Staturday! Week 2 progress, July 22-July 26

What a fantastic week :) The hot streak that we had finally broke and I am 1000x happier. One day this week I even wore a long sleeved shirt! Love it!

So week 2 of FocusT25 brought some different challenges. I did think overall the workouts were easier but I haven't been able to check "Nailed it!" for Total Body Circuit yet. I'm scared because this coming week you do TBC twice and then 3 times next week!!

Monday- Cardio. Easier. WAY easier than the Friday before even. I gave myself a "Nailed it".

Tuesday- Total Body Circuit. Oh how I hate Spiderman Push-ups. Barely made it.

Wednesday- Speed 1.0. Again, I love doing this workout.

Thursday- Cardio. I thought Cardio was harder today than Monday for some reason.

Friday- Lower Focus and Ab Intervals. Lower Focus I can do about 95% of. Ab Intervals...how do they do some of those moves?!

Now for the results of course. From last week to this week I lost 3.6 pounds which gives me a loss of 8.4 pounds in two weeks. WHAT?!! That's crazy. So I'm 25% into my goal weight loss and only 20% into the program. Here is hoping I can keep it up because.....

Ryan and I FINALLY booked our honeymoon! Yes, we have waited almost 4 years to take our honeymoon. After much consideration we decided to go to Riviera Maya and Playa de Carmen. I am so excited and can hardly wait. And because I have so much faith in this workout program, I even ordered a few new bikinis. Woo!

Possibly even more shocking is the fact that I have an interview tomorrow evening with a family. Yes, a family. I know I said I could never ever nanny again after having my heart shattered but at the same time it can be such a rewarding career. There has yet to be a position I've enjoyed more than raising babies :) Here's hoping that they are a wonderful family and we can each see a future together.

In sad news this week, our dear friends have ended their relationship. They were together for 7 years, lived together for 3, and were engaged for 6 months. They are our closest couple of friends. It was very hard for me to digest the news and Ryan couldn't understand why I was so upset about it. I know they had 7 fantastic years together and we've had 7 fantastic years with them. The break-up is amicable but it doesn't make it any easier.

Finally, our other dear friends announced they are having a baby. This news hit me like a ton of bricks! We love this couple dearly and know they will be wonderful parents. I can hardly wait to have a little baby to spoil and be a baby hog with :)

Here is this week's photo dump:

Where we will be staying!, homemade pretzels, Ryan and Nittany napping on the new furniture, sunflower that bloomed in the garden and Coala giving me a kiss after surviving TBC!!!

Staturday!!! 1st wk, July 20th

I survived! I did the entire first week of Focus T25 Alpha Week One. I feel ah-mazing. I am a bit sore but I will sum up everything!!!

The sorest I was was on Tuesday. I think that's just because I was getting back into the swing of things. By Thursday I wasn't sore at all anymore. Friday I got up and did the Cardio first. You have the option of doing two workouts on Fridays, or saving one for Saturday too. Fridays workouts were Lower Focus and Cardio and I did Cardio to get it out of the way. Still hard, but I was able to do more moves than Monday's Cardio. In the evening I decided to do Lower Focus. I loved doing this workout. A lot of squats and lunges but it felt really good to stretch out my lower body. The 25 minutes flew by and I was still sweating insanely like I had run a marathon!!

Today I did the Stretch workout. Although it is only stretching, I was still sweating in the beginning. Shaun T was right and it felt amazing by the end and I'm so glad I did it. I think I may even do it tomorrow as well.

So here is what you are waiting for- the results. From Monday morning until this morning I lost 4.8 lbs. Not a huge difference but almost 5 pounds in six workouts is fantastic I think! Most importantly, I enjoy doing the workouts. They are hard and they make me sweat and grunt like a pig but getting results is the motivation I need to keep going.

Here's this week's photo dump!

From the top left: Nittany being a porker with two dingos, my shakeology, 50 Sucks! lollipop bouquet I made, Ryan and I enjoying my last beer for 10 weeks!, Luna has allergies and her face swelled up, a beautiful sunset out the road, and how I found all three dogs huddling during the storm.

~R

Total Body Circuit and Ab Intervals

Today is my 4th day of Focus T25. That only means that tomorrow is the double workout day. Augh! Yesterday I completed Total Body Circuit and it just about killed me. I had to follow almost ALL of the modified moves and even then it was probably not full strength because I just couldn't get them. Planking is extremely hard for me so when you are planking and have to do some oblique crunches...well, I might as well just die. I did do it though and that's another day done!

Today I did Ab Intervals and it was difficult but not terrible. My ab strength isn't fabulous so I was a big shaky but still, better than nothing! I thought today's workout FLEW by. I glanced at the time and it was under 8 minutes and I could hardly believe it.

Today I also weighed myself because I did the 3 day Shakeology cleanse. I was down 4 pounds since Monday morning. I'm not extremely happy with those results because 1) I saw people losing like 8-10 lbs, and 2) I was literally STARVING when I went to bed. Yesterday evening I almost ripped Ryan's head off waiting for him to grill chicken for dinner. Would I do it again? Probably not. I don't think the results were worth it for me to be so hungry and miserable for 3 days. On the other hand, I didn't leave the house because I was worried of the "side-effects" I read about. I didn't have any side effects and I think if I was out running around like normal I would've dropped another pound or so. I was pretty sedentary besides working out in the mornings and my 2 mile jog each evening.

I'm very excited for tomorrow and doing both workouts. I can hardly wait to wake up Saturday morning and weigh-in for the first Staterday!

~R

Cardio and Speed 1.0 Focus T25

Yesterday I did Focus T25 workout Cardio for Day 1. Wow, let me tell you that it was unbelievably hard! You can check either Nailed It or Barely Made It on the calendar provided, and I definitely had to check Barely Made It! I had to follow Tanya for a lot of the modified moves but I give myself a high-five because I did it. I completed it. I did have to take a couple 2-3 second breathers but got right back into it. And for that, I'm proud of myself.

Today I did Speed 1.0. This workout was extremely different that yesterday's and I was encouraged because I saw someone post in our group on Facebook that Shaun T gives a little break a.k.a. stretches. Those stretches were a tease! You were still working while doing them. I'm typing this about an hour after I finished the workout and I am STILL hot. I sweat more doing this workout than I remember sweating in a long, long time. I did like Speed 1.0 way better than Cardio though. There were some tough moves (slow cross jacks anyone?) and clearly I am not the most coordinated and graceful athlete. I was dripping by the end of the 25 minutes but I enjoyed it, I did it, and I'm past it and looking forward to tomorrow's Total Body Circuit.

Yesterday I began the 3 Day Shakeology Cleanse. I had a shake for breakfast, took a green iced tea grocery shopping with me, had an apple when I came home . I had another shake pre-dinner and had a salad and shake for dinner. I already had a shake this morning. According to my scale I'm down 2.4lbs this morning from yesterday. Here's hoping I get some amazing results this first week!

-R

Stat-urday! 7-13-13

Last weekend I was invited to join a group of ladies on Facebook who are doing the 10 week Beachbody Focus T 25 . What an honor! Some of these women are coaches for Beachbody or have their own coaching systems to help people lose weight and become healthier. Knowing someone wanted me to participate totally made my weekend.

Almost two years ago now was when I began my healthier lifestyle journey. I'll admit, it's never easy and I am such a foodie! I love food so much and it's really hard to maintain a healthy weight. I am beyond excited to start this program on Monday. Every Saturday is going to be "Stat"urday and I'll be posting updated weight loss for the week. I know so many people say it's not about the number on the scale, but for me it really is. I lost 18 pounds in six weeks doing the Slim in 6 program so I have full faith in this 10 week program. My goal weight to lose is 25 pounds.

Of course I'll have before and after photos and stats, but you will just have to be patient and wait until the end to know! Now, time for some deets on the program!

Shaun T who is the creator of Insanity is the mastermind behind T25. Shaun T designed the program so those who hate spending an hour a day working out will no longer have to but still will receive incredible results. Yes, the program is only 25 minutes a day. Praise the Lord! I actually do have the time to work out longer, but I am so easily distracted and bored. There are two parts to T25. The first 5 weeks are the ALPHA weeks. Cardio, Speed 1.0, Total Body Circuit, Ab Intervals, and Lower Focus. For 5 weeks you rotate through these workouts according to the provided calendar. After those 5 weeks you are on to the BETA stage. Same idea, different and harder workouts.

So the next 10 weeks should be hella fun! I can hardly wait to begin on Monday. Check back next Saturday for an update on how I survived my first week. Ryan has the honors of taking my before pictures tomorrow night, hehe.



In other news I was laid off from my educational specialist position at the end of June. Because of the sequestration, no grants were renewed for Afterschool education. This has been very difficult to accept because I honestly and truly loved my position. It was a lot of work but I cared about those kids so darn much! It also really stinks because I believe the work I did make an actual difference in those kids' lives. Not necessarily always their grades, but in their personal lives. Some of the questions they asked and some of the stories they told made me realize how truly blessed and fortunate I was growing up. Two parents, a home we owned, two cars, a cooked meal every night, clean and new clothes, a safe yard to play in, Christmases, Easters and birthdays to celebrate...and a dog or two. When I told one of my students "Happy Birthday" she looked at me confused. She didn't know it was her own birthday and you better believe there wasn't a cake or ice cream or candles or a present when she got home from school either. Yes, let's cancel a program and get rid of educators where we are the only ones wishing a child a happy birthday.

As I began my search for another career path I filed for unemployment. I believe unemployment is there to help people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The benefits received help cover the cost of bills and groceries until the person finds another position. I was informed that I am unable to collect unemployment because I didn't make enough in the base year. Sure felt like a lot was being collected from my pay though. I did appeal the claim and am waiting to hear what the decision will be. In the meantime, I am fortunate enough to have found a few positions to apply for, and have friends and family also sending me possible opportunities.

Lastly, every Staterday I'll probably have a "photo-dump". This is simply a collage of some of the interesting (at least to me) pictures I've taken in the past week. You have been warned: I'm sure the overdose of dog cuteness will  be at an all-time high.

Have a great week everyone!

-R

 As the storm came, first attempt at 4 strand braiding, dyeing mason jars, Ryan and I taking pics after the storm, and the T25 workout schedule hanging on the fridge :)