30 Days of Fitness Challenge: Week 4 Update- Final Week!?

Today is technically the last day of my 30 days of fitness challenge. Dealing with a sick family member this last week made it really tough to get my workouts in and although it was on my mind, it wasn't the first thing on my mind for obvious reasons. Due to this, I would like to extend this challenge by a week and kind of pretend this week never happened, and I will make next week the final week of this challenge.  

I did get in a couple of workouts this week and will list and link them as usual, but there's really not much to report this week.  Also, the stress of dealing with a sick family member certainly didn't help with eating a healthy diet. The usual stress cravings kicked in as well as time being an issue so I was reaching for quick foods like pizza more often.. not that I'd ever stop eating pizza anyways, I just ate more of it!

Here is what I have accomplished for the last 7 days:

1. Toning- The Firm's Hi-Def Sculpt complete workout (45 min)
2. Toning- YouTube- Jessica Smith Full Lower Body Exercise  (40 min)- Awesome workout!
3. No workout
4. No workout
5. No workout
6. No workout
7. No workout 

Weigh in:

• Starting weight: 145 lbs
• Last week: 143.0 lbs
• Today's weight: 143.5 lbs 

Wow, it was almost more painful for me typing "no workout" over and over again in the days listed above rather than doing a workout.  But family comes first and I am just reminding myself that there's always tomorrow. And one rule I've always lived by (sometimes to my detriment) is that rules were made to be broken, so I'm breakin' em, and I will continue the challenge this coming week-starting tomorrow.  I am also thinking that once the challenge is over, I may start a Fitness Friday to keep up my workouts and progress, keep me accountable and make sure that I reach my goals and stay there.

As far as my weight goes, I have found from A LOT of past experience that my weight is mostly affected by my diet and not exercise, so yes, i need to tweak my diet too. But, there are so many benefits and results that I am looking forward to from exercising that I really want to keep it up. I don't focus so much on the scale but rather how my clothes fit, how I feel and am I gaining muscle and losing fat, those are my objectives.

If you've been working out, I would love to hear any tips, tricks or even great workout resources that you have found or use yourself.

Xo Amy

30 Days of Fitness Challenge: Week 3 Follow Up + HUGE Skinny Teatox giveaway {over}

The last week has really been up and down with my workouts. I've had some rather large obstacles that made it impossible to workout on some days but life happens sometimes and you can't beat yourself up about that. Despite this I am sticking with the challenge and will update my progress and workouts completed in this post. If you missed the post regarding the challenge, here is a link to it 30 Days of Fitness Challenge.

Here is what I have accomplished for the last 7 days:

1. Yoga- Seane Corn Detox Flow Yoga (35 min)
2. Toning- The Firm's Hi-Def Sculpt complete workout (45 min)
3. No workout- family outing
4. Yoga- Trudie Styler's Weight Loss yoga, total body yoga (24 min)
5. Toning- The Firm Hi-Def Sculpt Express workout (25 min)
6. Yoga- Seane Corn Detox Flow Yoga (65 min)
7. No workout- sick :(

Weigh in:

• Starting weight: 145 lbs
• Last week: 143.5 lbs
• Today's weight: 143.0 lbs

The scale doesn't seem to want to budge very much but I'm definitely firming up and that's enough to keep me going. Hopefully next week will be better. I know that if I keep at it I will eventually see the results I want and that keeps me motivated!

If you haven't heard of Skinny-Teatox yet, they are currently holding a HUGE giveaway right now! I haven't tried their products yet but have been hearing a lot of buzz about them and hope to soon. Check out the contest if you are interested, it's a big one!!

$1,200 Victoria's Secret & Teatox Giveaway- Enter here!

Here is a link to their website if you just want to check them out- skinny-teatox

See you next week!

Xo Amy

30 Days of Fitness Challenge: Week 2 Follow Up

It's been 2 weeks since I challenged myself to 30 days of fitness. It's been a challenge alright. Trying to find the time and having enough energy are my biggest challenges so far. As much as I feel good after completing a workout and keeping up with the challenge, some days I feel like I just can't do it. Despite this, I am pushing myself and that's part of the point; sometimes we need a push and it has to come from within ourselves, no one else is going to do it for us. The motivation comes from whatever it is we desire; wanting a better body, better health, better sleep, a better outlook or just being able to fit into all our clothes.  Whatever our motivation is, we have to use it as a powerful tool to get ourselves going and to stay on track.

I don't want the challenge to end after 30 days, I want this to become a habit, a way of life. That is another point to this challenge for me- to make fitness a part of my daily routine, to find the time, to make the time, to find forms of exercise that I enjoy and keep at it!

Over the past 7 days of this challenge there were some days that I just wasn't up to doing much of anything. But, for the most part, I chose to do some form of activity rather than do nothing (with the exception of one fail day.) I will list the exercises that I chose to do over the last week and you will see that I found many options for those days that I didn't have the time or energy. I will link to items I used in my workouts this week where possible.

Here is what I have accomplished for the last 7 days (Day 9-15):

1. Fail
2. Yoga- Trudie Styler's Weight Loss yoga, total body yoga (24 min)
3. Yoga- Sara Ivanhoe's Candlelight yoga (45 min)
4. Toning- The Firm's Hi-Def Sculpt complete workout (45 min)
5. HIIT- 7 Minute Workout App -it's free! (7 sweaty minutes...lol)
6. Toning- The Firm Hi-Def Sculpt Express workout (25 min)
7. HIIT- Youtube video- Fitness Blender's Brutal Fat Burning Cardio HIIT (27 min)

Weigh in:

• Starting weight: 145 lbs
• Last week: 143.5 lbs
• Today's weight: 143.5 lbs

Despite my one fail day, I chose an activity on 6 out of the 7 days, which I don't feel bad about at all. I'm not beating myself up over a fail day or even a shorter workout day as it's better than what I was doing before this challenge ie. nothing! Even on some of my most limiting days I found a way to squeeze in a little workout. For instance, some of the DVD's I have offer shorter workouts, and I finally used an app that I've had on my cell phone for eons- the "7 Minute Workout." It was a great workout and I actually worked up a sweat! Even though it was only 7 minutes, it felt good to get in a workout that day. I'm impressed with the app. and will definitely use it again.

I've read a lot of research over the last few years which says that they are finding out that short bursts of exercise are more beneficial than longer more traditional workouts.  Along those lines, HIIT or "High Intensity Interval Training" is gaining more and more popularity due to its purported benefits over conventional workouts. Many of you are probably familiar with or have heard of it. HIIT is basically a form of exercise where you alternate high intensity exercises with low intensity ones. One example would be running quickly for a few minutes and then walking for 1 minute (your rest period). This style of exercise is supposed to burn fat much more effectively than a steady paced workout. Here is Wikipedia's description of HIIT.

I may not have lost any weight but that's okay, I feel I am toning up already!

If you know of any great workout DVD's or app's please let me know.

Xo Amy

Day 1: 30 Days of Fitness Challenge- Yoga, Cardio, Weights and HIIT!

Talk about perfect timing! With a new month starting today, it's the perfect time for me to start my 30 days of fitness challenge. I've packed on a few extra winter pounds and I'm definitely not happy about it. I did well for most of the winter and I didn't feel like I gained any weight until the very end of winter, sometime around February, when I just felt my body suddenly packing on some pounds. Although, I'm not sure why because I hadn't changed anything. It seems like I have put weight on all over, but, I really notice it in my abdomen area as well as my hips and butt. Most of my jeans had become WAY too tight and I started looking like a sausage in them (best way to make you look even bigger!) And, yesterday, I was more than filling out my biggest pair of jeans!

I had been toying with the idea of challenging myself to either a 30 days of yoga or a 30 day workout/HIIT (High-intensity interval training) challenge. Since I prefer to do a little bit of everything: yoga, cardio, weights and HIIT, I just couldn't make up my mind! So, I decided that I will just do a "30 days of fitness" challenge. This way I can do any of the above as long as I do one form of exercise every day for the next 30 days! And, I will use this blog to keep myself accountable and on track.

I did the dreaded "weigh-in" and it wasn't good, but it also wasn't as horrible as I had expected. I guess I was expecting worse considering the extent that I was busting out of my biggest pair of jeans. Sadly, this indicates that it's most likely all fat that I;ve gained and no muscle- since muscle weighs much more than fat. (Picture 5 lbs of fat vs 5 lbs of muscle.) But, I guess it would be wishful thinking to hope for muscle gain when you're not even working out...

Time for change. I wish I could keep working out all the time once I get started. Not only do I look better when I workout but I also feel better! I go through phases though; I'll work out regularly for a while until something sets me back and then I fall off the "workout wagon." This time I stayed off the wagon for far too long,


The Challenge:

• I challenge myself to do some form of exercise activity daily; whether it be yoga, cardio and/or weights. (workouts can range from 15-60 minutes, depending on how I'm feeling and how much time I have.) note: my workouts will mostly be on a treadmill or following along with DVDs as I do not have a gym membership
• to lose weight and gain muscle.
• to fit into ALL of my jeans.
• to lose 5 pounds, minimum! (it doesn't sound like a lot, but I don't even want to picture what 5 pounds of body fat looks like!)
• and hopefully reap some other benefits along the way! 

 My Stats: 

• My start weight today is exactly 145 pounds and ??% body fat (trying to get my height into the scale to find out my % of body fat)
• My goal weight is 140 pounds (my ideal weight is 135 pounds)
• I am 5.7 and a half (just for reference)
• I have taken my measurements and will share how much I lose, if any 

My Tools:

• variety of workout dvd's (yoga, cardio, weights, HIIT)
• free workouts on YouTube 
• treadmill 
• mini stair climber
• kettlebell
• free weights
• resistance bands
• my body weight (lots of squats and push-ups)
• Old Navy workout clothes, I LOVE their workout gear (seriously, check out their compression pants!) hehe.. had to throw in some fashion!

Some of my gear:

From experience, I know that I look and feel my best around 135-137 pounds, and, I also know from experience that it's a little unrealistic for me to STAY at that weight. Usually, 140 pounds is pretty easy for me to maintain without too much effort.

I will be trying to eat healthier as well, but I will not be going on any "diet" per se. No calorie counting, no diet restrictions. Although, I do try to limit my sugar (especially) and carbohydrate intake as I have for years after a rather large, unexpected and sudden weight gain many years ago (and that's what worked for me to lose the weight.)

I will be keeping a journal and I will weigh in once a week (I don't like to weigh-in daily as our weight can fluctuate daily due to water weight as well as many other factors.) I will also document anything else that comes up during this 30 day journey, such as: stress level, sleep, mood etc. It will be interesting to me to see what changes, if any, may occur during the challenge. I could definitely use a boost in the mood and sleep department!

Here I am in a before shot. I knew I had gained weight, but, I didn't realize that I got this large (for me) until I took this pic a couple of days ago! (I once heard a professional photographer say "a camera doesn't lie"-yikes!) ps. don't mind all the cat toys... lol

Day 1 of 30 (April 1, 2015):

Wow, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. Didn't realize I got so out of shape! (not sure why the picture is stamped March 2015, it was taken today, April 1, 2015)

Note: I have been having problems with my right knee. If it worsens, I may have to modify what I am doing during this 30 day challenge.

If you like, follow me on Instagram. I'll be posting updates on there as well. https://instagram.com/healthandbeautygirl/


Wish me luck! And, I hope you will join me!


xo Amy