Fit Club - Getting started

It took me wwwaaaaayyyyyy too long to get ready to start living a healthier lifestyle, so it is no surprise it has taken me a few weeks to get myself in gear to write this post.  In addition to outshining my sailor husband's potty mouth, I possess the Procrastinator Extraordinaire Super Power. 

Below is a picture of some of the SpouseBUZZ authors from just a few weeks ago.  We were attending the Change of Command ceremony for Semper Fi Wife's husband.  Marine Wife was stopping in the area on her pcs adventures and Sarah, her mom and her adorable little girl were driving back from their vacation adventures.  Airforcewife and I both brought our kids along with fingers crossed about their behavior. I brought the stroller jail for my oldest and my (handmade by me!) mei tai carrier for the youngest. 

I have never been a fan of pictures with me in them, but I especially don't like seeing myself resembling a blob more than a person.  We are our own harshest critics to be sure, but having already lost a lot of weight once in my life, knowing I need to do it again is just a wee bit upsetting.  And somehow I think the two kids and extra decade are going to make the process a bit more involved.

Airforcewife and I live relatively close to one another and although we are quite wimpy about it, we try to brave DC traffic to see each other.  Each time I see her she has shrunk some more!  She loves boxing and has told me repeatedly to go down and take a class with her.  

Six Months Later

Actually, it's been about six and a half months since I entered the Feather Weight Challenge at my gym.   Daily, I get super-frustrated about what seems like not enough progress, but when I check my monthly charts, I seem to be doing okay after all! 

If you'll remember, at my first weigh in I looked like this (butt view):

 

 EEEWWWWW!!!!  Shelf butt!  And back rolls!  GAH!

Well, this is what I look like now..

Fit Club - Tips You Can Use

In the interests of covering all aspects of the fitness journey, we here at SpouseBUZZ like to make sure we pass on any tips we come across that can help reach a fitness goal or make the fitness journey more enjoyable.

For instance:  if you happen to have a really hard workout, then take a luxurious hot bath to relax, complete with exfoliation...

DON'T apply Ben Gay to your sore back or leg area afterwords. 

Learn from my mistakes, people.

I'm Obviously Too Old For This

Oh the pressure of seeing the end of the deployment tunnel!

I still have a few months until Air Force Guy is home for good (or rather, what passes for "for good" in our world.  Probably about three months) and the workouts have been going great.  I've managed to hit the gym 6 days a week, I've watched my diet pretty well with one brief foray into Haagen Daz (and that temptation they hit me with was TOTALLY not fair!).  And I think I'm doing pretty well!

Or rather, I was doing pretty well...

Fit Club Goes Post-Deployment

If you've been around a while, you might remember that I spent a big chunk of my husband's deployment trying to lose some weight, and I was successful.  I lost a good solid 25 pounds, and some days it was as much as 30.  I hovered between those two weights for the last few months of his absence, as the winter set in and I stopped running outside, plus I stopped tracking my weight and my food intake.  I was actually relieved that I didn't gain a ton back as soon as I stopped being "good."

Free YMCA for Certain Groups

I've reported on this before, but the program is still going on and I want to make sure that everyone knows. The DOD has contracted with YMCAs to offer free memberships to certain military families who might not be near a military fitness facility.  These groups include activated National Guard and Reserve families, active duty assigned to independent duty locations, and families who have relocated away from military facilities due to a deployment in excess of six months. In addition to supporting deployed and remote families, this benefit is also available to wounded warriors (and spouses/children) who are part of a Community Based Warrior Transition Unit. There's even a special program for active duty service members (not families, unfortunately) who join a private gym because there are no military facilities or participating YMCAs nearby.

In addition to the fitness memberships, select YMCA child care facilities will offer up to 16 hours of respite child care for eligible families of deployed service members (the same eligibility requirements as the fitness memberships.)

More information can be found at Military OneSource or the YMCA Military Outreach pages.

Feather Weight Challenge - Final Weigh In

It's over!  Ten weeks doesn't sound like much when you set out, but about two days into it when you're craving a PB&J sandwich and a diet Mountain Dew more than anything else on Earth (and I would have traded one of my children for a sandwich and a soda, let me tell you), it feels like it's NEVER going to end!

But it did.

And I came out of it okay, I think.  Weight wise, I mean. 

English to Militarese FAIL - Case Study #2543

One of the instructors at my gym is a Marine currently awaiting information on the packet he submitted for OCS (or do Marines call it OTS?  I get all the different service terms confused fairly frequently).  He is a very nice guy and a great coach - he's already got quite a following in the kickboxing classes and he's only been at our gym about six weeks!

And it's not just women who swear by his coaching either, so although he's really is a cutie, I don't think that's the only reason for his following.  His classes are hard, and they are effective.  He's very good at leading, and kids in particular think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Anyway, sometimes he and I have some service-related conversations going on;  he likes to get all "Oorah" and I like to remind him that the Air Force has better cable channels.  He waxes poetic about the Beef Rav MREs and I remind him that the Air Force has this thing called a "cafeteria" where hot food is served (although the Navy's lobster dinners totally win in that category, I think). 

We were having one of those conversations last week when I experienced a major English to Militarese FAIL.

Feather Weight Challenge - Final Week

When last we saw our intrepid heroine airforcewife, she was stuck on a nasty weight loss plateau that was driving her batty. Despite 6 boxing/kickboxing workouts a week and additional cardio three to four times a week; despite severely limiting types of food and sticking to a 1700 calorie a day diet, airforcewife was stuck.

And she was frustrated.

Airforcewife wanted a Twinkie, and she wanted a Quarter Pounder with cheese even more. And airforcewife was also very worried, because she was about to embark on a plane trip to SpouseBUZZ Live in Fort Hood - and lets face it, such trips usually don't help a weight loss regimen at all.

Feather Weight Challenge - Frustration and an ISO

One measly, stinking, rotten pound down this week.  That's it.  I'm beyond frustrated.

The less-than-stellar weigh in happened the day after I sat at a table of people who were joyfully noshing on fresh chips, guacamole, and salsa.  I, of course, did not partake.  Although the salsa and guac would have gone over well with the diet, the fresh chips would not have.  And how else are you supposed to ingest salsa and guac? 

Thank you. 

The calorie deficit on my new iPhone app says three pounds, but I'm only down one.  And that is FRUSTRATING.  So of course I had to contact the person who has given me the best diet and exercise advice in the past:  Nikki from Nikki Fitness.

Feather Weight - Late Weight

Actually, I weighed in on time this week (and am down another two pounds, which brings my total lost to 19 pounds in 6 weeks) but I haven't had a chance to post about it because I dashed off after personal training on Friday so I could go see the newest addition to the SpouseBUZZ family. 

And since I was visiting my brother and playing non-stop with my triplet nephews the rest of the time I was in the area, I didn't have a chance to post my Feather Weight Challenge update.  But that's okay, too, because I spent all weekend whining about the fact that I only lost two pounds this week.

I don't know about you all, but the most frustrating thing about fitness for me is that the process often seems to defy all the laws of physics.  For instance,

Feather Weight Challenge - Weigh In Six

I need a new scale.

Feather Weight Challenge - Weigh In 5

I have news and a treat this week!

The Bra in Review

A few weeks ago Andi asked me if I'd be willing to try out a new sports bra and review it for a fit club post.

Um,  YES!  The quest for the perfect sports bra has been a top priority in my fitness journey since,  well, since I needed a sports bra for the first time.  I've been... blessed, you see.  And after breastfeeding four kids and weight yo-yo'ing like an Olympic Sport, I've become very sensitive to possibly developing the dreaded "envelope boob syndrome".  Especially with Air Force Guy gone so often, I don't want him to come home and exclaim in shock, "What happened THERE?"  I have my answer ready - "Gravity!", but it's still something that I'm not ready to contend with.

Add in a sport that's fairly high impact and you can see how finding the perfect sports bra becomes a full on quest.

The Feather Weight Challenge Week 3 - The Weigh In That Didn't Happen

I now realize that I hate snow. 

Thanks to the back to back Storms of the Snowpocalypse in our area, I missed personal training last Friday, this Monday, and this Friday.  I only made three workouts this week (Monday, Tuesday, and Friday), and neither my trainer nor the gym owner was available to weight me today (because I am *NOT* going to parade that extra-large number in front of everyone and anyone.  I have my limits).

On the bright side...

Feather Weight Challenge - Weigh In 3

Today I went out and braved the approaching Snowpocalypse to do my weekly weigh in and to make sure I got in a kick-boxing class before holing up with some movies, a stockpile of cheese, and my latest book of choice. 

But before I get to my weigh in results...

Feather Weight Challenge - Weigh In 2

I have issues with what number my weigh ins are.  Number one was really last week, but it was the initial weigh in for a base number.  This week was the first weigh in to actually check progress.  So - Weigh in One, or Weigh in Two?

Anyway - I have to admit, I Snoopy Danced.  Seeing that needle edge down five pounds in one week is enough for celebratory fireworks in my world.

But there was bad news, as well...

Day 1 - Feather Weight Challenge

I just let someone who is not medical personnel weigh me.  HORRIBLE!  I covered my eyes for most of it.  And nearly cried. 

But there's much more to this story today...

In Which airforcewife Attacks a Challenge (With Your Help)

I have been ignoring certain signs at my gym for the past few weeks.  You see, these signs are for a competition called "The Feather Weight  Challenge" and while the prizes for most weight lost seem pretty cool, the whole idea of having to get weighed by someone else made me feel... icky.

I don't even want to admit how much I weigh to myself, much less to someone else!  I'd much rather go by pants size, or inches, or ANYTHING but weight.  I have a serious pathological hatred of scales, ever since I went through four pregnancies with very large babies.  The scale is not my friend, it is a treacherous, horrible, and insidious enemy that gets my hopes up one day only to respond to water retention the next. 

But...

I got to thinking earlier this week.  The grand prize is 500$.  I think 500$ would be a good sized donation to give to Soldier's Angels.  The second prize is a plasma tv.  I think a plasma tv would be a great donation for Fisher House.

I would let myself be weighed for Soldier's Angels.  And I think I can work hard enough to make a good showing and possibly win.  But I need your help...

Fit Club: Negative Nellie

I started doing the Couch to 5K (C25K) program last fall.  I stuck with it pretty faithfully.  For awhile.  Then life and the holidays got the better of me.  In mid-November, we went to DisneyWorld for a week.  The following week was Thanksgiving, with my sister and her family visiting us.  Then there was Toys for Tots.  Then the kids were off for their winter break and Stretch had two 96's (4-day weekends).  All of this threw my routine completely out the window.

Fit Club: The Stuck Edition

Hmm, it has been a long time since my last Fit Club post.  A really long time.  I'm sure you will understand that there are a hundred million good reasons for that.  Well, not good reasons, but reasons.  The biggest reason is that I am stuck.  I am stuck at exercising and I am stuck at losing weight.  I'm not happy about it and I don't want to write about it.

I started this little voyage in April and was doing great until about August, when things came to a stand-still.  I've lost and regained the same 5 pounds for the last four months.  It is boring and frustrating.  Now that the really cold weather has arrived, I'm not sure how I will be able to continue during the winter.  I'm seriously considering joining a gym for a few months until this place thaws out.  I can not motivate myself to run when it is 30 degrees outside.

To those of you who are still working, great job.  To the people who are stuck like me, what are we going to do?  There must be a solution that will work.

A Word of Advice

If the personal trainer you are working with (on the gym sign up coupon) asks you, "How do you feel?" a few days after your first workout session...

Don't say, "I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be!"

You will regret it. 

Learn from my mistakes, people.

Fit Club - Where airforcewife Wonders What on Earth She's Done

Last week I made a big decision in my fitness journey - I changed my fit-focus.  I'd always like active things - Nikki Fitness was perfect for me.  I didn't have a lot of time, and I seem to have workout ADD - things have to change quickly for me to keep focused. But lately I've hit a plateau and I've found that I truly dread working out.  I make every excuse in the book not to have to work out.  Obviously something needed to change.

Last week I started something new:  boxing. 

It seems to make sense - with Air Force Guy gone I've got a lot of rage I need to let out.  Frustrations, both daily, and... well, you know.  Married People six thousand miles apart for a long time frustrations.  Hitting things sounded like a perfect outlet.  I could hit things AND I could get a workout?  Yay me! 

Almost as soon as I signed up and handed over the check for the gym I started getting scared.

Fit Club: The Running Is Hard Edition

As I've mentioned before, I've been trying this Couch-to-5K running program.  I've been trying it for a long time - so long that a certain SB author who began just before me is actually running a 5K this week!  I'm not doing quiet so well...after about seven weeks, I am still on week two of the program.  Again.

I'm finding this very discouraging.  I'm not really accustomed to a lot of challenges that I can't overcome pretty easily.  An from a purely time-management standpoint, I've got it easy...all the kids are in school for a full day and I work from home.  So what's the problem?  It seems to be my body.  It just doesn't want to run for more than about a minute and a half.

I'm going to stick with it, for I'm sure that I can do this eventually.  I'd love to hear how y'all are doing, if you  are making any progress, and how you deal with frustration.

On the other side, my dear husband was recently home on R&R.  I only gained a few pounds despite a steady diet of hearty home-cooked meals and even heartier restaurant fare.  Now that he's gone again, it is time to straighten that diet out and resume making sensible choices.  While I'm excited about the progress that I've made so far, I'm a little worried that I won't be able to sustain it when he comes home for good.  So, please, share your stories!

Workin' It

We've had the good fortune to feature Nikki and her workout and training advice on the SpouseBUZZ Fit Club several times. 

We love Nikki - anyone who can be so nice and upbeat and even help me with the search for the perfect SportsBra is truly special!  And it doesn't hurt that Nikki's Military Wife Workout really works and doesn't take all day. 

Well Nikki has a new article out on military.com and it's just for expectant moms!  Seeing as we have a few of those around, I thought I'd link to it for anyone interested.  The best thing about Nikki's workouts are that they work! 

And doesn't she look adorable? 

Fit Club: The Short Attention Span Edition

I clearly have a short attention span.  During the six months that I've been doing the Fit Club posts, I've mentioned at least six different type of exercise that I've started:  Perfect Push-Ups, Nikki Fitness, going to the gym, hula, walking, Wii Fit, swimming, 30 Day Shred.  Oh, that's 8.  And today I'm going to add one more.  Like several other SpouseBUZZ authors, and many of you, I've started the Couch to 5K running program.

Couch to 5K is a regimen of running and walking that helps you to build up from not running at all to being able to run 5K without stopping.  (That's about 3 miles for the metric-challenged.)  You run three days a week, for 30-40 minutes including the warm-up and cool-down, and gradually increase the amount of time you are spending actually running.  There are a number of podcasts available that combine music with verbal cues so that you don't have to spend the whole run checking out your watch.  I gave in a bought a little MP3 player just so I could use it when I "run."  (I feel like a fraud when I say I'm going running.  It is just so absurd.)  If you've always wanted to be a runner, this might be a program for you to try.  The program is designed to take nine weeks but people often choose to repeat a week if they aren't ready to move on.  I love the challenge of completing the program - hopefully that will help me to finish this!

On the nutrition side, I discovered how much better I was eating when I went to a party the other night.  There was the usual assortment of goodies, including a cheesy, gooey artichoke dip.  I had some, well, maybe more than some, and then felt absolutely awful for the rest of the night.  I guess my body isn't used to that sort of food anymore.  I don't even know that is a good thing - I want to be able to enjoy all food when I chose to eat it.

Now for the actual report:  It is working.  It is slow, and it is frustrating, and sometimes I wonder why I don't quit.  Then I sit down, look at my journal, and see how far I've actually come.  And I'm motivated to continue.  I have lost about half of my total goal, and I'm pretty much on track to make it by February.

I'm sure that I will be looking for more exercise ideas when I lose my enthusiasm for my current loves.  What are you doing?  How is it going?  Are you happy?  Share your joys and sorrows in the comments.

Fit Club: The August Edition

I admit it, it is lame that I have only posted once this month.  I don't know where this summer has gone - it seems like just yesterday that the kids were getting out of school, and now they are starting again on Monday!

On a bright note, I've been sticking to the exercise and eating right routine and I'm seeing some results.  Oddly, most of my clothes still fit, but the scale is moving and I occasionally get a really positive comment.  At first, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't hearing more from people.  C'mon, folks, I've lost a decent chunk of weight - surely someone has noticed.  I'm starting to realize that this is a tough line for many people.  They don't want to be misconstrued if they say something, and possibly offend someone, but they don't want to not say something, either.  I'm not much help, for I tend to shrug off the compliments because I'm not so good at just saying, "Thank you."

Fit Club: It's Working!

Thank you, my Fit Club friends.  I don't know which is the magic key, reporting to you, or the food journal, or dropping the beer for white wine spritzers, but something is working!  I'm rapidly pushing towards the half-way point of my fitness goal for DH's deployment, and I've only been really serious about it for about three months.  I'm so excited!

On the downside, I haven't been exercising much.  I think I'm just inherently lazy, plus we are so busy, and I've been sick.  (Ugh!)  But I have been walking a good bit and swimming a few times a week, so I haven't been sitting inside and watching TV every day.

How is the summer affecting your fitness plans? 

Pre-Deployment and the State of my Rear End

A few weeks ago Butterfly Wife posted on her blog a question - should she change her blog name to Does This Army Make My Butt Look Big?

What a timely question (and I nearly died laughing reading the newly proposed title!).  Just the last few weeks I've been wondering something close to that myself - Does this pre-deployment make my butt look big?  I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

For the record, I'm not blaming anyone, any entity, or anything outside of my own self for the state of my rear (and arms, and legs, etc ad infinitum).  I know darn well that I made the choice to eat that, not do that exercise, and so on.  However, I also figured out last go-round that pre-deployment certainly makes it a lot easier to throw caution to the winds!

In a nutshell, knowing that the love of your life is going to be gone for a year (or more) and with the beginnings of anticipatory grief making themselves heard, who can say no to just one more trip to Baskin Robbins when the husband says he'd like to go just one more time?  Of course, it won't be the last time, but I pretend not to realize that...

Fit Club: Random Thoughts

In the two-ish months that I've been actively trying to get fit, a few random thoughts have crossed my mind.  And you get to hear them:

1. Buffets are not the enemy.  When I first embarked upon this voyage, I thought that my days of potlucks and buffets were over.  In fact, I've found them a great tool - I can take just a smidge of something that interests me, enjoy it, and move on.  I don't have to cook an entire casserole of macaroni and cheese to have a taste.  What's more, I'm not responsible for the leftovers.  Brilliant!

2. I think that some civilians find it suspicious that I'm improving my appearance while my husband is gone.  They clearly just don't get it.

3. I've had an odd change in motivation to get fit.  Well, the underlying reason is still the same:  to be healthy and be attractive for my husband.  But the more immediate reasons are different.  When I started, the thought of a reward was my biggest motivation:  I really wanted that pedicure!  While the tangible incentives are still nice, I'm highly motivated by logging my food and exercise, weighing myself, and noting the progress in my journal.  Prior to this, I couldn't imagine that idea.  Amazing.

4. A laugh is a smile that bursts.

That's all for this week.  What are y'all thinking?

Fit Club: 'Fessing Up

I admit it - I've been eating terribly lately, and exercise, while still more than a year ago, has been less than I'd like.  I have plenty of excuses - I was in Utah last weekend for SpouseBUZZ Live, and I had some issues with my ears on the plane, resulting in icky antibiotics, then I went on an overnight field trip with one of my kids.  Pretty much, my life has been the general chaos of a parent whose other half is deployed.  The result:  some poor eating and not enough good exercise.

So, what's a gal or guy to do?  There's only one sensible thing to do - start again tomorrow.  That is one of the things I love about life:  tomorrow is always a fresh start.   The most important thing is that I don't let this little setback ruin all the hard work I've put in so far.

Fit Club: Breakfast

In addition to cranking up the exercise, I've been changing my eating.  A lot.  I'm actually trying to change more gradually because I don't want to set myself up for a big crash by trying to change things too much.

I would love to hear your ideas for good, healthy, low-calorie breakfasts.  I usually eat one of three things:  either scrambled eggs with onions, peppers, tomatoes & spinach, or cottage cheese with a chopped up green apple and a few chopped cashews, or a tortilla with veggies & Laughing Cow cheese, toasted.  Those seem to work for me, and I enjoy them, but I would like to expand my menu just a little bit.  I'm not a big cereal girl, unless it has those little magic dried strawberry slices in it, but I might be convinced if I find the right cereal.

So, SpouseBUZZers, let us know what you eat for breakfast.  I can't wait to hear!

Fit Club, the Monday Edition

Clearly, I'm not sticking to the lovely every Friday Fit Club schedule that AirForceWife used.  She's much more organized than I am.

Plus, I was hoping that I would see some results from all this exercise because I didn't want to write about how stuck and frustrated I was feeling.  Fortunately, my body cooperated and I am feeling great today.  My scale has finally noticed that I've been eating super-well and exercising all the time, plus my abdominal muscles are feeling stronger (but only from the inside - I still can't find them from the outside!)  I have done an awful job of getting to the gym but I have walked nearly every day, I'm doing lots of ab work, and I finally broke out our Wii Fit to get through the rainy weather we've been having.

This journey is hard.  I guess that is why I've waited 10 15 years to do it.  I am thinking, however, that it would have been a lot easier when I was younger.  Oh, well, I can't worry about that, all I can do is look to the future, get myself together and then keep it that way.  And you know what, I know that I can do it!  I wish that we could all meet in person to give each other encouragement, but for now we'll have to use SpouseBUZZ to cheer each other on.

I want to give an extra shout out to all of you who are doing this with small kiddos or working outside the home.  I work at home and all my kids are in school, and I find that all this exercising and eating well is really time consuming.  I'm in awe of people who can work good nutrition and exercise into their day if they are in an office and/or have small children. 

I hope that all the mothers had a great Mother's Day, and everyone enjoyed their weekend!  Summer is coming and we can have fun with all those outdoor activities soon!

Fit Club: Squeezing in A Little Extra

My week has not been my own.  Something about having four kids, and a job, and a deployed spouse...it feels like my entire week was hijacked by a string of obligations.  Add in some lousy weather and it seems like I've hardly moved at all this week.

I know that there are two components to exercise:  cardiovascular and strength training.  Both are hard to "squeeze in" to an already busy schedule (and most of us have busy schedules!)  I've been trying to figure out ways to add both kinds of activity to my regular day.  I have been successful at dancing while I fold the laundry, and I've always been good about climbing the little step at the gas station while I'm pumping gas, but I'm sure there are more neat tricks that I hadn't even considered.  (However, my daughter declared, "My family is weird," when she saw me using canned fruit as weights today.)

So, Fit Clubbers, what are your secrets to adding a little extra motion to your day?  Thank you for sharing with us - it is so nice to know that we're not alone.

Fit Club - Making Some Sort of Progress

This Fit Club post is late because I was at the Milblogging conference in Washington, DC this weekend.  A great time was had by all (I think) but it sure is easy to get off schedule when you are out of your element.

I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Penny, who mentioned MyFitnessPal.com in her Fit Club comment last week.  I checked it out, signed up immediately, and I think it may have changed my life.  My Fitness Pal is an online food and exercise diary, with great interactive tools and numerous discussion boards to ask questions, learn, and make a few fitness buddies, too.

Here's how I'm using it:  I've entered my height, weight, and goals.  Each day, I put in my food (before I eat it when I'm smart) and exercise.  The program does the calculations and already has most food values in it's database.  The really motivating part is that it tells you each day "If every day were like today...You'd weigh XXX pounds in five weeks."  Obviously, it is just estimating, but I think it is cool and it helps keep me on track.

That said, this weekend was a disaster nutritionally.  On Saturday, I had a healthy but protein-deficient breakfast, followed by a unhealthy (and gross) lunch and a mediocre restaurant dinner.  On Sunday, I had a huge restaurant breakfast, followed by a lunch my sister had picked up from Red Hot and Blue (which I love) and then dinner at IKEA due to an accident on the beltway.  When I got home and put them all in the computer, I was distressed to discover that despite my "better" choices, I'd still eaten nearly 4000 calories on both Saturday and Sunday.

Since I can't undo those days, I can learn from them.  Looking at the online food diary is pretty revealing.  On Saturday, my big culprits were the beers and a enormous, restaurant sized serving of steak fries.  On Sunday, I would have been somewhere in the vicinity of OK if I'd passed on the potato salad.  Who knew that you could eat six sides of cole slaw for one side of potato salad?  I guess I need to check these things before I eat them.

The other thing I really like about this online tool is that it gives me instant gratification for the exercise I do.  I love going for a walk, then entering it into the computer and seeing that I've burned XX number of calories.  I'm definitely squeezing in more bonus exercise because of that motivation.

I'm sure that there are lots of good online food and exercise calculators, this just happens to be the first one I found.  If you're doing Fit Club with us, you might find an online tool helpful like I have.  Let's hope it works!

If It's Friday, It Is Supposed to be Fit Club

Hi, Fit Clubbers!  I'm so glad to be a part of this group...you all are so inspiring.

This has been an interesting week for me, exercise wise.  I decided that I needed to do something drastic if I'm going to meet my goal of losing this extra weight before my husband comes home on R&R in October.  Being the planning geek that I am, I was making a little chart of my options and their pros and cons.  My ideas included continuing to do what I'm doing now but being more dedicated, joining a gym, joining a gym and getting some sessions with one of their personal trainers, or doing one of those intensive one trainer - one client places.  As you can see, I've listed them in order from least cost to highest cost, which unfortunately is exactly the opposite order of how likely they are to be successful.  I was struggling with the balance between cost and results.   On one hand, why should I pay money for something I should be able to do by myself?  On the other hand, doing it myself hasn't exactly been working, and you can't really put a price on my health.  I'm sure many of you struggle with this question as well.

Fit Club, Finally

Welcome to Jessie and ArmyReserveWife!

I've been avoiding writing this post because I keep thinking that I'll exercise, then I'll be able to write that I have been exercising.  Well, let's see, it's been like two weeks since my last post and my strategy hasn't worked well so far.  Not that I've been sitting on my tushie eating bon-bons, but I haven't been regularly exercising.  A walk here, some push-ups two days later; that sort of schedule isn't helping me make any progress.  I need to find my motivation.

So, in lieu of my bragging and telling you how fit I've gotten, how about you share your stories and give us all some inspiration.   I promise we'll say lots of nice things in return!

Fit Club, only one day late

Welcome, Fit Clubbers!  I know Vicky, kannie & dolphingrl are in with me - what about the rest of you?

This week has been insane and my exercise & diet have surely shown that.  We've had several doctor's appointments, some Ombudsman issues, a situation with my kids' school, AND I got into a fight with my mother.  I thought the week was summarized pretty well on Wednesday, while I was doing a fitness DVD on my laptop and watching the TV trying to catch Military.com's Vince Patton on CNN.  About 20 minutes into my workout, my oldest daughter said, "Mom, I've downloaded something and now the computer won't work."  That was the end of that particular workout!  I tell you, I think it is a miracle that parents ever get any exercise at all.

I've been trying to figure out ways to make a exercise a family activity but it is really hard for me.  We do try to take family walks.  The girls are a lot slower than I want to walk, so it is better if they scooter while I walk.  My oldest has injured her shoulder so walking is painful for her - thank goodness she is old enough to stay home alone for short periods of time.  Otherwise, I'd be walking laps around my court.  (Don't laugh, I've done it before!)

Fit Club: First Official Post

It's Friday, and I'm here.  Yeah!  It's been a crazy week, yet I've managed to fit some exercise in here and there.  My scale hasn't noticed, and neither have my clothes, but I feel pretty good.  It seems that I've put together a nice variety of workouts that I might just be able to keep up with.

First, I've been walking a few times a week with a friend.  I enjoy walking with others so much more than walking by myself!  

As I mentioned before, I have been doing the Perfect Pushup workout.  I remember when my husband asked for Perfect Pushups for Christmas (2007) and I thought it sounded silly.  Then I watched as he did his push-ups every other day, never more than 8 minutes worth, and his body changed shape.  A lot.  It was amazing.  It was so amazing that when he couldn't fit them in his sea bag and asked me to send them, I just went online and ordered him another set so that I could keep a set as well.  Keep in mind, I have not been able to do pushups in a very long time.  I began doing the workout on my knees and was so proud of myself that I could even do that.  The workouts are fast, uncomplicated, and they seem to work.  I am still doing the workouts on my knees but I can do pushups on my feet now, and it has only been about a month.

I was also able to try the Nikki Fitness video that airforcewife loves so much.  (I finally figured out that I could play it on my computer.)  I want to write more about it, but I think I should do it a few more times first.

I can't wait to hear how you've been doing, and hear your suggestions for different kinds of exercise that work for you.  It's so nice knowing that I'm not doing this alone!

Fit Club, Sea Style

You may remember that Air Force Wife mentioned that I was going to be contributing to Fit Club.  That was several weeks months ago.  Unfortunately, I've been keeping a little busier than I'd like.    But I'm going to get on the ball, starting this week.  I think Air Force Wife usually posted updates on Fridays, but I'm just not that organized.  They're going to have to come whenever they come.  I should probably shoot for Fridays, for some accountability, but I'm not making any promises.

Since He of the Sea deployed a little over a month ago, I've been plotting my plan of attack for being skinny when he comes home.  Well, probably not skinny, but maybe a little less round.  I worked out a plan of non-food rewards at each small milestone  (check out this necklace) and I've rounded up a walking buddy.  I've been doing Perfect Pushups, which amazes me because I thought I would never do a push-up.  I do them on my knees, but the program says that is OK for beginners.  I got a copy of the Nikki Fitness Military Wife Workout but I haven't been able to do it because I've got a guest bedroom's worth of furniture currently residing in front of my TV.  I'm going to have to move that stuff somewhere else because airforcewife says it rocks.  (Plus, moving furniture counts as exercise, right?)

For those of you who have been faithfully exercising while airforcewife has been moving, remodeling and cleaning up behind sick people, Good For You!  For those of you just joining this adventure, Welcome.  I'm not sure where this journey is headed, but I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Dear Nikki

One of the best things I found on my Fitness Journey (which has turned out to be a long and wandering road complete with lots of mud-holes and rest stops along the way) was Nikki Fitness.  I spent a good three months floundering around without much to show for it prior to using Nikki's Military Wife Workout DVD - and then seeing results within a month was what I really needed.

Nikki has also done several SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio shows with us, and she is just full to the brim with advice that has made a huge impact on my workout.  Plus, she's just plain fun to talk to!

But I have a few things I have to get off my chest.

Dear Nikki:

Fit Club - Trials and Tribulations

Oh yes, I've been able to get back into a work-out routine at the gym.  In between laying my own laminate floors, painting my house, replacing a toilet, fixing electrical outlets, and a few other odds and ends that crop up when moving into a new home of the price range we chose.

But now that I have a gym routine again, a new issue has cropped up...  The walk from the gym showers to the locker area.  I'm proud to report that my weight and muscle mass have been cooperating quite nicely and I'm actually down a clothing size!  But I'm still not ready for the naked shower prance.  And apparently I am the ONE person in that shower room that this bothers.

Fit Club - Report In!

Okay, folks, I have an assignment for you.

Here's the deal - my gym opens on October 11.  I have been "working out" by moving all the boxes in the house and cleaning like a madwoman - but the first Friday after 10/11 I'll have a full workout report (plus pictures I hope!) for you.

But lifting boxes isn't as much of a workout as I'd like to have.  And I keep hearing from several of you that you need to get back on track, too.  So here's the deal - do this short workout once a day every day until next Friday and we report in.  I will want to hear everything - were you sore?  How long did the soreness last?  How do you feel Friday vs. how you felt on Monday?  We'll be doing this together, so let's motivate each other to get this brief 15 minutes a day done this week! 

I have a bit more news for you after the jump!

Fit Club - Report In!

I'll have a big post for you next week - but until then, to tide you over and make you smile...

My new favorite commercial!! 

Who doesn't love Richard Simmons? Seriously!

Fit Club - Report In!

I'm still moving.  My exercising is still consisting of packing boxes, looking at houses, washing walls,  and carrying boxes up and down stairs.  However, Spark People says that is real exercise! 

My biggest problem now is that with moving, I haven't been watching my food much.  I ate fast food this week, including (GASP!) those fries I had cut completely out of my diet in the last several months.  The bidding process on houses doesn't help me, either.  That's a recipe for Nutter Butter disaster right there.

Fit Club - Report In!

Okay people - how did you do this week?

Fit Club - Report In!

I think I should say now... Be very careful not to put too much weight on when you are using the ab machine.

Bad things can happy.  You probably don't want to know.

Fit Club - Report In!

I've tried this week - I really have.

The gym was a hard one this time - I only made it twice.  Monday I felt so good after my cardio that I punched out extra sets of walking lunges and power squats!

Tuesday, I was not able to walk down the stairs.  Much less work up a sweat. 

Fit Club - Report In!

This week's Fit Club post is written by a wonderful friend of ours - ArmyReserveWife! 

Talk about inspiring - she most certainly is!

Fit Club - Report In!

Oh, I've been abusing carbs this week.  Really, really bad. 

I am in desperate need of a produce section shopping trip to save my soul