Monthly Archives: December 2011

December 30

Yesterday by the numbers was fantastic. 735 calorie deficit.  And I gave myself a hard enough reformer workout that my abs are sore today.  Sore!  It’s really hard for me to push myself hard enough to leave me sore.  It’s a great feeling!

Because I was introduced, trained, certified, and used to teach on Balanced Body equipment, I became kind of a reformer snob.  If it was BB, it wasn’t worth it. While I still hold Balanced Body as the equipment ideal for everything else to be measured against, the Aero reformer that my sister-in-law got from QVC and passed on to me is so much better than I expected!  Yes, there are a few things that I don’t like about it- it’s a bit narrow, and the footbar and shoulder rests don’t lock in place- but, considering that most home Pilates practitioners are not going to be trying reverse long stretch or snake twist, it’s really a great machine for the money.  I’m going to build myself a box, and I have to figure out where I should keep it because right now it’s taking up too much space in our living room, but I am so happy to have it and have the opportunity to do reformer work everyday again!

By the numbers;

  • Burned: 2778 (one hour reformer, hour long walk with hubby, and trip to the science center with the kids)
  • Consumed: 2043
  • Deficit: 735

December 28

Yay!  The flu is passing!  The crazy part is that much of my family also had the flu, and they are in Minnesota!  We haven’t even breathed the same air and we all have the same yucky bug.

Happy about my numbers today:

  • Calories burned (as of 9 pm, at least three trips up and down the stairs ago): 2365
  • Calories consumed: 1600
  • Deficit: 765

Creatively Fit

Happy almost New Year!  I’m really excited about 2012- there are so many awesome changes happening in my life, and they mostly stem from this one huge change that I made.  I’m creating full time.

One of the things that helped propel me to make this leap and begin a profession that I should have had all along was my work with Whitney Ferre and Creatively Fit.  Creatively Fit is built on the premise that our creative muscles need and deserved to be exercised as much as our analytic ones: our right and left brains should balance each other.  Our society is so rigidly focused on bottom line and efficiencies we are loosing the ability to be creative.  It makes sense when you think about it.  And when you start to practice exercising your right brain and creativity….wow.  You will be amazed.

Whitney is kicking off 2012 with The Sprit Project.  I highly recommend you check it out. We’ve already been “talking” in the Facebook group and the people that are involved are incredible.  Don’t be fooled either- this isn’t just for painters or “Artists.”  It’s for everyone.  

December 26

Yesterday was fine by the numbers, but not so great nutrition wise.  I ate all of my leftover birthday cake.  Which is really Chris’s fault, because I told him to eat it.  It’s just SO. DARN. GOOD!

And, here’s the other thing- whenever I have totally completely uncontrollable sugar cravings, I know I’m about to get sick. And today I am sick. So I’m going to give you my stats for yesterday and we’re just going to ignore today’s so you don’t think I’m anorexic.

On the plus side, I had a darn good leg workout yesterday.  Then I came home and did a mini-reformer session and stretched.  Short-spine is Merry Christmas to me.  I love it.

Here’s the stats:

  • Calories Consumed: 2755
  • Calories burned: 1854
  • Deficit:  901

Maybe it’s Christmas, maybe it’s PMS

But all I wanted to eat today was sweets and treats.  And, I had a fairly active day, so I did. My meals were fine- but I should have eaten them closer together and planned better snacks, because, well…here’s what I ate in between meals:

  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake
  • 2 chocolate peanut butter balls
  • Chex Mix
  • Popcorn
  • Leftover birthday cake

Now, the good news…I worked out, plus shopped plus did housework, so, while I’m not helping myself lose weight very quickly, at least I’m not packing it back on.

Workout: I did not want to work out today.  At all. But I have a deal with myself.  15 minutes.  Put some effort into it.  If I still hate it, I can bag it for the day.  I don’t usually hate it, except when I’m sleep deprived or have PMS. So I did a set of lunges.  And wanted to leave the gym.  I compromised and hit the elliptical.  15 minutes later, I was still hating it.  But not as much, so I switched to an upright bike.  With the most uncomfortable seat I’ve ever sat on.  Keep in mind, I once rode a bike that left me feeling worse than after giving birth. But it wasn’t that bad while I was on it.  This might as well have been brick.  So as soon as the bodybuilder got off the recumbent bike I switched to that.  All and all, a good 45 minutes of cardio.  THEN I DID PILATES.  Yep.  And I liked it. The only part of my workout that I enjoyed today. Pilates is good stuff.

Here’s my stats for the day:

  • Calories Burned: 2738
  • Calories Consumed: 2631 (yikes)
  • Deficit (at least there still is one) 107.  And there are 2.5 hours left…maybe I’ll jump on my bed for a while…

but probably not.

Happy shortest day of the year!

What do you do with a two and a four year old after dinner during the winter?  They don’t want to play outside in the dark.  I hate to have them sit around and watch TV.  They argue over toys and don’t have the attention span for board games yet.  Solution?  WII Dance Party!

  • Calories Burned: 2348
  • Calories Consumed: 1475
  • Deficit: 873

December 20- it’s really the 20th today

Hi!  Yesterday i posted that it was the 20th.  I walked around all day thinking that today was the 21st.  Guess what?  It’s the 20th.

Today I ate a little more than I should.  And it wasn’t the best food either. I mean, it tasted good, but I could have chosen better.  McDougals…chicken strips and french fries.  In my defense, I didn’t eat all of the fries, an I declined the free ice cream.  And let me tell you…that ice cream is good.  My mouth is watering just typing this.

In brighter news, the scale was down 2 whole pounds this morning.  Now, I’ve been at this long enough to know that it might not stay there, but since it’s been hoovering in the higher ranges lately, that made me happy enough to do a backflip.  But I didn’t.  Because everyone else was sleeping.

My Pilates connection today has been the awareness of my shoulders.  I’m a writer, and a spend a lot of time like I am now: with my laptop in my lap, typing.  The tendancy for many who sit in front of a computer or a steering wheel a lot is to get “hunched” over the keyboard.  A lot of tension can build up in the shoulders and shoulder blades.  Now- the best thing for this is a massage.  But financially, that’s just not within reach for all of us.  So this simple exercise helps me A LOT.  It’s called Chest Expansion, but I like to think of it as hands-free bra removal.  Because that’s more fun.

Using the muscles just below the tips of your shoulder blades, draw you shoulder blades down your back.  This will draw the outside of your shoulders in.  Picture yourself unhooking your bra with your back muscles.  Men, I haven’t come up with a better analogy than this, so try a bra on and find the muscles that way 🙂  This isn’t the same as squeezing your shoulder blades together.  That works your rhomboids.  We’re trying to work your mid and lower trapezious muscle, the one that balances out the upper trap.  The upper trap is the one you use to lift your shoulders to your ears.  Like you’re doing right now.  See?  You didn’t even realize it did you.  Shoulders down!

Here’s my stats.  I plan to be up for a bit longer, so my calories will go up, but probably not enough to make a huge difference.

  • Calories Burned: 2253
  • Calories Consumed: 2053
  • Deficit: 200 (that’s easy math!)