My New Gadget

So I've been going to A's abs&core class during my lunch break. She offers it 3 times a week and I try to get there as much as I can.

Here's what I know about the class:
1. It's tough.
2. I am literally dripping sweat when it's over.
3. I luv it.

What I wondered was:
1. How many calories am I burning during this 40 minute class?

So I bought a heart rate/calorie monitor watch. It's super easy to use and there's no uncomfortable body band. You just press your finger to the metal around the read out and it calculates your heart rate and your cals burned based on that.

I wore it today during class to test it out and was amazed!



Just in case you can't see that, it reads 39 minutes 25 seconds and 683 cals burned. Pretty impressive I think.

#RI30 Day 2

Okay so it's day 2 of the ripped in 30 challenge. And you're on the edge of your seat dying to know how I'm doing. The anticipation!

Well here it is. I did NOT work out with Jillian tonight. I did go to the gym, where I spent 45 minutes alternating between running and walking on an incline. My body was just too sore after yesterday's 3 work outs. The thing I like about this vid is that it's recommended you do it 5 or 6 days a week and not 7 like the previous one. So I'm still perfectly on track!

My question is: When did I become the crazy who feels guilty for only working out once a day?

So I fell off the blog wagon.......

I bet you thought I gave up. That I was laying on a couch somewhere in a dark and dingy basement, barely visible underneath the empty bags of Party Mix and Snickers wrappers. That the shame of facing my audience of 14 followers was just too much. Or that the shame of quitting had overwhelmed me and I had moved to Russia and become an au pair ( a fat au pair), under an assumed name. Well no need to worry any longer! I'm back bitches!

And when I say back, I mean the blog because I never actually stopped my fitness journey. I've been training with A 3 times a week, working on my learn to run program on m alternate days and trying to squeeze in my new favorite work out class (Abs&Core) on any Monday, Wednesday, Friday that I can escape from work on my lunch break.

Now obviously I have days were I can't make it to the gym, or I'm too tired or busy or cranky to work out. But I try not to have those days twice in a row. That way I won't get back into the habit of just not going.

Have I lost the weight I wanted to in that time? Nope. Not even close actually. My thyroid may still be playing games with my body or I may be doing something wrong but this time it's not enough to phase me. I am in MUCH better shape now than I was when this whole journey began. During tonight's training session A and I reminisced a little about the first week of training and she actually laughed. Laughed! That's how bad it was. And admitted that she took it easy on me for a while.

Who would have thought I'd get to the point where I needed her to push me harder!

So that is where Jillian comes back into play. She recently released the 2011 of version of the Shred. It's called Ripped in 30 and is a more intense version of the same 3-2-1 of strength-cardio-abs principle.

So here I am embarking on a second 30 day challenge. I never actually finished the first one, but I think I'm ready mentally and physically to see this one through.

Week one has similar moves and I find the 5lb weight eerily light. Though I'm not struggling through this time I still find it tough, am definitely working up a sweat and am looking forward to weeks 3 and 4 where she promises to get "insane". I haven't skipped ahead to see what the work outs involves but this video of her back up chick, Basheera, has me excited and worried.

So stay tuned for days 2 through 30. Seems to me like it'll get interesting.