Power 90 Day 2

Today was cardio day with Power 90.  My legs were SO sore from doing Sculpt yesterday.  I hopped on the exercise bike for about 30 minutes before I even started today just to loosen my legs up a little bit.  After kicking, punching, and jumping my way through my workout, I felt amazing!  I did a ton of extra stretching for my oh-so-sore muscles and then had a protein shake.

For me, working out has a double benefit.  Not only am I burning calories during the workout, but I find it a lot easier to stay on track with eating if I have worked out.  If I start having some unhealthy food cravings, I just think back to my workout and how hard I had to work to burn those calories.  I don't want to add them back for a few minutes of satisfaction.

I think I'll hit the exercise bike again tomorrow before doing P90 Sculpt.  It really helped to get me warmed up!

What workouts do you have planned for the week?

89 Days To Go

First up, my weigh-in.  I was 272.0 this morning, which means I lost 1 pound this past week.  I'll take it.  :)

I promised you guys (and myself) that I would start Power 90 today.  I had a lot of stress with some late work coming in, and I had to rush to get it done.  Of course, that threw me into "tomorrow" mode.  Every time something comes up and I start getting stressed, I start telling myself that it will be fine if I just work out tomorrow and eat healthy tomorrow.

Excuses I thought of to not start Power 90 today:

• Work stressed me out and now I just want to relax.
• I don't want to get hot and sweaty.
• Ugh! I can't find my sports bra anywhere.
• Where is that Power 90 DVD again?
• I don't want to!  I don't want to!  I don't want to!  (Stamping feet)

I finally decided to just start the darn workout and see how it went.  After a couple of minutes, I was into it, and it was over before I knew it.  I LOVE that feeling of accomplishment you get when you are done with a workout.  It felt so good to work out again after taking over a month off.  I definitely felt it too.  It was HARD!  My legs and arms are still wobbly.

I used my Polar to track my heart rate during the workout.  I did Sculpt I/II today, which is only 28 minutes including the warm-up and cool-down.  Sculpt focuses on building muscle, so I wasn't expecting to get my heart rate up very high.  I was surprised to see that my heart rate was up to 171 at one point (I think it was during the lunge/squat combo torture section).  Tomorrow is Cardio I/II and should get my heart rate up and keep it up throughout the workout.  I am interested to see the difference in calories burned between the two workouts.

 

Power 90 (Take 2)

This week absolutely flew by.  I did a lot of cooking and stayed pretty much on track with healthy eating.  While I am proud of myself for that, I know I need to get moving.  Summer is usually the hardest time of year for me to pry myself off the couch because the heat just seems to zap my energy.  Last month before I went on vacation, I did a couple of weeks of Power 90 and could tell that I really benefited from it.  I love that Power 90 combines cardio and strength training.  So tomorrow I have a date with Tony Horton.  I'm going to do the full 90-day circuit this time.  I can't wait to see the changes that happen over 90 days.

I recently got a Polar heart rate monitor, and I'm really excited to see how many calories I burn with Power 90.  I know it will definitely get my heart rate up!

Recipe: Fish Tacos

My entire life I have hated fish.  Okay.  Well, actually, I just thought I hated fish.  I don’t even know if I ever even really tried fish until just recently.  I’ve just always had it in my head that I hate fish…and that was that.  Last month for my birthday, I decided I was going to broaden my culinary horizons and decided to celebrate by going to Bonefish Grill.  I got the halibut and after taking one bite, my world changed.  I realized that maybe I should give fish a chance after all.  My brother ordered the fish tacos and we both decided we should try to replicate them at home.  These tacos were E-A-S-Y and F-A-S-T!  If you think you don’t like fish, you should give these tacos a chance.  We used tilapia, which was not "fishy" at all.  Best of all, it was affordable, available at the store (which is not to be taken for granted since I live in the most land-locked state in the US – Missouri), is super low in fat and calories, and packs a ton of protein.  You could also easily use cod or halibut for this.

Fish Tacos

2 fresh or frozen (thawed) tilapia fillets - about 4 oz. each

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lime

4 soft taco-size flour tortillas

Any toppings you like!

• shredded cabbage or lettuce
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• fresh cilantro
• Pico de Gallo
• Quick Salsa

Rub tilapia fillets with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium heat.  Grilling in a fish basket or on aluminum foil will really help the fish hold together on the grill.



 Grill on medium heat about 5 minutes per side.  Add a little extra time if your fish is more than 1/2 an inch thick.  The general rule for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness.  The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Throw the flour tortillas on the grill for about 30 seconds to heat them through.  Flake your fish and divide it evenly between the tortillas.  Squeeze fresh lime over the fish.  Add whatever toppings you like.  Enjoy!

Yield: 4 Tacos

Approximate Nutrition Facts Per Taco (Fish and Tortilla Only):

Calories: 200

Fat: 3.5 grams

Saturated Fat: 1 gram

Protein: 23 grams

Carbs: 18 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Summer and a Much Needed Weigh-In

For a lot of people, summer is the best time of the year.  People look forward to summer almost as much as Christmas, dreaming of swimming, grilling, camping, and any number of other outdoor activities.  All around the country, millions of kids spend the month of May waiting for the strict schedules of school to change into day after day of fun in the sun. 

For me, summer is the absolute worst time of the year.  It is hot, for one…like ridiculously hot.  I can’t hide under layers of clothing like I can in the winter.  I don’t want to go anywhere near a pool.  God forbid I be seen in a swimming suit or shorts.  Just going grocery shopping turns into an uncomfortable, sweaty, miserable experience.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s hot?

The thing is…I want to love summer.  I want to throw on shorts and a tank top and go to the lake with my friends.  I want to walk around a street fair and not feel like I’m going to have a heat stroke.

I have to admit that I haven’t been doing great on the weight loss front for the past month or so.  I have been queen of the drive-thru lately.  I am in a pattern that I have to get out of.  I know how to eat healthy.  I like healthy foods.  I just can’t seem to string together more than one day without saying, “Eff it,” and losing myself in a sugar-induced stupor. 

Since today is the first day of summer, it’s got me thinking.  I need another challenge, a goal to reach for.  There are exactly 365 days until the start of next summer.  A lot can change in a year, and I know I can improve my health a lot in the next year.  By next summer, I want to be am going to be healthy.  I want to be am going to be a part of the summer instead of lying on a couch with the A/C blasting praying for fall.  I want to look forward to the summer.  I know I can get myself back on track.

And now to the weigh-in... 

Current Weight: 273.0

My results weren’t exactly unexpected, but it’s still very frustrating to realize I’ve gained back almost 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks or so.  I worked hard to lose that weight, and it was all too easy to put back on.  I’ll be back to posting weekly weigh-ins from now on, and I have a ton of healthy recipes that I have been wanting to try.  I’ll be sure to share all the good ones with you guys.  Stay tuned!

Excuses

To me, weight loss is a mind game.  When I am shoveling spoonful after spoonful of ice cream into my mouth, I tune out that little voice telling me, "This isn't helping you.  Please stop hurting yourself."  After that voice has been silenced, it's usually pretty easy to justify a reason why it is ok to eat myself into an ice cream-induced sugar coma.  I will tell myself, "Well, today will be a free day.  I'll start tomorrow and be super healthy from then on." 

I'm always trying to convince myself that waiting a few days to start a healthy lifestyle will not hurt anything.

• "Today's Friday.  Monday will be a good day to start."
• "I am going out of town tomorrow.  I'll start when I get back.  I don't want to be restrictive on vacation."
• "Our annual family barbecue is coming up.  There is never anything healthy to eat there.  I'll just start when I get home."
• "It's the 26th.  I should just start at the first of the month.  That way, I can see how much weight I can lose in a month."

Countless times I have sat down and made an extremely detailed weight loss plan, charting out the calories I'm going to consume, the exercises I'm going to do, and the amount of weight I am going to lose and then set the start date for somewhere in the future.  Usually I either blow right past that start date without a second thought about that immaculate spreadsheet I spent hours on days earlier.  Sometimes I will actually start the plan but fizzle after a couple of super-restrictive days.

Well, I don't need a crazy plan this time.  I have stopped and started this weight loss adventure enough times to know exactly what I need to do to lose weight.  The only thing standing between me and my goal of being a healthy, normal-sized person are excuses.

My advice to all you guys and gals who feel like you're on a sinking ship but aren't quite ready to jump into the water -- advice I'm going to follow myself -- is start RIGHT NOW.  I know there is always going to be something coming up that is going to be a weight loss obstacle.  But I can't just keep ducking under the hurdles.  I need to start jumping over them.