Ouch!

I decided to join Gold's Gym last week. Mostly because without my mom here I can't make time for a good workout and I really needed a break from the kids while Ian was away on a business trip. Gold's has daycare included in the monthly fee and I can leave them for up to 90min. They have a pool, steam room and hot tub too. I was excited to get into lifting again. It gives me instant confidence. Unfortunately I didn't foresee the not so instant muscle soreness. The day after I flat out couldn't walk. Today is a little better but it still hurts to get up from sitting. Sneezing hurts a little too. Ibuprofen didn't even touch the pain yesterday and sleeping was even difficult. Thats a lesson in starting slowly. The thing with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is that it comes a day later, sometimes two days after the workout. So if you are doing an exercise for the first time in a while take it easy. And never workout if your muscles are still sore. The soreness comes from tiny tears in the muscle tissue. This is good because those tears rebuild into stronger muscle, unfortunately it hurts. I forgot how important stretching after lifting is. It helped a lot when I was training for the figure competition 2 years ago. I'm at a plateau with my weight, that I'm sure will pass in a week or two. In the mean time I'll enjoy having a gym membership again and ease into lifting.

Skinny Jeans, Here I Come!

I'm down eight pounds since i started this blog! I slowed down for a few weeks, but I'm back on track. I'm doing no carbs after three again and listening to a hypnosis CD by Tom Nicoli. A new strategy has opened up to me- the sticker chart! I've used them for my children to track achievements. They get a sticker for every success and after 5 or 10 they get a prize. I'm working toward 20 days of sticking to the no carbs (including sugar substitutes) after three. I'm telling you the pounds melt off! This works since i do most of my running around earlier in the day. This would not work if I was working out in the evenings. The logic is carbs are good for energy but if you are sitting on the couch watching TV, they will be stored as fat.
Hope you are all enjoying you summer! Love,
Rosalin

Challenges

Life happens. There are so many excuses to get lost in the daily grind. There is the stress of bills, diapers, the sickness of family. This month I've encountered them all. How can we focus on ourselves when there is so much we need to do and worry about. Personally I fall into the category of people who put personal health and fitness on the back burner. But really, how can I be strong for all of lifes challenges if I'm not taking care of myself? Working out is not always fun, but for me, it is necessary. I don't want to wake up one day and wonder how I got to be so unhealthy.
Sometimes it take a little push or just some help. I was a little embarassed at the thought of seeing a personal trainer, (am i that weak?). But as I thought about it, it occured to me that even masters have a coach. Micheal Phelps and Tiger Woods have a coach, why shouldn't I? So thanks to Ian, I am back with my old trainer, Frank. Frank got me in shape for the Figure competition I did two years ago. I have full faith in him to push me past the point where I would give up. He makes me do ten more when I feel I can't possibly do one. I'm so sore that aside from workouts, I pretty much do as little as possible. I'm confident that the stubborn scale will move once again in the right direction. Thanks for all your support and good luck in all of your personal goals.

vegas here we come!

Hello from Las Vegas! We arrived here yesterday after a mellow 6 hour car ride. The kids were amazing and baby Max slept almost the entire time.
Last week I had some diet road blocks. Pain! I jumped into working out full force and after my second two mile run my body pretty much entirely throbbed in pain. I walked with a limp most of the week. It was a bit depressing but I came out 1 pound lighter.
This week in vegas I'm hoping to enjoy myself on this much needed vacation. Hopefully next week I'll be ready to recommit and make up for it! I am however, taking the stairs and working out at the hotel gym.

Love you all,
Rosalin

weight loss "old school"

This week has been a bit stressfull. Ian has been to Dallas on business half the week and working late the rest. Also, Max, our 7 week old baby has been waking up every two hours every night and not sleeping well during the day. Normally, stress like this would send me on a binging spree. I would rationalize going out for dinner because, 'I deserve it', or, 'Ian's eating out on his business trip, why can't I?'. But this week I stuck to my plan! I ate healthy breakfast and lunch with a light snack in between. I decided to try not eating any flour, grains, or sugars after 3 pm every day. I'm the kind of person who eats two dinners. I have my first and then after the kids go to bed and its time to unwind in front of the tv, I bring on the second dinner. I think that eliminating this habbit will bring the greatest results for me.
My mom and I have been doing a workout video 3-4 times this week. It is insanely intense. Only 20 min but Jillian Michaels, the trainer from the show 'biggest loser' believes that by combining cardio with resistance training you can limit time you work out, while still burning the same if not more calorries than an hour at they gym. Here's the thing guys, there was nothing fancy in this video. Remember gym class at school? Jumping jacks, jump rope, pushups, situps?
I don't remember it being so hard! Try it! How long can you jump rope? (no rope required)
Ok the final tally: I lost 3 lbs this week!!!
Tune in next week- 'Is this hypnosis CD working???'

Day 1

So here I am, finally 6 weeks postpartum. My midwife has cleared me to start exercising again. I gained a whopping 50lbs this pregancy. Currently I am hovering around 160 lbs, with a goal of 120lbs or fitting into my skinny jeans, whichever comes first. What is my plan? I don't really have one. I'm hoping that by starting this blog, all you readers will support me and hold me accountable. I know how to get in shape, I've done it before and for goodness sakes, I'm a certified personal trainer! This marshmallow like resemblence of me is about to embark on the greatest amount of weight I've ever had to loose. Join me on this journey which will no doubteldy be filled with sweat, tears and low calori jello. I would also like to experiment with different ideas about weight loss and see how they play out on the scale. Low carb, hypnosis, all cardio, all weights etc. If you are so inclined, please join me and keep me posted on your progress as well.
Love,
Rosalin