P.S....

So, I decided to go get Jillian's 30 Day Shred! I was already strongly considering it after reading my friend, Bobbi's, reviews on her blog and then when she suggested it on the comments, I just couldn't resist. Well, I just ran over to Target tonight and bought it. And then, of course, I tried it out. 20 minutes never seemed so long as it did tonight!! It REALLY gives you a work out!! Now I know why Bobbi was raving about it. It works EVERYTHING in just 20 minutes. I only did level 1 and I thought I was going to die. Level 2 and 3 must be BRUTAL!! But I definitely see why you get such great results from this workout. I will definitely have to fit that in to my workout schedule. It may have to replace the running. Thanks Bobbi for the suggestion!!

End of the Week Wrap-Up

So, I made it to Friday and stayed committed to the exercise. My flaws DEFINITELY lie in my eating habits. But I was very happy to stick to the workouts that I planned for this week. I even added a little run yesterday. I guess it was really a run/walk. It was about a mile and a half. Sadly, it's a mile and a half that I use to run with my friend all the time and we would run the whole thing. It's definitely different running by myself, especially since I'm not a big runner. But here is what my workout schedule looked like this week:

• Monday - 30 minutes of Pilates
• Tuesday - Nothing scheduled, but did play tag with Tyler (my 9 year old son)
• Wednesday - 30 minutes of Pilates
• Thursday - Nothing was originally scheduled but decided to do a short run/walk. It was a mile and a half. It took me about 20 minutes.
• Friday - 30 minutes of Pilates. As of writing this post, I haven't done it yet but I am doing it right after I drop Tyler off from school.

So, that was my workout schedule. I would put my meals on here but they are not as triumphant as the exercise. So, for next week my schedule will pretty much be the same with the exercise except that I will be scheduling in a run on Tuesday and Thursday. I am not much of a person to run just to run, so I need to figure out other ways that are fun to get that exercise in. I'm thinking about joining a dance class or maybe start going to my friends Aerobic Kickboxing Class (AKB). My friend Bobbi teaches an AKB class and she said that she might be able to get me a visitor's pass that lasts for four visits, I think. She also has an amazing website all about her healthy journey. You should check it out at N Her Shoes. That's all for now!

Day 3

So, today I did my 30 minutes of Pilates again. It still was pretty brutal but I wasn't in nearly as much pain as I was the first time. And this time I'm not as sore afterwards as I was last time. So, this is definitely a good thing. And I can already feel my abs getting in shape! Woo hoo! Tomorrow I think I will try my first short run. It will probably be a mile and a half or two miles. I guess that's short to some but not to others. I say "short" but I know it will be a lot of work for me.

I think that I might try to do the "Run Through Redlands" this year as a little motivator. It's only a 5k run so I know that I can do it, especially since I once helped a friend train for that event before. But it always seems that I'm not as motivated for myself. So, now I have to kick my own butt in to gear.

I think that the hardest part about this new lifestyle change will be me eating healthier. I need to really cut back on the junk food! So, I need to figure out a good way to control that but it can't be cutting it out completely because then I will just cheat all the time. Any suggestions?? Please let me know.

Day 1

So, where should I start? Obviously, I should start with Day 1. Well, the first day on this journey was a couple of days ago on Monday, February 23, 2009. Here are a couple of pictures of me on this day so hopefully as the days go on, we will be able to notice a difference. These aren't the greatest pictures but they show what they need to show:

I am 5'11". I am currently weighing in at 194 lbs. with a waist line of 39 inches. My current pants size is 14. Some of my goals would be to weigh 160 lbs. with a waist line of 34 inches and a pants size of 10.
In adddition to the physical improvements, I am hoping to change my lifestyle. I want to plan more active activities throughout my week, I want to schedule exercise regularly, and I want to make better eating habits.

I also want to improve my life spiritually. I am a Christian but I don't see that I am really living the life that God has called me to be. I don't see that I am serving others nearly as much as I could. I am not spending time with God DAILY in His word AND in prayer.

These are all parts of the journey that I am embarking on. So, on my first day, I decided to try this Pilates video tape that I have had FOREVER and never tried. I did a 30-minute workout and I must say that it kicked my butt! Or shall I say that it KICKED MY ABS!! Two days later my abs are still sore. I will be doing that workout again today. This week I am doing Pilates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Next week I will do Pilates again on the same day, but then I will throw in a couple of short runs on Tuesday and Thursday.

And I am not writing this blog to say that I am the Ultimate Fitness person and that everyone should be watching me! I am however sharing this journey because 1) It's a big deal and accomplishment to me and I would like to share and 2) Everyone needs encouragement in seeing that other people can accomplish goals such as these so I hope that my blog can be an encouragement to at least one of you.