with Kettle Bells? That seems safe. Stop it, you are pissing me off.

/rant

SLAM!!!!

Stock photo of proper Leg Press action. Notice no phone?

Hey! Guess who got a new photo app?

Setbacks

I was feeling really down this morning. It is Friday and I have not lost any weight this week. It really killed my spirits considering how hard I feel that I am working. (plus I burned the roof of my mouth and it burned like a mother...)
But, off to the gym now. All I can do is move forward and hope my body is transforming in its own way at its own pace.

Does this Whey make my head look tiny?

Public Service Announcement

Please, PLEASE, don't throw food trash on the ground. Chicken bones, half eaten sandwiches, burrito wrappers; dogs pick up all that stuff. I spent a good 2 minutes this morning wrestling a full mango pit out of her mouth. GROSS!!

I hate you, and I am never letting you kiss me again.

Tracking Progress

I checked my Equinox account today and reaffirmed that I am burning it up lately!
It's cool to see all of your gym visits visually represented. If only I could get my morning outdoor work-outs to be displayed as well!

Terrible! I almost quit the gym because I just wasn't using it. 

Getting better but still lame.

BEAST MODE

My Motivation Coach Goes on the Offensive

Because Monday morning we were out of town and Tuesday morning I had Pilates, by Wednesday morning Lily decided I had forgot all about AM cardio and took immediate action...

"You are not leaving this house without me young lady!"

Tuesday Weight Training

I got an awesome free Personal Training session at the gym today. It was great to get really detailed feedback on my form and learn some new exercises.
Thank you Ryan! I wish I had $100 an hour 4x a week. I would give it all to you!

Awesome Trainer Ryan.
Does anyone else hear angels singing?

BEAST MODE!