Welcome back size 10

Post root canal update

so Monday I had my root canal and that night I felt ok, the next day I was a little tender but not to bad, by Wednesday it was menacing,constant pain that had me in tears by the end of the day. On Wednesday I went to my dentist and he prescribed me amoxicillian . I got the feeling that he was annoyed with me.. " it's only been a few days".... but it was his nurses that had me come in saying it did not sound right.  Everyone I spoke to said the tooth should not hurt since there are no nerves. He said it can take six months and pushed back my next appt for a month to give me time to heal. I was starting to feel depressed. I really started to regret doing this but John reminds me to think of the possible greater pain I most likely avoided. I am trying to have no regrets.


So Thursday came and after 24 hours on antibiotics I was still hurting and now my lower lip is numb & tingling. I called my dentist and they said give the antibiotics more time to work. I decided to seek out a specialists opinion, the endodontic specialist took an x-ray and told me the root canal on this tooth is very close to a nerve and that was probably aggravated which causes the numbness in my lip.. which is annoying more than anything.

I explained that while before I felt no pain, now I feel like I need a root canal.. pressure, jaw pain, a lump in my gum, half side of my face is numb & tingly. I fought back tears as he urged me to stay strong. I cried all the way home and  later he called me at home to prescribe me a script for medrol dose pack.  I told him it feels like my tooth has been tightly screwed into my bone and the tooth feels too full. The pressure is so bad that only sucking my thumb seems to help. How cute is that? a grown woman sucking her thumb.


This morning after my morning dose of the steroids I am feeling a little better, but still numb. If your the praying type please send a few my way.

Week 19

Going back to the dentist today to investigate some pain. I think I must be clenching my teeth in my sleep which causes me pain and wakes me up. I will reach my goal weight in no time on my soup and jello diet...can't wait to be able to chew again.

My root canal experience

I was really upset to hear that I needed a root canal. Once I wrapped my head around the idea that yeah I had a cavity.. my first in nearly 20 years...a really big cavity. I started to prepare for the process.. the most feared dental procedure. I even got a second opinion and found a new dentist. I asked around and most people told me that I had nothing to worry about. I googled it, which was a mistake. It was hard for me to face putting myself through pain when I was not in pain.. tooth 29 was not bothering me at all. It was a smart preventive step to save the tooth. Waiting until I was in pain was not a wise choice. I knew in my gut that I had to do this.

I opted to go for the laughing gas although many people told me that I would not need it, while others highly recommended it. The minute I sat in that chair I felt like crying... I don't know why.. pent up nerves. Everything is hard wired to my tear ducts. I am one of those people who cry when frustrated or angry. He gave me a topical and then a shot or six of Novocaine. That hurt. I was going to try to tough it out, but decided after the Novocaine to go for the gas and I am so glad I did. Money well spent. I know myself and I know that the dental dam  in particular would have freaked me out sans laughing gas.


The process took 1.5 hours.  The laughing gas made it go by much quicker. The doc asked me to let him know if the gas felt like it was too much. I told him that I had never had it and did not know what to compare it too.  He said some people feel panicky. At first I just felt very tingly and so heavy, not a care in the world. I felt so heavy that it was difficult to raise my hand to let him know if I was in pain. Then my chest felt very heavy and i could not feel  myself breath, I felt that slight panic feeling he spoke of and let him know.. he lowered it and then I felt better but more aware of everything.. too aware. I wanted it raised slightly. Eventually they found a happy medium with the Gas, i was aware of what was going on, heard everything, but mostly zoned out. That laughing gas is some good stuff. He tells me I won't need it at the next visit... darn.


I mostly just felt pressure and a little pain. The placement & removal of the dental dam clamp was the hardest part for me.. it really hurt my gums. The x-ray hurt too. I have a very small mouth and they always scratch my mouth when inserting the tool into my mouth. Today I have a tender mouth, jaw and a sore tooth... which is to be expected. I go back in 2 weeks to remove the temporary filling and do the buildup. We are going to try to hold off on the crown until we can pay off this bill.

Ten petals....woot!

I'm so excited that I finally earned ten petals on my Fitbit activity monitor. The max is eleven and I have never topped eight.  I was wondering what one had to do to get to eleven. I worked out for an hour today, three miles on the treadmill, then weights and cool down.

My laptop and computer are down....John is paranoid about allowing me to download the Fitbit software on his computer...so I really cant track anything until he repairs it....bummer.

Tarot

warning this is one of those Metaphysical posts again.. if this is not your cup of Tea.. just pass on reading this.


I just finished a 2 day tarot card course, offered by the Woman who gave me my reading. I emailed her inquiring about any possible classes. After dabbling with tarot cards for 11 years, I finally feel that I get it and I am excited to get the opportunity to give readings. In the past I only did a one or three card spread and now I learned the Celtic spread. I need lots of practice, there is still more for me to learn but that needs to come from actually reading for people other than myself or Liv .. Liv always wants to know if she is going to get a puppy and that answer is always " No..not until your an adult".lol. If you are local and would like a free reading... please contact me. I have done remote readings in the past and people have told me good things about those.

 I need to see a picture of the person I am reading for, if I am doing it remotely.. don't ask me why. I need to visualize who i am reading for. Don't laugh at me.. but I have actually sold readings on ebay in the past... but found that I was putting more time & effort into it and not asking for enough money. I would take pictures of the cards, upload them and send them along with a lengthy description and then my thoughts... way to much time for the little money I was charging.

 John has been unwilling to let me read for him since taking the class, however he has let me in the past. I don't want to shove this down his throat or anyone's throat.I really enjoyed the class and getting out of the house to do something for myself. I am already thinking about what class I can take next.In other news I have my root canal tomorrow ( hold me), I am less nervous than I was before, but still a tad anxious because I don't know what to expect. I decided to go ahead and get the laughing gas and since I made that decision I feel a little better. In a perfect world I will only end up needing a filling.

week nine/week eighteen

Before                                                                                        During

 

I can really see a difference in my core/stomach in these pics, the first taken at week nine and the second taken this morning week eighteen. Sadly I also see a loss in my bust ; (

Frumpy

John complains that I go from Fab to Frumpy as soon as I get home from work. The first thing I do is change, remove my jewelry and put my hair up. Coming from a guy who never dresses in more than a T shirt & shorts, I can't see why he is suddenly Mr. What not to wear. I like to be comfortable as I go about my after work routine of cleaning,cooking and just relaxing. I often wear constricting pencil skirts, spanx like undergarments and heels. I am not always comfortable in my business wear.. or it starts bothering me at the end of the day. I don't think john gets this. John has never had a job requiring him to dress up... he has not touched an iron in years. I am not going to cook & clean in my expensive clothing. I countered that if he had a white collar job and dressed in a suit & tie, the first thing he would do is remove that tie & roll up his sleeves & untuck his shirt. What I am doing is no different.

The truth is... if I was a stay at home Mom.. I would dress this way all the time.  I love yoga/relaxing clothing. When I was a stay at home Mom I lived in yoga wear/velour hoodie sets. John keeps ragging on me about this.. I said " what do you want... me to serve you dinner in my skirt & heels?" and basically that is it. I think he is upset that I am looking all good for work/court but look frumpy for him. He probably gets to see me for 5-10 min each morning looking put together and then the remainder of the evening and for the majority of my time with him.. I look frumpy.

But If I am about to stay dressed up for him, he better shape up the way he dresses to impress me.

any thoughts?

Booyah ;-)

My girl

my super energetic daughter who inspires me to get fit, so I can keep up with her. I have yet to beat her in a race since she was 18 months old.. girlfriend is fast

week 18

I started the female body breakthrough... well I am modifying it since I don't have some of the equipment needed. I am also not giving up cardio as recommended. I am using  30 min of cardio as my warm up on my weight lifting days. I am still working out five days a week.. that is my routine and I am sticking to it. I am feeling it already in my body... I am sore. I am still learning all the moves and focusing on proper form and using light weight/ body weight first. I learned my lesson with that Lat injury last week. I like all the variety and so far it is really working different muscle groups. I have also started drinking protein shakes on weight lifting days. I am feeling really strong & healthy and that is such a good feeling. Liv felt my bicep and said " wow Mom your strong like a Boy!"... I want to model for her that girls can be strong and feminine too.

My weight went back up to 140 while I was sore, then back down to 137 when I recovered and today I am back to 140.... very sore again. The book prepares you for a increase as you tax your body and then a drop. All is well with my food choices...I am still a snacker and I realized that is just who I am.. I eat small portions at meals and get my extra calories from snacks. I am making sure there are healthy options. I carry almonds in my purse and always have something handy. I am probably eating around 1500- 1550 calories a day these days.


all is well... my week 20 reward is going to be a massage... I really need one.

The nose knows

Remember how I was saying how Liv has been extra stinky this summer... if not  go here--------> and look under my  " Liv" posts. I finally realized after giving her a good sniff and basically smelling the stench roll off her feet, that  her feet are the culprit and man do they smell bad. No 7 year old sweet little girl should ever smell like that.. Long story short summer swim camp requires sneakers as they are on a playground for the morning and swim in the afternoon.  No sandals allowed at camp, except for the pool. Liv was breaking her flip flops weekly ( she walks like a Clydesdale..drags the top of her toes and breaks flip-flops easily)... so after replacing the umpteenth pair, I just had her wear her sneaks to the pool.


I will leave the rest to your imagination...... along with Liv's habit of slipping on her sneaks w/o socks and the hottest summer like ever... yuck. I threw those shoes away and will replace her sneakers. I am hoping this puts an end to our stinky problem. Next summer she is getting water shoes to wear from the dressing room to the pool.

What would you do!

I am throwing a Family Halloween Party-if everyone comes there will be roughly 11-12 kids present.. ages 1  to 12 years old.  Plus all the adults. Liv has a huge bedroom.. it is the room that was intended to be the master bedroom. We live in a bungalow so the whole upstairs is one big room. She has many, many things in that room, a desk full of art supplies, baskets of squinkies, pets, people, barbie stuff, games... etc...drawers of glitter, glue, etc.

I was considering restricting access to this room during the party,  because I don't for-see any adults supervising. Just because at Family party's that is what we do... just let the kids do their own things. My fear is that if we allow all the kids upstairs that the younger kids will get into everything. I am trying to save myself the headache of having to clean it all up.. in a perfect world the parents would ensure that the kids clean up before leaving and supervise.. but lets get real.. that does not always happen. I don't want to be babysitting and breaking up fights up there. I want to enjoy the party too. I can already see Liv freaking out over her little cousins getting into her stuff. She is just as anal as her Mama.

John feels we should just put up all the baskets of stuff... in my opinion that is too much  work I don't have anywhere to put the stuff since turning her closet into a reading nook.  If we allow the kids upstairs that frees up more space for the adults downstairs... our home is small. My plan is to have a craft table set up downstairs for coloring & crafts, and a few baskets of blocks & toys for the younger kids in the family room. I am hoping to keep the older ones entertained with crafts & games.

Any ideas?

Core & Vent

I am working hard to shape up my core... of course I am sucking it all in when I take these pics.. lol. But I am seeing progress... when I suck it in I can see the body I am working hard on molding. I really am paying closer attention to strengthening my core. That prone jack knife move is tough.

I love success stories with before & after pics. I get really motivated and inspired. If I am having a low day I just read a few stories and look at some pics and get re-energized all over again. What really bugs me are the before pregnancy pics that show a woman in her ninth month ready to burst...I don't think.. "gee that lady let herself go"... what I am thinking is that lady is pregnant... really pregnant... with twins possibly. I usually know that they are in their ninth month as they are in the wheel chair on their way to delivery, possibly crowning at that very minute..lol

 To me overweight & pregnant are two different animals. I know one can be overweight while pregnant and I hear that pregnancy causes weight gain.. lol.... I just don't like the use of pregnancy pics as an indicator of weight loss success. It just rubs me the wrong way and seems a little like cheating somehow. 

I have never been pregnant.. so maybe this is just something I am not getting. I would much prefer to see pic of her with the post pregnancy weight and then her new body she worked hard to create. Pre- baby, after baby and then her final results. I am sure it is a struggle to lose the baby weight and I am not in any way , shape or form diminishing the hard work it takes to get in shape no matter what caused one to gain the weight.

I am guessing that these Ladies are just posting the picture of them at their largest to have the wow factor.I guess I can't fault them for that.. they earned those stripes and carried that load. Kudos to them... honestly.
what do you think? maybe all my infertility woes have left me a little jaded and I am not getting it?

when your child does not want to eat meat..

Liv has recently expressed not wanting to eat animals...saying she felt bad that the animal has to lose it's life so she can eat.  I can see the wheels in her head turning and putting all the pieces together, realizing that animals are killed to get the meat. Liv would ponder this over dinner.. where does this meat come from?, which animal?, how do they get the meat? etc. She gets quite graphic which usually makes me want to forgo the meat myself and I have to stop the conversation. I always think I am a hypocrite.. If I am going to eat the meat, I should be able to talk about it. If I had to hunt and kill my own food.. I would never eat meat.


Liv has recently taken up catch & release fishing and was turned off eating Fish for dinner as she could think back on her recent experience with touching a fish & letting it go. As a former vegetarian... I like to think that I understand where she is coming from.  Liv has a heart for animals and I fully support her choice and will do my  best to make sure she gets proper nutrition & protein. These days I consider myself a flexitarian... eating many meat free meals a week.

So I told Liv that I was ok with her choice and that there were many meat free options. I told her that I may still cook & offer her the meat items I prepare, but i would respect her choice. I eat Boca or morning star meatless products and today for dinner I prepared her a meat free pattie with some veggies which she enjoyed. However Liv is not holding fast to her ideas..she decided to have some fried chicken at a b-day party... and that is fine.. she is seven.. I am not holding her to these on a whim ideas... however I support her.


how would you handle this type of situation? 

Week 17

My weight was 140 this morning.. trying not to focus on that because I know I am on track & working hard. I have only missed one workout in 17 weeks due to illness and I made that one up on the weekend. I have been pretty sore from increasing my work with weights and I know the body tends to retain water when it is repairing the muscle.... so no biggie and I really mean that. I am ok with going up on the scale if my body is getting smaller in size, leaner and firmer. That is a trade off I can handle. These pants in the picture were too tight/ small on me before and now they fit fine. I am comfortable tucking in shirts now too. I strained my lat muscle so I have not lifted any weights since Monday and instead am doing my morning cardio and evening core work on the Swiss ball.


 My new plan is to do 30 minutes of cardio M/W/F and do the weight lifting program on T/Th. Resting on weekends as usual. I may switch that up as I go along and learn the routine.  The book advises 3 days a week of weights and to drop cardio all together at first.. but since I am so sedentary at my job, I really feel I need that cardio.. so I am trusting my gut. I am modifying the plan to meet my needs and then I will see how it goes. 


I kinda decided not to pursue outdoor training for the 5k at this time. Running outdoors is something I enjoy, however I enjoy running on the treadmill more. I don't find that running comes very naturally to me.. i love the high afterwards....but outdoor running feels very rough on my body- hips, knees. I keep getting discouraged /frustrated that outdoor running leaves me so sore and is taking me longer to adjust to. I am still needing to stop often for walking breaks. I have been unable to get the pacing right to even run a mile straight.  Its a challenge and while I am still doing it on occasion.. I feel I need to focus on other goals where I can see results from my hard work.

now on to new goals.... I have always been interested in weight lifting and I think My large boned body type is going to respond well to it. 

Lunch

I ended up working from home today since our internet is down at work. This is what I had packed for my day at the office. I always try to pack extra snacks for the office, to avoid the tempting baked goods. Turkey, cheese spinach w/ mustard wrapped in a whole wheat soft tortilla, fresh fruit and Pop chips ( baked chips) Yummy... always try to eat fresh fruit when I have it on hand.

Dinner

Frozen Parm crusted oven baked tilapa, fresh sauteed green beans with a dab of butter & bacon bit, glass of Pinot Grigio. I should have also made myself a salad or some brown rice... this dinner felt very light. Those frozen Tilapa fillets are a time saver and so delicious. They are sold under the brand treasures of the sea and I believe available at walmart/big box stores- bj's, etc. I found them locally at marcs. This is a new addition to my diet, I typically don't eat much seafood besides albacore tuna in my salads. Trying to change things up and keep it interesting. I liked that these were still breaded.. but doable in calories & fat. The plain fish does not look appealing to me.

Do you like seafood?

-this meal not including the wine, but including the 1/2 pat of butter was 278 calories and 11 grams fat.

heavy reading

 

I am planning on starting this new strength training plan from the books pictured.. it is a 16 week plan and I am going to dedicate myself to 4 weeks and see how it goes. First off I need to make copies of the plans & exercises to tape to my exercise room walls. I have most of the equipment at home, weights, swiss ball, kettle ball, etc... I will just have to skip the exercises that require the chin ups, cable pulleys, etc. I am still reading the book and while I have not officially begun the program I have started upping my weights and I am so sore today. I was doing15 lbs on the lat row  and that is easy to complete the whole set,  upping it to 20 lb was to much since I am in pain today  The books really don't say how much to lift other than Women lift less than capable and to push yourself. You need to slowly increase the weight.

The Authors need to number and letter everything got confusing.  These workouts seem complex and are always changing week to week. There are 15 secrets and 14 workout principles. There are workouts A and B for weeks 1&2, 3-8, and 9-16. Within workout A for weeks 1&2, there are exercises called 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B. Within workout B for weeks 1&2, there are also exercises called 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, but they are completely different exercises. The problem is repeated for the next two sets of workouts A and B. Then you get to the metabolic exercises, which has a whole set of 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D exercises.

The other thing the book is very much anti-scale and more for measuring. They recommend getting a pair of thermometer jeans- 2 sizes smaller than what you currently wear and using those to show your progress as you work your way to fitting into them. They warn that while you may go from a size 12-6 and lose fat.. you may gain weight or stay the same weight. That is hard to wrap my head around.. but I do want to really change my body and not just be a smaller version of the same old body.

we will see.. I am hoping to start on monday.

New addition to my routine*updated

New plan recommends to have a whey protein shake 20 min after a w/o. I always envisioned these protein products for more heavy duty body builders, but from my limited research it seems this can be a beneficial addition.We will see how it works.. I was really on the fence about purchasing this... a $11 purchase ( it was on sale), but if I am going to do this new plan Fit Female breakthrough.. I want to do it right.


** tried this today after my workout... very yummy...tasted like a chocolate malt. I just added 8 ounces 1% milk into a cup with a tight lid, 1 scoop of the whey powder and a few ice cubes... shook it like crazy and drank it.  FYI walgreens has this on sale for $10 until sept 29th, it is regularly $15, also you can get a coupon online ( google pro-wellness whey protein coupon) for another $3 off...so that brings the price down to $7 which is a very good deal. I am going to pick up some Vanilla tomorrow to mix with fresh fruit.  They have many yummy blender recipes... adding Greek yogurt/fresh fruit/peanut butter. I had this at 8 am  and it kept me full until lunch. I snacked on 100 cal snack pack of almonds around 10 am.

I have read that women who drink whey protein shakes lose more body fat than women who don't... I am all for losing more body fat.


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goals

This is the homework from the book I am reading.. since I can't write in the library book.. I am blogging it.


Goals- ( write your goals without considering if it's realistic.. be very specific)
 I want to be below the double digits in my clothing size... a size 6 would be lovely. I want to lose inches & body fat. I want to be lean and fit. I want to be able to wear a bikini and workout in a midriff baring sports bra & shorts. I was a toned trim body. I want to donate any " fat" clothing, anything that has a stretchy waist and does nothing for my body. I want to feel great in my own skin and never feel insecure about my body again.I want to look healthy & fit, soft & feminine with defined muscles. I want to feel strong and love myself inside & out.

what am I willing to do to make this a reality?
I will make the time for myself, I already wake up early to exercise, I will plan ahead for lunches & meals, give up fast food & unhealthy food choices.

What sacrifices am I not willing to make? My daughter comes first... so should she need me... she always comes first.. I will not put my goals in-front of her needs... however I have managed to workout 5 days a week for the past 4 months and I still meet her needs. I always can delegate to my husband and it's ok to say that it's my time.

How will I feel once I achieve my goals- I will feel strong, healthy, vibrant and amazing, being in the best shape of my life will give me boundless energy and renewed self confidence. I hope to have an amazing success story that I can share with other women. I want to encourage & inspire family, friends and strangers to be the best they can be.

What will drive me to do what it takes to become a Fit female? what will the repercussions be if you do not meet your goals?  I am a very driven person, and even when my motivation is dragging, I like to be focused on a goal. I do very well at breaking down a goal into baby steps and taking things one day at a time. The repercussions of not meeting my goals will be just the natural consequences of not taking care of my body & health.

come up with a mission statement

Just get started, nothing to it but to do it
Perhaps I am stronger than I think
One day at a time, each workout brings me closer to my goal
a one hour workout is 4% of my day- no excuses. 

Fake out salad

- blog is public for a minute

Back in the day one of my fav restaurant salads was the crispy chicken salad w/ house Ranch. You basically take a healthy salad, top it with cut up fried chicken strips, cheese and house ranch. I knew it was not the healthiest salad... but Hey it's salad? until you look at the nutrition info and faint chick fila crispy chicken salad- 700 cal 53 gm fat- numbers include the ranch dressing packet.

Here is my version of that salad

romaine mix lettuce
3/4 boca burger meatless chicken patty
generous sprinkling of cheddar cheese
cukes/grape tomatoes/red onion
1.5 oz of Kens steakhouse lite ranch dressing


under 300 calories, 14 fat ( numbers include 1.5 oz of Kens lite ranch dressing)

Still just as yummy... much healthier. I could do a fat free ranch and make it even lighter... but I prefer the taste of a light dressing with a little Fat then a FF one.

Week 16- bring on the weights

All is well over here... still going strong.  My total weight loss has been 9 lbs. Even though when I began I hoped to lose 1-2 lbs a week,I am still thrilled with my progress. Everybody and every body is different and I know I am working hard. I can see the results & I feel better overall. It takes time to make big changes.


I am reading the Female Body breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove and am considering taking on the challenge of more serious weight lifting. For me keeping up with this new lifestyle is not so much about motivation but strategy. I like having a plan and a goal to work towards. The weight lifting plan urges one to forgo cardio... that is the only caveat I can find..i like cardio. So we will see how it goes. I need to finish the book before I begin. The fitness plan breakdown seems a little confusing at this point. I don't want to start until I have a good understanding of what I am doing.

I have noticed that I am relaxing a bit with my diet...still eating whole grains/salads/fruit.. but allowing   myself a small portion of treat foods as well... candy at the movies, a few tater tots, etc. I have not had any fast food in the past 4 months...and if I did go with Family- I got salad or something off the healthy menu choices. I know one splurge will not ruin me. I am accountable for everything I eat in my food journal and I am sometimes I actually eat my exercise calories back and still losing weight ( slowly).

I will keep you all posted on the book

Progress Pics

first pic taken 6/14/2012

second taken 8/31/2012

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Body Shape

So I was taking my measurements wrong, I was measuring my bust at the bra band and my waist at the smallest section. You are supposed to measure your bust at the fullest part??? who knew I have heard conflicting info on how to measure ones waist, one dress making you tube video I watched said to raise your arms & bend to the side.. wherever you crease is where you should measure. Another fitness video said to measure at the navel at the widest part of the waist, another said at the smallest part. I am definitely an apple shape...I have always gained in my waist and had slender hips & thighs... I often have to buy bigger pants to accommodate my waist, when the rest of my body could def fit into a smaller size. Can't really morph my body shape.. all I can do is try to get into the best shape for me.


 current measurements

Bust 38.5 at fullest part, 34 at bra line

waist- natural 35, navel 38

Hips 40.5

Bicep 12 1/4

I know I lost 1/2 inch in my natural waist, 2 inches in my bust/upper torso based on the way I measured it before.

Ouch

I have been kinda blindly weight lifting... just doing 12-15 reps, 1 set each. Focusing on exercises that I am familiar with from my years of doing the Firm. The Classic Firm is still my fav exercise video of all time..My vhs copy is very used and hardly works anymore.It's a dated w/o but oh so efficient. Isolation exercises.. with 5,10,15 lbs weights- bicep curls, tricep kick back, french press, pec flys,shoulder press, bent curls and the 15 lbs are for lat rows.. because lats can take heavy weight.


I feel like a need a little more direction in the weight lifting department. Goals and a plan.  I am waiting on a book from the library.. New rules of lifting for women. I have read a few blogs and reviews and basically it's more whole body movements w/ heavy  weights such as squats. I am trying to add weights 3 days a week now. I am not afraid of weights at all.. not worried about bulking up. I am all for embracing my muscles.

I used my new weight bench/weights on Monday...kicking it up a notch to 2 sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise... boy am I  feeling it today big time in my triceps.  I even tried upping my weight on some exercises from 10-15 lbs.. 15 is too heavy yet while 10 feel to easy.. maybe I need 12 lbs??. I tried my new kettle ball as well. Did some squats & swings. I need to print out more exercises as this is a new type of weight for me.

My husband is so funny.. because I work out with weights, he expects me to be able to carry a stove or some equally heavy object down the stairs.. he is all " well you lift weights dontcha?? "..... he won't ask a buddy for help. I say to him.. yes I workout.. but I'm not the hulk.

Do you use weights?


The killer move has my ab's so sore... no other workout in the past 16 weeks has worked my core like this one

Prone Jackknife


Grab a Swiss ball and get in pushup position with your shins resting on the ball and your palms flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart (A). Pull your knees toward your chest, allowing your hips to rise toward the ceiling and your head to tilt toward the floor. Stop when your toes are on the ball and most of your weight is on your hands (B). Straighten your legs to roll the ball back to start. That's 1 rep.


I find it difficult to get my shins on the ball with my arms on the floor.. they keep rolling to the side, so I just lay on the ball and roll myself forward.

New weight bench

weight bench that came with sets of  20lb, 15 lb, 8lb, dumbbells plus a 15 lb kettle-ball- $30

Getting  a super shapely upper body- priceless

John did not think this was a good deal.. I think it was an awesome deal... the kettle ball alone is $24.

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Rewards

a pedicure & lunch with my friend... my week 16 reward a little early - I am just wrapping up week 15. I allow myself a little splurge reward every 4 weeks.


week 4 - fit-bit

week 8 - workout clothing

week 12 - new top & jewelry

week 16 - Pedicure with my friend

Squee

celebrating every little pound.... woot!!!!