My Last Chance Workout Routine KICKS ASS!

Today was day #4. I hurt. No, I REALLY hurt. But I must say, I keep going back for more because of the pain.  Here is the breakdown of Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout. Also, if you are like me and aren’t completely familiar with exercise/weight training names yet, I’ll explain as best I can. You can always google the exercise names. Make sure you have two dumbbells (5-10lbs recommended, depending on your skill level), a mat (if you feel you need it). I use 3 pound weights and my no mat.

CIRCUIT 1:

  • Jumping jacks (45 seconds)
  • Rows (knees bent shoulder width apart, bend forward slightly, back straight (no curving!), weights in front palms facing each other with weights in hand, and pull back) (20 reps)
  • Criss Cross Jumping Jacks (jumping jacks but cross legs in front of one another) (40 seconds)
  • Wide Rows (same position as rows, but palms facing down and bring up to sides as if doing push up in the air with your weights) (25 reps)
  • Scissor Jumping Jacks (jumping jacks but legs go front and back with each jack) (40 seconds)
  • Rear Flies (same stance as rows, palms facing each other with weights and bring out wide) (20 reps)

CIRCUIT 2:

  • Jog in Place (35 seconds)
  • Basic push ups (if beginner go on knees, always keep back straight) (20 reps)
  • High-knees (35 seconds)
  • Staggered Push Ups (hand position is staggered and switch with each push up therefore in constant motion - as if you’re walking forward, then backward with ur hands as you lower) (20 reps)
  • Butt Kicks (40 seconds)
  • Up/Down Planks (plank position - go on knees if beginning - and get down to elbows one at a time, then back up one at a time, and repeat) (20 reps)

CIRCUIT 3:

  • Tap & Side-Kick (tap foot to one side and kick side-ways to opposite side) (25 reps)
  • Alternating Lunges (step back and lunge down with weights at sides) (25 reps)
  • Tap & Side-Kick (opposite side) (25 reps)
  • Step Out Squat (weight almost on shoulders, step to side and squat, do both sides alternating) (20 reps)
  • Alternating Front Kicks (40 reps)
  • Dead Lifts (stand with feet shoulder length apart, bend forward with weights in front palms facing down - keep back STRAIGHT, and back up, then repeat) (30 reps)

CIRCUIT 4:

  • Cross Punches (kickboxing style, punch to each side by slightly turning your bod to each side as well and put effort into punches!) (40 reps)
  • Basic Bicep Curl w/Right Leg Lifted (so you are on one foot) (20 reps)
  • Hook Punches (kickboxing style, again turning body slightly and put effort into hooks!) (50 reps)
  • Basic Hammer Curl w/Left Leg Lifted (20 reps)
  • Upper Cuts (kickboxing style) (50 reps)
  • Pumping curls (do them fast in a fluid motion) (60 seconds)

CIRCUIT 5:

  • Jump rope (40 seconds)
  • Tricep Curls (in kick-back position, bring arms at 90 degrees passed your back and curl) (30 reps)
  • Jump Rope w/Criss Cross Arms (same as jump rope but cross your arms in and out) (40 seconds)
  • Tricep Overhead (bring both - or one if you’re beginning) - of your weights on top of head, arms by ears, up and down) (30 reps)
  • Right.Left Leg Jump Rope (jump on one leg for 25 seconds and on the other for the other 25 seconds)
  • Pumping Triceps (back to kickback position, and do pumping tricep curls in fluid motion) (35 seconds)

CIRCUIT 6: (last circuit and it sucks!)

  • Mountain Climbers (get on all fours and mountain climb in fluid motion!) (60 seconds)
  • Lateral Raises (Raise weights to shoulder length to side and back down) (20 reps)
  • Plank Jacks (plank position and do jacks in plank position - out/in of feet) (35 reps)
  • Front Raises (weights in hand bring out arms straight, palms facing down, in front of you to chest level and back down) (20 reps)
  • In/Out Plank Mountain Jacks (plank position and jump inward a bit, back, and jack - jump to spread feet, jump back to feet together, inward again, and repeat) (40 seconds)
  • Arnold Presses (hard to explain, please google) (10 reps)
And you’re done!! This should last you 30 minutes at least! No rest in between (if you must take at the MOST 5 seconds rest) is the whole point of circuit training. I can tell you that if you are not in decent shape it will kick your ass, but you will feel the difference in a matter of days!

Oh My Muscles!

This will be day 3 (only day 3) of my Jillian workout and I am sore as hell. I am clearly out of shape, but even so, her program is an ass kicker. Its a 30 minute aerobic workout designed to be done each day. The DVD cover says you can lose up to 30 pounds in 6 weeks, and I believe that!  Each day is different and then after 1-2 weeks you move to the next one. Her workout includes warm-up and cool-down as well. You will need a pair of hand dumbbells for some of the exercises. I can tell you that each time I finish I am a sweaty mess and my heart is beating out of my chest.

I had put the weight back on, which I think was mostly water weight and now am back down 3 pounds so far! Can't wait to do it again tonight!

P.S. I have a new found respect for the Biggest Loser contestants. I'm hurting from a total of 1 hour..I can't imagine doing this all day, everyday!

School and Jobs

School is upon us. Less than a month away. My kids are ready, but for me, not so much. It will be my sons first year at a new pre-school and my daughter will be in 1st grade. And I, well I will be in year 3 of 5 working on my degree in computer science.

Lately, with the heat of this wicked summer that is bearing down on us, I have been thinking about all the cooler places that I would rather live. If truth be known, we live here because my parents, the only grandparents my kids have, live here. Now don't get me wrong, Oklahoma is not a bad place to live, not really. But, the summers are very humid and nasty, we have tornadoes in the spring and we have ice in the winter. It is relatively cheap to live here, well, really cheap to live here as opposed to my native state of California. But when it comes to jobs, Houston, we have a problem.

Jobs are slim to none around these parts. I'm sure the same could be said for many states with the current financial situation our country seems to be in. So I had a talk with my mom and she understands that once I graduate, wherever the jobs are is where I will need to move my family. Will it suck to be away from my folks? Sure it will. My kids love, love, love the grandparents as do I. But love does not pay the bills and that's where we will be.  I have 3 years to plan and save, because once I graduate that's it. Ideally, I could find something around OKC or Tulsa, but who knows. To say I am worried is probably a fair assumption. We will see what life throws at us..

WhoNu!?

I happened upon a coupon for a "nu" kind of cookies and thought I would give it a try. But first, let me tell you what attracted me to this "nu" cookie...


The website explains that each 3 cookie serving contains:
  • As much fiber as compared to a bowl of oatmeal
  • As much calcium and Vitamin D as compared to an 8oz glass of milk
  • As much Vitamin C as as compared to cup of blueberries 
  • As much iron as compared to a cup of cooked spinach
  • As much Vitamin B12 as compared to a cup of cottage cheese with fruit
  • As much Vitamin A as compared to an 8 oz glass of tomato juice
  • As much Vitamin E as compared to two cups (16oz) of carrot juice
Well, I found that attractive! So with coupon in hand I headed to the store. At walmart, they retail for 2.78. I had a coupon for $1.00 off, so I paid 1.78! The website http://whonucookies.com/ shows 4 different types of cookies, however I only located 2. I chose the crispy. I was thinking they would probably not taste all that hot, but with the nutrients suggested I couldn't help but try it.

Yum! Yes, YUM! These little cookies are wonderful! For a 3 cookie serving it is 150 calories, Fat 7g, Carb 22g, Fiber 3g, Protein 2g.  A nice snack with healthy rewards!

After years of research, testing, (and gallons of milk), the ingenious people at Suncore Products arrived at four scrumptious cookies, based on classic cookie flavors – only these are rich with calcium, iron and vitamins A, B, C, D and E. They also have 3 grams of fiber and a total of 20 essential vitamins and minerals. “Who knew a cookie could be so delicious and nutritious?” Someone wondered aloud. “Who knew? Hey, I kinda like the sound of that.” So they changed the spelling a bit, and the rest as they say, is cookie history.  -www.whonucookies.com

Postcrossing!

I don't know why it's taken me so long to blog about postcrossing. It is just as much a part of my life as the air I breathe. Have you heard of it? Allow me to share it with you...

Postcrossing.com is a website that was created to allow people from all over the world to send and receive postcards.   "The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world." -postcrossing.com

Some people are attracted to this simply because they collect postcards, others because they collect stamps. Me, well I just think its awesome to interact with people from all over the world. I send a postcard and usually within a week I have one in return from some other country.

Why not give it a try? The only way someone gets your address is once their postcard is registered as received by the person on the other end. Totally safe! And you can even do what is called a direct swap. Say you are yearning for a postcard from say Ireland (as was my case) and you just can seem to get one from there. You can search for users in said country and narrow your search to those who are interested in direct swaps. Message the user, ask if they want to do a direct swap and you are on your way.

Its a pretty cool thing they have going on over there! You should check it out. =)

Below I have posted just a few of the many beautiful postcards I have received from all over. In a later blog I will try to add more. What a joy!

Ireland


Netherlands

Italy


Japan


Russia


I Heart Bacon

Ever daydream about bacon? Ever think "what is the deal with bacon" that makes me love it so much? Is it the aroma that fills the room whilst it cooks? Is it the crunchy feel between your teeth when you bite down on it? What is it?  Whatever it is, I love bacon! 

Today I was thinking of all the ways you could serve bacon. I think one of my favorite ways to have bacon is on a BBQ cheeseburger. Seems odd when you think about it, pork on top of beef; pig on top of cow..ok, thinking too much there. I just know that when I smell bacon cooking I must have some. I think it should be mom, baseball and bacon. What do you think? Do you like it soft or crispy? What do you absolutely have to have bacon on? 

Wk 1 = -10.8 POUNDS!

Well, its my first weigh in after being AWOL for a bit, and I am proud to say I did very well. My weight loss for my 1st week back on Atkins = -10.8 pounds! Woo Hoo! Now I know what the Biggest Loser Contestant's feel like when they hit those big weeks. You can't imagine how big the smile was on my face when I looked at the scale!

I've stuck to it all week. No cheating. (Not like me!) And did my best to put away as much Dasani as humanly possible. I still had my Diet Coke, but matched it equally or more with water. For those of you who may not be familiar with Atkins or Low Carb plans,  protein keeps you fuller for a longer time than carbs. So if I have a bun less bacon cheeseburger and salad for lunch, I am set til dinner. Being that I am a major grazer/snacker, this is helpful for me. I'm just not hungry between meals.

I'm ecstatic that I am 1/3 of my way to the 30 pounds challenge!! Go me, go!