Saturday, April 30, 2011

Off Track

Do you ever get off track with your goals? The past weeks have been hectic but I managed to stay on track with my eating and goals. The past few days I haven't been as dedicated. Since Thursday night we have been dog-sitting for my parents so I have been enjoying a change in my regular routine. Lets just say I haven't been watching what I am eating or working out as normal.

I usually eat oatmeal every morning and a decent lunch and dinner. My mornings have been super busy so I haven't taken the time to make my super healthy oatmeal. And my dinner has been Easter candy, pasta, pizza, or mac & cheese for the past week. Dinner has been difficult. We seem to be busier in the evenings. I think that is normal with nicer weather on the way. The evening just flys by and before you know it, it's 8pm and you still haven't eaten dinner or gotten your baby down for bed!

I know I probably won't get back on track today since I ate a granola bar and ravioli's for breakfast and I haven't worked out yet today. Maybe I'll get to the gym or maybe I'll watch a movie a with my husband and sister! I guess I'll let you know later!

How on track are you with your goals? Have you slipped a bit off track or maybe a lot off track? Don't fret, tomorrow is a new day and you can get back on track again!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Get Active in Your Community

Just a reminder. March of Dimes is coming to Madison May 7th! If you haven't signed up and would like to you can join the Meriter team below:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1439949

I am really looking forward to this event. I am hoping we have nice weather so we can enjoy a fun walk outside! Are you planning on participating in the March for Babies?


Other than that, I had pizza last night for dinner and I think I ate too much. I hate that feeling. I'm also not gonna get to the gym today. Staying home with my baby girl and trying to get a lot done around the house! Hopefully I accomplish a lot! Are you taking a day off from your exercise routine too? 855 calories remaining - I should be able to accomplish that over the weekend no problem. Oh, and I need to do my ab exercises today that I talked about in yesterday's post!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Exercise Tip: Abs After Pregnancy

I had heard that during pregnancy your abdominal muscles can separate slightly due to the uterus growing and stretching your stomach. During and right after my pregnancy I never noticed this happening. After getting back down to my pre-pregnancy weight I was curious if my abdominal muscles separated at all. Here's how to check:

Lay down on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Then perform a crunch. While holding the crunch take a finger or two and feel right above and below your belly button. If you can fit 1-4 fingers horizontally above and/or below the belly button between your abdominal wall you have a separation. I could definitely get 1-2 fingers above my belly button.

At my doctor's appointment I had him confirm that I indeed had a separation, called Diastasis Recti.  He referred  me to a physical therapist that specializes in post pregnancy recovery to help correct this slight separation. I was so excited to figure out how to get my abs back!

Yesterday I had my physical therapy appointment. She confirmed a slight separation of 1-2 fingers above and below my belly button and said it is completely reversible - great news! She told me that crunches will pull the rectus abdominal muscles apart more - so AVOID CRUNCHING MOVEMENTS! This includes how I get up out of bed in the morning. Instead of sitting up, I have to roll to my side and get up. Its like being pregnant all over again!

In addition to avoiding crunches she gave me a series of exercises to perform every day that focus on the Transverse Abdominal muscle. Tightening this muscle will help to pull my Rectus Abdominal muscles together, closing the separation. These exercises involve laying on the floor with my feet on the floor and tightening my transverse muscle. You can feel this muscle when you exhale strongly, which engages the muscle about an inch or two in from your hip bone. While doing this, I have to avoid engaging my rectus muscle - very important!

In two weeks I go in for the second phase of exercises to continue making progress!

Elliptical today: 780 calories burned. 855 calories remaining

Did you get a separation in your abdominal wall from previous pregnancies? How did you correct it? Have you exercised yet today - what did you do?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Pants are Too Big

When I was a sophomore in college I got to my heaviest weight (138 lbs), Then I started learning more about nutrition and calories from my Dietetics classes and my ACE personal trainer certification. By my junior year I started working out regularly and watching my calorie intake. The summer going into my senior year I got to my lowest weight ever (112 lbs).

That summer I bought a pair of cargo pants that I love. They are a dull greenish color and they became my go to pants. Through the years my weight would go up and down a bit. The pants would be a little snug and then a little loose. But I was still able to wear them over the next 3 years.

When I got pregnant the pants went into a box at the top of my closet shelf. After having Nora I pulled the box of clothes down and decided to get rid of a bunch of stuff, but I had to hold onto my now paint splattered, torn, worn out, greenish cargo pants. I was determined to fit into them again like before.

Over the weekend I ran out of my usual yoga pants and my one pair of jeans. I really needed to do laundry! The only thing left in my closet were my cargo pants. I hadn't been able to get them on a few months ago, but I was back down to 115 lbs and thought I would try them on. They fit! Actually they fit with a little extra room to spare! I was so excited! So the pants aren't actually TOO BIG and they probably never will be, but I love that they fit me with space around my waist to spare.

Do you have a pair of pants that you want to fit into again? Hold onto them and start the 3500 challenge with me. Count your calorie intake and you can make those pants fit again!

I got to the gym today! Elliptical and 710 calories burned. 1635 calories remaining! Did you workout yet today?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Nutrition Tip: Lean Cuisine

When I started calorie counting I packed my freezer with Lean Cuisines. They made it so much easier to stay on track for 2 reasons.

One, they are portion controlled. In order to have seconds you have to pull another frozen meal out of the freezer, heat it up, and count those calories. With the Lean Cuisine I heat up my one entrĂ©e and know that's my dinner and no more.

Second, the calories have already been figured out for you. I have a few recipes that I have made and figured out the calories on my own. It is quite a process: get the list of ingredients, figure out total calories for all ingredients, figure out how many servings the recipe makes, and divide total calories by the total servings to get your calories per serving. It's a lot of work, but once you do it you are set with that recipe! Lean Cuisine takes this work out of the equation.

If you are trying to lose weight and working out along with this challenge and still struggling. Try counting how many calories you consume. And to make it an easier process, try a Lean Cuisine to make it easier to accomplish your goal.

I won't be getting to the gym this morning, but once my baby girl goes down for her morning nap I will get on the treadmill for 20 minutes and power walk! I'll comment with my workout later! Have you worked out yet today? What are you doing to fit some exercise in?

Do you buy Lean Cuisines? Which ones are your favorite? The Rigatoni is my favorite!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Week 9: Work Ahead

The challenge is to burn 3500 calories each week through physical activity. The week starts every Monday and ends Sunday night. You can choose how you want to burn the full 3500 calories: walk, jog, run, take a fitness class, bike, use the elliptical or stair stepper, swim, whatever you enjoy doing. You can exercise for once a day or multiple times a day. You can workout 5 days a week, or more or less. You choose how and when you are going to get the 3500 calories burned. All you have to do is get up and dedicate yourself to making it happen.

If you plan to workout 7 days each week. You need to burn 500 calories each day. If you workout less than 7 days, each day you workout you need to burn more than 500 calories to reach the goal. I have found that when I focus on burning 500 calories each day, I usually end up getting a bit behind and have to workout extra hard over the weekend. So now I try to start my week by burning as many calories as I can in the time I have to exercise - usually aiming for 600 calories. This way I get ahead of the challenge so if something comes up later in the week I don't have to work so hard to reach my goal.

I am going to continue posting my progress each day in the comments. Join the challenge with me and comment with your progress and how you got there!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. It's going to be a busy day. With everything going on in your holiday are you making time for some exercise? I know it is difficult: last minute errands, cooking, cleaning, packing, traveling, getting the kids in their Easter outfits...and the list goes on. I have 190 calories remaining to burn and it would be such a waste to make this the first week I don't make my goal. I won't have the chance to get to the gym this morning, but I am going to get on my treadmill or take out my aerobic box step and get it accomplished!

I will comment when I get my workout in. Have a great Easter!
See you tomorrow for the beginning of Week 9!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Delicious and Nutritious Tomatoes

The Today Show had a segment answering questions on health and nutrition earlier this week. They talked about lycopene, an antioxidant found in red-colored produce.They said on the show that lycopene is getting a lot of focus due to it's potential in lowering the risk of some cancers, sun damage, and aging. 

Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene and sun-dried tomatoes are packed with it. Cooking tomatoes helps to release lycopene, making it more available for our body to absorb. Add sun-dried tomatoes to turkey burgers, mix in with mashed potatoes, puree and mix them into hummus, or add them to a current recipe. 

A few months ago I came across a great recipe for Stromboli that uses sun-dried tomatoes. Take pizza dough, roll it out, spread a layer of blended sundried tomatoes and olives, add a layer of provolone cheese slices, add a layer of chopped spinach (frozen chopped spinach that you thaw and squeeze out liquid), roll up the Stromboli and glaze with a little egg and put in the oven till golden brown. It's a delicious recipe!

As far as my workout, I am subbing for a friend and teaching a cardio fitness class! It's an hour long so I'll get to burn a lot of calories! 600 calories burned, 190 calories remaining!


 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Partner Up!

I got a phone call the other day from a friend. During our conversation we found out that we have a gym membership at the same place and didn't know it! So we decided we would try to workout together this morning. Of course I told her what time I am usually there by and this morning I was late! It never seems to fail when you have a baby!

When I finally got to the gym we spent about 45 minutes on the ellipticals. Time flew by so fast. We were able to talk and catch up on what's going on in each other's lives and get fit at the same time. It was a nice change of pace! I am hoping we can get together more often and do this again.

Do you workout with a friend? Or maybe a spouse? I workout with my husband on the weekends and I love it! Doing something healthy (like working out) with each other is so much fun!

Burned 450 calories on the elliptical.
790 calories remaining

What did you do to get fit today?

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Exercise Tip: Yoga for a Flat Belly



I really enjoy Yoga every once in a while. It can be very relaxing and calming. It can also be a hard workout. Yoga has taught me a lot of exercises that I love. Yoga is great for a strong core. So here are a few abdominal yoga exercises you can try this week!

Do you currently do Yoga? Have you performed these exercises before? If you haven't, try them out and let me know what you think!

Once again, once I get my workout in today I will post my progress in comments! Comment along with me!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Closed Captioning

I use to RUN outside. I loved the fresh air, the breeze, and the colors of the sun coming over the horizon. Sometimes I would listen to music, but most of the time my inspiration came from nature. And then I wasn't able to run anymore due to a knee injury. Maybe one of these days I will get to enjoy this again. My chiropractor says he can probably help me get back to running - maybe not on a daily basis, but maybe once a week!?

Then, a few months ago I loved going to a STEP aerobics class. I loved the energy, the choreography (which took me a long time to finally get down), and the music. It was great to just show up for class, love my workout, have someone else tell me what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. It was great; and then I hurt my foot.

So now I am on the ELLIPTICAL just about every day. And I DO love the elliptical. I am able to get a great workout without hurting my knees or my foot. It has been a great blessing. What would I do without the elliptical! Sometimes I find myself looking down at the clock counting down my time. A lot of the time I play a game where I look at my calories and say I'm not looking at the clock till I hit 100 calories and then I say I'm not looking at the calories till I hit 20 minutes and I keep going back and forth trying to make time go by faster in my mind. When I'm not playing mind games, this is what I am doing:

Where I workout we have individual TVs with the Cardio equipment. The other day I had GMA and the TODAY show on with closed captioning. I don't like wearing headphones so I never listen to music or the TV, but the closed captioning is great. It traps me into focusing on reading what's going on and yesterday time flew by on the elliptical! So I may not have that fresh air, the fitness class, or the headphones, but that's ok. I am loving the elliptical and the closed captioning (when I can figure out how to get it on the tv's)! So here's to hoping I get closed captioning on my tv today and if I don't that's ok to! I just love my workout in each day, knowing I am improving my health with every step on the elliptical.

When I get my workout in, I'll post my progress in the comments!

What inspires you when you are working out? What's your current favorite form of exercise? And what did you do today to fit fitness into the middle of your week?

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Favorite Healthy Snack

There is one snack that I keep in my house on a constant basis.
I always keep it stocked in my refrigerator and it is my go to
whenever I feel like I am hungry between meals - which is often!
I am talking about string cheese and I especially love Sargento's
light string cheese - only 50 calories! I buy the huge packs and
usually 2 at a time. They are a great low calorie snack for at
home, at work, at school, or on the go.

This is my GO TO SNACK.
What is your favorite healthy snack?



As far as working out today. I am planning on Elliptical and Upper Body Toning Exercises. When I complete my workout I will post my progress in the comments! What are you doing today to get some exercise?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Week 8: MAINTAINING

When  I started this 3500 challenge journey I was struggling to fit exercise into my daily routine. I was struggling to lose the last of my baby weight. I was struggling to count my calories in an effort to lose the weight. It seemed, I had a very long journey ahead of me. Slowly but surely I eventually accomplished all of the above. I am getting to the gym most days of the week, I have lost the last of my baby weight, and my daily diet is in a better place. I am not necessarily calorie counting anymore though. I am so much more educated from calorie counting that I am making better food decisions.

The great thing about counting your calories is that it gives you structure to lose weight, it educates you on the foods you eat, and helps you to make better choices in the long run. I don't need to count calories now because I already know about how many calories my foods are and I naturally make decisions based on my knowledge. I do get off track once in a while, but then I hop back on and I am good to go. I know there will be times I get way off track and gain more weight (like being pregnant again, one of these days). When that happens I will end up calorie counting again to give me a jump start at making the progress I want to have (losing the pregnancy weight gained).

So know that when you calorie count, you don't have to do it for the rest of your life. You will naturally have created the tools you need to make decisions that help you maintain your results. And when you slip up, you can always calorie count again for a little while.

Do you currently calorie count or have you done calorie counting in the past? How has it worked for you? I know it can be a huge pain, but it's worth the results, right?!

Elliptical for me today: 660 calories burned, 2840 calories remaining
Also did my lower body toning exercises!

What did you do today?

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Where There's A Will There's a Way

I started this morning with 1,229 calories remaining to burn. How the heck am I going to accomplish this in one day? I stayed optimistic & went to the gym this afternoon. I stayed on the elliptical for 1.5 hours and burned 1,011 calories. I have 218 calories remaining to meet my goal! I am sure I can still do it! I am planning on getting on the treadmill at home and walking off another 218 calories tonight!

Do you ever have days where you feel you can't get everything accomplished? I sure do! Some days I push through and get a lot done. Other days I don't have the energy to step up to the challenge  (like the past 2 days). What gets you motivated on days like that? For me, eventually I hit a breaking point and I get up and get moving.

Did you exercise today? What did you do? How many calories did you burn? Fit Watch has a great fitness calculator to help you estimate your calorie burn:  http://www.fitwatch.com/database/searchexdb.html

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Exercising on a Work Trip

My husband just recently got back home from being out of town for work. While away, he made use of the  fitness room at the hotel. He made sure to pack workout clothes and shoes and jump on the treadmill or elliptical onsite and take advantage of the extra time he had in the evening. When you are out of town on business or pleasure, do you make use of the fitness room in your hotel?

I know that when I am usually out of town I unfortunately don't take the time to focus on maintaining my fitness routine. I usually eat more and exercise less. Then I come home feeling bigger and less relaxed. Do you ever feel the same way?

I know that exercising on my vacation away from home will help me feel even better when I do get home. So I should be better about exercising at the hotel and maybe next time I will be. I know that the 3500 challenge motivates me each and every day to get active! Next time you are away from home, try to keep exercise in your day and enjoy the benefits of doing something good for yourself!

Yesterday I didn't get much exercise in and today is going to be a busy day again, but I am going to try to fit in some exercise by the end of the day. When I get a workout in, I will post my progress in the comments for today's post! Are you super busy today as well? How are you going to cram some exercise in?

Friday, April 15, 2011

Get Active in Your Community

March for Babies in Madison, WI is coming up in three weeks (May 7th). It's going to be a great event! Fresh air, a wonderful walk in beautiful Madison, and it's all to help BABIES! If you don't have anything going on, sign up to walk! My husband and I are walking and signed up under Meriter's team.  Their link is below!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1439949

If you aren't from Madison, March of Dimes is probably coming to your area soon too. 

Milwaukee, WI: April 30th
Racine-Kenosha, WI: May 7th
Boulder, CO: April 30th
Detroit, MI: May 1
Austin, TX: May 7
Albany, NY: May15
Portland, OR: April 30

and so many more...search for the March for Babies walk near you: 


As far as my workout for today. I haven't gotten to the gym yet, but I am planning on it! Probably Elliptical  as usual. Once I get my workout in I will post it under comments! What did you do today to fit exercise in? Comment along with me!

Have you ever attended a charity run/walk? If so, which one did you do? And if you signed up for March for Babies let me know! 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Exercise Tip: Maximize Your Workout

This video is from ACE Fitness once again and shares a great technique to use to maximize your calorie burn in your cardio workout. The video uses the treadmill, but know that you can apply the same interval principle to the bike, elliptical, or your run/walk outdoors. I hope this helps you make your workout more efficient! Do you do interval training right now? If so, what do you do?



 I took the day off from working out. I had my last chiropractor appointment for my foot instead. Back to my normal routine tomorrow. I'll have to workout extra hard the rest of the week to make my 3500 calorie goal. Did you take a day of rest too? Or if you included exercise in your daily routine, what did you do?

0 calories burned
1850 calories remaining

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Nutrition Tip: Do You Eat Before Your Workout?

In high school I ran on the cross country team. I didn't eat before the first day of our summer morning practice & ended up vomiting after the run. The next day I made sure to get up extra early, have a bowl of cereal, and allowed time for it to digest before heading to practice. That day I felt just fine after our run.

Then about a week ago I heard that the latest research is saying not to eat before you exercise. They say you burn fat instead of the calories you just consumed, helping you lose weight. So for that past few weeks I've been eating my breakfast after my morning workout. I don't get sick afterwards, but I'm STARVING and find myself overeating.

This morning I decided to have a banana before I left for my workout and it seems to be the solution for me! I need a little something healthy before my workout so I make good food choices after my workout. Do you eat before you workout? If you do, what do you eat? If you don't, why not?

Elliptical once again for me! How about you, what did you do?

550 calories burned
1850 calories remaining

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Nutrition Tip: Back To Nature

http://www.backtonaturefoods.com/
I discovered Back to Nature Foods while I was looking for a healthier cracker. We love their Crispy Wheat Crackers, Organic Mac & Cheese, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Their food products are made with simple ingredients and no artificial preservatives or flavors. There are no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup in their foods and their cookie and cracker boxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard.They also use Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa only. I feel really good about buying their products because they are more wholesome for me and the planet! Have you ever tried one of Back to Nature Food's products?

My calorie counting has not been going very well so far this week, but it's a new day and I am going to try hard to stay within my target range. It's hard when you always feel hungry. Do you ever have days like that? I usually find that if I get busy with something I really like to do I forget about my cravings.

Back on the Elliptical and Lower Body Toning Exercises today! What did you do today to fit in some exercise? Did you workout in a gym, at home, or get out in Nature around your neighborhood or on a bike trail?

550 calories burned
2400 calories remaining

Monday, April 11, 2011

Week 7: Make Time For Exercise

A start of a new week is always refreshing. You can put the previous week's bumps in the road behind you and start new. Making time for exercise in our daily routine can be tough, but Fit Watch has 3 great strategies for fitting a workout in! 



If this is your first week joining me, great! To help you figure out how many calories your activities burn try out Fit Watch's Exercise Datebase.You just search for your activity and then enter in your current weight! It is a great tool for the 3500 calorie burn challenge! http://www.fitwatch.com/database/searchexdb.html

Today my workout was the Elliptical and then Abdominal Toning Exercises. Become a follower of my blog and post your progress daily along with me!

550 calories burned
2950 calories remaining

123RF has great photos I use on my blog:
<a href='http://www.123rf.com/#jaimedurheim'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

Sunday, April 10, 2011

SPLURGE!

We went Joey Buona's Italian Restuarant for my mom's birthday the other night!  There was so much delicious food! But I'm back on track today counting calories & working out. It's just fine to splurge once in a while, but the next day get back to your routine & any weight that you've gained should come right off. What do you do after you have a fun dinner, weekend, or vacation and splurge? Do you calorie count the following week, just eat salads, workout extra hard, or something else?

It's a beautiful day in the Madison, WI area! Sunny and warm! So I took out the stroller and went on a nice long walk with my baby girl! What a beautiful morning! It was a nice change of pace from my typical Elliptical workout. My walk was about 50 minutes so I am counting that as my 100 calories/10 minutes of exercise. What are you doing today to make your 3500 calorie burn goal?

500 calories burned
0 calories remaining

Week 7 starts tomorrow! Join me!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Restaurant Pick of the Week

Every Saturday I will be featuring a restaurant and one of their menu items. When you plan to eat out, try to check the restaurant's website for nutrition information so you can make an informed choice. Whether you go with a low calorie or high calorie option, at least you'll know what you're getting and how to plan that into your day!

Panera Bread
Next time you go to Panera Bread try the Smoked Turkey Sandwich. It is 420 calories. If you add a bag of their potato chips as a side (160 calories) you are up to 580 calories for your Lunch or Dinner. Here's a link to Panera Bread's nutrition calculator:

http://www.paneranutrition.com/NutritionCalculator.aspx

Have you ever checked a restaurant's website before eating there? Or maybe afterwards? How did it affect your menu choice?

Today's workout is going to be the Elliptical again. If you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE the elliptical! And then Lower Body Muscle Toning Exercises are on my list of to do's. My chiropractor wants me to strengthen my quadriceps to help stabilize my knees! What is your exercise regimen going to look like today? Why did you choose that exercise in particular? Are you working on a specific goal or just trying to get your 3500 calorie burn in by tomorrow evening?!

500 calories burned (or about to be burned when I get to the gym later this morning)
500 calories remaining

Friday, April 8, 2011

Get Active in Your Community

Meriter has created a team for the March For Babies Walk in Madison, WI! The walk is on May 7th. It is free to participate and your donation helps babies! For more information or to sign up for the team go to:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1439949

Are there other events in your local area that would be fun to participate in? Comment on today's post and share what events are happening in your area!



Today's workout: Elliptical and Upper Body Muscle Toning Exercises! What was your workout like today? How many calories did you burn?

500 calories burned
1000 calories remaining

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Exercise Tip Thursdays!



Starting today, every Thursday I will be posting a new exercise for you to try. Hopefully you learn something new to bring to your current workout! Today's Exercise of the week comes from ACE Fitness and uses a stability ball. We target the butt and abdominals. There are two different exercises in this video. Try one or both out and let me know what you think!

Elliptical and Lower Body Toning Exercises today! What did you do to fit exercise into your Thursday?

500 calories burned
1500 calories remaining

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Now a Habit

3 months ago I would not say I was in the habit of working out. Some days I felt like exercising and other days I didn't want to get off the couch, or better yet - I wanted to exercise but then just never got around to it. Starting this challenge made me make a commitment to working out each and every day. While I maybe didn't feel like exercising, I told myself,  "I have to for the challenge." After a few weeks I started to actually enjoy my morning workout. Then it became a part of my normal routine. I don't even think to myself, "Do I want to go workout?" It's not even a question. Instead, I think, "Get up, get Nora packed up, and go to the gym." It's now my morning routine and I love it! My morning doesn't feel complete without my morning exercise routine. So while I wasn't in the habit of working out before, I am definitely in the habit of exercising now!


Elliptical and Upper Body Toning Exercises Today! What did you do today to fit exercise into your daily routine?

500 calories burned
2000 calories remaining

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Nutrition Tip Tuesdays!

Starting today, every Tuesday I am going to post a Nutrition Tip of the Week. Hopefully, it inspires you to try something new or incorporate some food into your day that improves your health and wellbeing!

Nutrition Tip of the Week: I normally eat oatmeal for breakfast. Usually it's one of the instant oatmeals that is easy and fast to make in the microwave. Recently I started using STEEL CUT OATS. It's ingredient list is one thing: WHOLE GRAIN OATS! That's amazing! It does take a lot more time to make and on the stove, but it has been well worth it! I feel so much healthier with this switch. I purchase Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats which can be found at Whole Foods or in the healthy food section of other grocery stores! I'm totally loving this new oatmeal. Try this oatmeal and let me know what you think! Or do you have a different favorite healthy breakfast? Please share what you love!


As far as my workout today, Elliptical and Lower Body Toning Exercises! What did you do today to get some physical activity into your packed Tuesday?

500 calories burned
2500 calories remaining

Monday, April 4, 2011

Week 6, Day 1

Instead of working out this morning and teaching BOSU tonight, I decided to hold off on my morning workout. Teaching BOSU tonight! Here's my calorie count for that.

500 calories burned
3000 calories remaining

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Goal Accomplished!

It's the end of week 5 and I have accomplished my goal - losing the last 5lbs of my pregnancy weight! Yay! I started this challenge to help me reach my goal. My motivation was pretty low when I started, but now I am working out every day on the elliptical (or just about), counting calories, and alternating upper and lower body muscle toning exercises each day! I would say I have come a long way in 5 weeks and I don't plan on stopping now! I feel great and want to keep moving forward. With summer right around the corner I still have a few more goals to meet. I will still be posting each and every day right here. If you choose to join the challenge, start posting with me!

500 calories burned
0 calories remaining

Week 6 starts tomorrow!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Week 5, Day 6

Workout out today! 45 minutes on the elliptical and then did upper body strength. I'm realizing I need to start adding in some muscle toning exercises! Planning on working out again tomorrow even though I've met my goal.

500 calories burned
0 remaining

Friday, April 1, 2011

Week 5, Day 5

Spent 45 minutes on the elliptical today. I also tried out the leg press machine. My chiropractor wants me to strengthen my quads for better knee stability!

500 calories burned
50 calories remaining