Saturday 30 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 27 - Feel the burn!

Day 27 - Workout 4 & Cardio 1 - Back to back

So due to time restraints this week and my absolute determination not to get behind with this programme I fit in workout 4 AND cardio 1 back to back today. That leaves 1 more cardio 1 for tomorrow, then so long phase 1, I'll miss you xxx

Well what can I say? OUCH. Workout 4 was one of my favourites from phase 1, I loved the terry pulls, one legged dead lift and even grew to love hollow man! One thing I have noticed is that my right hip "clicks" when I do the side raises. It also clicks when I do the warm up for workout 3 where you swing your leg out to one side. Strange, does anyone else click or am I just weird?

So immediately after workout 4 I switched to cardio 1. That was harder than I thought. I had already burnt 289 calories in workout 4 and was tired. Anyway I got my head in the game and went to it. The fast feet were probably the hardest to complete, my legs were like jelly! Anyway the result is this


575 calories burnt, not bad at all.

Food

Breakfast -

Another omlette this morning. This one had bacon, mushrooms, leeks and tomatoes in.

Here it is cooking (excuse the messy cooker, it was breakfast in progress and I promise it's clean now)

 
That's my little one person frying pan, so handy when no one else is sharing. I just sprayed it with rapeseed oil first. I mixed 2 eggs with 1 laughing cow light cheese triangle to make the omlette.
 I roasted the vegetables and grilled the bacon then trimmed the fat off.
I poured the egg mix into the pan and topped with the bacon and vegetables.
When the bottom was nicely cooked I put the pan under the grill to brown the top.
 
 
 
 
 Here is the finished product
 
It was so filling and worked out to be 316 calories. I will be making this one again. If I want to lower the calories I may leave out the bacon, it would still be good.
 

Lunch -

Ham & beetroot salad - this was good

Dinner -

Tonight we are having Chicken, Leek and bacon lasagna.
 
 
 



This is the recipe I entered into MyFitnessPal. I will add seasonings, herbs and probably some garlic and mustard but I don't worry about entering those things.


Just take a look at this soppy dog! She thinks she is one of the kids!


 
 
 
Today is another cold one here. Snow is falling (at Easter WTF?) My baby boy is getting better slowly so we will probably just pop to the shops and back and let him rest as much as he can.
 
Tomorrow we are off to my brothers for an Easter buffet. The boys can play with their cousins and us adults can drink wine and chat. Well my brother & Mr F will disappear with their new remote control cars (yes they are 33 and 37 years old!) with my dad trailing behind pretending he's interested and leave me, my mum and my sister in law to the wine and nattering!
 
So I am pretty exhausted but feeling so proud that I forced myself to catch up. The good feelings really outweigh the aches and pains.
 
See you all tomorrow x 

Friday 29 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Days 25 & 26

Day 25 - Workout 3 (Or not, Again!) & Day 26 - Workout 3 (instead of 4)

So unfortunately this week has been a real test of my motivation and willpower (and sanity!) My baby boy is very ill and will not let me leave his side. That makes working out very difficult. I know you're thinking "why doesn't she do it when he goes to bed?" Well he isn't going to bed or if he does he is crying again 5 minutes later.

My poorly boy



Honestly, out of my 3 boys, I have never experienced an illness like it. The good news is I have taken him to the Doctor and he is now on antibiotics for a Virus and severe ear infection in both ears. Hopefully this will kick in soon and normality will return.

I have hated messing up my routine this week, I haven't been able to take the boys to school (there goes a 360 calorie a day walk) I have missed 2 workouts and I have been eating junk! Last night I was so zombified (you know what I mean) that we ordered Chinese. I feel doughy and soft (like the Pillsbury dough boy) I know it is physcological but I need to get my head back in the game.

Anyway, today I managed to squeeze in workout 3 (it should have been 4) I really felt the lack of sleep and struggled to complete it well. I did complete it though so tomorrow (Saturday) I will get workout 4 in and then that leaves 2 x cardio 1 to complete on Sunday. That way I will still be on track.

Food

I was determined to get my food under control today so for breakfast I created this


It is a cottage cheese, mushroom & wafer thin chicken omlette. It was only 285 calories and it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again

Lunch was a tin of tomato soup as I haven't had time to make my own with 3 rice cakes and cheese spread.

For dinner tonight I have made a low calorie chicken curry with mushrooms, onions and potatoes.

I hope you have all had more luck staying on track and working out than I have, but if you haven't, it's never too late to start over. Everyday is a new day and the chance for a fresh start.

Until tomorrow - Keep Pushing x

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 24

Day 24 - Cardio 1 (or not!)

Well no cardio one for me today. I will change my rest day this week from Sunday to today and do my last cardio 1 then. As long as it gets done, thats all that matters.

I am EXHAUSTED! Last night was round two of no sleep. It is killing me. Because he is so poorly, my little guy wont even nap during the day which = no nap for mummy either! (not that I normally take a nap but I really could have done with it today)

When I get this tired I get really hungry. I don't know if I'm just trying to get my energy from food insted of sleep or what but it is not good. I grazed all day yesterday to keep me going and today has not been good so far. BUT - instead of using this as an excuse to eat crap for the rest of the week, I said to myself "No, this stops now"  I can make good choices for the rest of the day and week. There is no need to turn this into a downward spiral of over eating.

I've had a little look on MyFitnessPal for success stories, googled a few exercise plans and their results and read through my weight loss journals that I've kept for the last 5 years and Mrs motivated is back!

I was looking for some different recipes for next week as it is easter holidays here and Mr F is off for the week. I made almost a whole weeks meal plan. Then I looked at it and thought Nope, scrap that and start again. There is no need to have a weeks worth of unhealthy food. I am planning a big roast dinner with all the trimmings for Easter Monday but other than that I will go back and plan healthy meals for the rest of the week. I am going to take a look at the fat burning meal plan form Body Revolution and see if anything takes my fancy.

How about you - do you have any favourite low calorie meals I can try? If so please share (the recipe, not the food) although if you want to come over and cook for me, you are most welcome :)

Here is one I used to have a lot so I have added it to next weeks meal plan

Creamy Chicken Bake

Serves 4 - 340 calories per serving

Low fat cooking spray
300g (10 1/2 oz) Skinless chicken breast, diced
2 small courgettes (zuchini) sliced
175g (6 oz) Fusilli
600g (1lb 5oz) Passata with herbs
200g tub low fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs

Pre heat oven to gas mark 5
spray low fat cooking spray into a pan and fry the chicken and courgettes for 3-5 minutes until browned
Boil a pan of water and cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes only
Add the passata and 100ml of water to the pan with the chicken and courgettes in and bring to the boil
Remove from the heat and add the soft cheese and drained pasta
Pour into a baking dish and cover with foil
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until pasta is soft

Serve with a large side salad

It is really yummy and remember you can change the passata for tinned tomatoes or use different vegetables, Just make sure you calculate the final calories using the ingridients YOU use.

Ok so I will be back tomorrow with a workout to report on. Sometimes life gets in the way but just Keep Pushing!

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 23

Day 23 - Workout 4

Well Oscar was up all night so I was shattered this morning. It took me back to when the boys were newborn, I can't remember how I ever coped with getting up at night. Anyway I got on and did workout 4 and I am glad I did.

I like this workout better than 3, I don't know why. I decided to take Jillian's advice and push my up button on the weights today and started off using my 10 lbs. I switched to my 5 lbs for the one where you hold them over your head and kneel backwards then push back up. I also used my 5's for the good mornings as my 10's are big and cumbersome and don't really fit on my neck. I used 10's for the leg raises and really felt it!

I can't really believe I only have one more of that workout to do, it has gone by quickly. My weight seems to have officially gone up by 2 lbs this week. I was annoyed and started to do some research. It looks like this is more common than you think on this programme and I would say for every person who lost a load in phase 1, there was another person that didn't or that gained. I also looked into overall results and am pleased to note that the only people who lost nothing on the programme were the people already at their goal weight and even then they saw body changes. Everyone I found who started with weight to lose, did indeed shed some pounds, more so after phase 2.

So if you are struggling to stay motivated due to a weight gain or stall, forget about it. The scale is just one piece of the puzzle. Yes we all want it to go down but at the end of the day - only you know that number. The rest of the world just sees you and your changing body

So there is hope. I am not quitting. I will persevere because I know Jillian knows what she is doing and the results will come eventually. I have never been this active in my life. I did couch to 5 k a couple of years ago and found that I love running. Even then I would only run 3 times a week. I am proud that I am sticking to 6 days a week and I love the fitness improvements I am seeing.

Todays burn:





Food

I had yesterdays leftover prawn salad for lunch and dinner will be lean beef mince in a spicy tomato sauce, roasted vegetables and couscous. Tracking my calories has not got off to a good start this week due to sick children but I'm not too worried. As long as I get my workouts done, I can get the logging back on track later this week.

Whilst surfing the net last night I came across this


I may have to get one to work out in haha!

My quads are sore when I stand after todays workout, more so than before. Maybe it's because I used my 10 lb weights this time. Whatever it is I am glad. I need something to remind me what I've achieved and what I'm striving for.

I am off now to tend to my poorly little man. I am sooo tired and would really like a hot bath and an early night but we shall see.

Until next time - Keep Pushing x x








Monday 25 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 22

Day 22 - Workout 3

Back to workout 3 today. I was anxious about this one today, a rest day coupled with the children from hell this morning left me feeling tired and uninspired. Still, it was time to suck it up and press play as I won't let a rough morning get me down.

So after taking the boys to school, I dropped Oscar at my mum's and got on with it. After the warm up came my first hurdle, push ups. I didn't get to practice yesterday so I decided to just do as many on my toes as I could. The problem with that is I struggle to do even 1 with correct form. I just can't get my chest to the mat and back up without sticking my butt in the air or having my hands to far forward. So I just made sure I had perfect form and did them from my knees.

I did manage to get my head around the plank into crescent today and got a few done correctly which I'm pleased about. Also the crab push ups were better, I find if you keep your behind dipped you work on your arms more (which is what Jillian says but I don't always listen to her!)

The side abdominal crunches hurt my hip bone (yes, I can actually feel a bone there now, yipee!) so I rock back a little so I'm not pushing on it. I really focused on this one today. I think a lot of the moves require less speed but more focus on form and range of movement although the inchworms I find better if I go faster!

The cool down on this workout troubles my knees. When you come onto your knees and lift your foot into your behind It really hurts my knees. I do not want to injure myself so I just stand and stretch my quads like normal. As long as you are stretching, that's the main thing.

So after a manic Monday trying to get 3 boys up & dressed and out the door, I forgot to wear my heart rate monitor on the school run (probably would have gone through the roof anyway seeing as how stressed I was!) Anyway I remembered it for my workout


Yep, workout 3 burnt 281 calories, not too shabby is it?

Food

Dinner tonight is going to be some of this


Or this


Oscar is coming down with something and you know how clingy 2 year olds get when they're poorly? He wont let me go long enough to prepare the prawn pasta salad that I had planned. Oh well that will most likely be tomorrows lunch.

I am off now to administer Calpol and cuddles - I hope all of you who did BR today got on ok and remember to Keep Pushing x

Sunday 24 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 21

Day 21 - Rest, Reflection & Easter Projects


Happy Sunday everyone.

Can I just start the day by giving a big warm welcome to my very first follower Becky. Really, you should get a prize or something lol! Also hi to Lindsey who added me to her Google + circles.

 Everyone else who reads this, see that little bar on the right hand side that looks like this 

        

Click on it and follow me, then you can get updates on all my ramblings, you know, just in case you miss me :)

No seriously, my goal is to get fit and healthy, but also to motivate others to do the same. If just one person who reads this blog decides to workout, or eat better because they see that I can do it, then I will be thrilled.

I get it, working out is hard, eating right is hard, but believe me if I can do it - SO CAN YOU. If you want to leave me a comment, add me on MFP or even send me a private email, if I can answer your questions or give you some support & motivation I will, gladly.

Ok back to my Sunday. Well I have just eaten not one but TWO of these sandwiches



Hey look there's me in the saucepan reflection on the right, hello!

Mmmm the original BLT. Yes I ate 2. I am stuffed but happy. I AM trying to lose weight and I DO want to be healthy but I also want to be HAPPY. I intend to live my life to the full. If I want TWO bacon sandwiches on a Sunday I will have them. I may not have lunch (too stuffed). I will still get up tomorrow and workout. I will eat within my allowance all week. This is a journey for me, for the rest of my life. I cannot count calories every single day forever. I need to have a meal or a day or even a weekend now and again where I am just me.

Mr F is home today and the house is as it should be. Loud, crazy and full of love. I wouldn't have it any other way. Mr F mentioned today that I am getting shapelier (is that even a word?) and more defined. I bit back with the reply that I always had a shape it just used to be round, but I was secretly pleased.

My plans for today:

1.Recover from breakfast

2.Help Mr F & older boys with Easter projects

3.Read my new book in the bath (actually I have a kindle & reading it in the bath is not a good idea with my track record but a bath is not a bath unless it's boiling hot, deep, with a good book and children needing the toilet every 5 seconds)

I have finished Gabriel's Rapture and also just finished THIS.


It was good although I'm not sure if it was trying to be a love story, a bit supernatural or a Mafia/underworld kind of thing. It was a bit of all of them and very entertaining.

Next on my list is THIS.


 

 I'm not usually a fan of paranormal style books but I liked Twilight and True blood and this is supposed to be a cross between the two.

4.Work on my full body push ups. I know today is a rest day and I'm not going to go mad but I need to find a way to improve these. Starting on the bottom stair is the advice I found and then when you can do 15 move to the floor. Last night Mr F & I were cozied up watching the walking dead when the girl on it started doing one legged push ups. Show off (would love to do that!) Then I yelled "look she's doing inchworms, I do them") I didn't mention that mine don't quite look like hers!

My reflection on the week gone by? I worked out hard but punished my body by not fuelling it properly. This week I will eat more and continue to push myself. Only two more Cardio one workouts and this is also the last week of Phase 1. I am so determined to finish this programme and give it my all. The habit of working out 6 days a week is a good one to have. 30 minutes a day is all it takes, we can all find that, can't we?

Until tomorrow - Keep Pushing x





Saturday 23 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Days 19 & 20

 Day 19 - Workout 4

This was better today or I should say I was better today! Having seen the moves already, I got the hang of them a lot quicker. The issues I was having with the ab twists were better, I think it doesn't matter if the mat twists with you, it is the ab muscles that are keeping your upper back off the floor and that's what matters.

I feel very strong doing this workout. Moves that I found daunting in the 30 day shred seem easier now. Things like the forward lunges and butt kicks used to really kill me. In 30 DS when Jillian says if you can, really kick yourself in the a$$ I remember thinking noooo, stop. Now I feel like I could kick my butt forever lol! Jump rope and jumping jacks also seem quite effortless compared to back then. I may do 1 day of each level on 30 DS soon, just for a kind of fitness test.

My Heart Rate Monitor turned up yesterday and I had a little play with it. I put it on to collect my boys from school. Walking there and back it said I burnt 180 calories. I do that twice a day. Then I do BR which I'm guessing must be at least 200 calories? So when I dropped my calories to 1200 last week, I was only netting around 600 a day. Big mistake and a sure fire way to slow my metabolism and hold onto my fat for dear life! I am not eating enough to fuel my body let alone my workouts!

I follow this In-place-of-a-road-map. Really, read it, it makes so much sense. According to this I need 1400 calories a day just to breathe. If I add in my daily life plus exercise (TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure) I need 2,235 calories a day to MAINTAIN my current weight. So to lose weight, I subtract 20% from my TDEE which leaves me at 1800 Calories a day. I need to eat at least that to lose weight. Whether I eat it each day or average it over a week, I was seriously UNDER eating.  So next week I will aim for at least 1450-1500 calories Mon - Thurs and try and get nearer to 2200 on Fri, Sat & Sun. (1800 daily plus 300 extra saved from Mon - Thurs) It seems a lot of calories but trust me, it works. I will stick at it for at least 4 weeks and re-evaluate then

Day 20 - Cardio 1

Not much to add about this one except my Polar FT7 tells me I burnt 261 Calories in 26 minutes! Great.

Snow

When I got up this morning I didn't open the curtains straight away. If I had I would have seen this
 



It is almost the end of March and approaching Easter and we have snow. Please spring, hurry up and get here!

Oscar has developed a passion for stripey clothes. Yep at 2 years old he has a keen eye for fashion. He spies an item of clothing in his room and either brings it downstairs or takes it to bed with him. It took me a while to realise he only picks the stripey things. This morning he spotted this t-shirt and HAD to have it on over his sleep suit, So funny. (he is also holding my tape measure, no wonder I can never find it!)





Mr F is at work today. I miss him. The kids miss him. Saturday is not the same without him.

Tomorrow we are making Easter Bonnets and Easter Gardens for the boys school projects. Mr F and the boys cannot just make normal Bonnets and Gardens, LED lights are involved along with nuts and bolts. Pictures will follow.


Friday 22 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 18

Day 18 - Workout 3

Hello again workout 3! I love/hate this workout. I love it because it challenges me but I hate it because parts of it I just don't get. Ok it's mainly the plank into crescent move - What is that all about? I really need to practice this one because It's making me so angry every time I try and fail! If any of you are doing or have done BR please give me some tips on it - pretty please!

On the plus side - my camel was spot on and I'm proud to say I am actually quite good at it. The cardio intervals in this workout are fun, I really like the ski jumps, they get my heart pumping!

Speaking of my heart rate, look what's coming today

 
Yes my wonderful husband, Mr F has made me order the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor. I am so excited to see what calories I actually burn throughout the workouts and throughout the day. I have never had one before and I think it will help me step up my fitness to the next level!
 
Stats
 
I have had some people ask me my actual stats not just how much weight I've lost and what I want to lose. The reason I didn't put this up before is because I NEVER tell anyone what I weigh - EVER. But I figured you can't have a weight loss blog and expect people to follow you if they don't know what they're looking at (huge deep breath now & I know Mr F will read this - I've never even told him!)
 
Height 5ft 4"
 
Weight
 
October 2012 - 188 lb
March   2012 - 164 lb
 
Goal for 2012 - 140 lb
 
So there you go, that is me. 188 lb is not my heaviest weight, some time after my 2nd Son I weighed just over 200 lbs (only just but on 5ft 4" it is not healthy)
 
These numbers do not define me though and I am coming to realise they mean less and less. Take today for example, the scale is showing a 2 lb gain. I know, however, that eating 1200 calories and exercising for an hour and a half a day, 6 days a week, I have NOT put on 2 lbs of fat. It might be water, too much salt in last nights dinner or muscles retaining fluid to repair but it is not fat. I have come a long way on this journey. Seeing that gain would normally of had me in a sulk for the day and put me in a "what's the point in trying?" mindset. Now I rely on my clothes and what I see in the mirror much much more. That is what is important now. I am getting stronger, I can do so much more than I ever thought I could and I am giving it everything I've got.
 
If you are struggling to come to terms with the scale number when you've been working out and eating right, IGNORE IT. Put the scale away and get out the tape measure. Try on some old jeans that were too small for you. Look in the mirror or better yet at old photos and compare yourself. Your body will change, it just doesn't always show where you think. Don't get disheartened, JUST KEEP PUSHING!
 
I will be doing workout 4 later on this morning, so will be back later to update and hopefully have my heart rate monitor to chat about.
 
 


Wednesday 20 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 17

Day 17 - Cardio 1

Another good cardio workout this morning, I really like Cardio 1. I think if I repeat another round of BR in the future I will add weights to some of the moves. That's why I love this programme, you can always do more and make it harder if you need to.  

I tried a new approach to my slipping mat problem


I put a 5kg Olympic weight at each end. Not a solution, but a slight improvement.

Hot/fast feet made my a$$ BURN today. Halfway through I thought "enough, please" but then I took advice from Jillian and remembered WHY I started.

"If you have a why, you can tolerate any how"
 
 
This is me after Cardio 1 today



A hot, sweaty, red faced mess. Perfect! I know I worked out HARD.

My upper back muscles are REALLY aching after yesterdays Terry Pulls. I love the pain though, it reminds me why I am doing this :)

Speaking of workouts, this is my workout calendar that I use to check off each day of my Body Revolution



It helps remind me where I'm supposed to be. I took this picture 2 days ago and forgot to post it (you can see that I don't have a good memory lol)

Inspiration

Did you see the finale of The Biggest Loser last night? If you did you would know that this amazing girl won



Wow, Danni looks amazing. She is an inspiration to all of us that you can change your body and you can achieve your dreams. All it took was a lot of hard work and determination.


Food

Last nights dinner after parents evening looked like this (the boys got great reports by the way)


It was really filling and only came in at 592 calories.  My total food yesterday totalled 1,248 calories. I am eating a lot of roasted sprouts and leeks this week as they were on offer and I love them.

I am eating lower than my normal goal this week to push things along a bit.

My goal for the week is usually 1700 calories per day. I split this into

Monday - 1400

Tuesday - 1400

Wednesday - 1400

Thursday - 1400

Friday - 2100

Saturday - 2100

Sunday - 2100

That way I can treat myself to some wine or a meal out with my family and still stick within my calorie goal.

This works for me and that is what matters. Find something that works for you and stick at it. It may take some tweaking and a little time to see results but give it a chance and be persistent.

Tonight I will be making something with chicken breast, tinned tomatoes and - yep you guessed it, roasted sprouts and leeks. Pictures to follow tomorrow.

I am off to sort out my boys dinner now before they eat me!

Enjoy the rest of your day and keep pushing :)

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 16

Day 16 - Workout 4

I got back to doing my workout in the morning today and I'm glad I did. I felt much more energised and motivated.

Today introduced workout 4 of phase 1. The warm up starts with good old butt kicks and backwards windmills.

We have a few more balance moves in workout 4, for example a one legged dead lift with tricep curl. There are modifications if you need them though. I seem to balance better on one leg than the other!

Abs are focused on a lot today. The hollow man? OUCH. I won't spoil it if you haven't done it but I can feel that one 3 hours later. There is also a kind of ab twist where you lay on the floor and twist to touch the opposite foot. I just could not get the hang of that. I am still in need of solutions to my slipping mat problem. I even cut up some non slip matting and stuck it to the bottom but I still slide all over the place which makes this move pretty ineffective. If any of you have any ideas or have overcome the same issue, feel free to comment!

I may have mentioned before that I also walk an hour a day to school and back (usually pushing my 2 year old in his buggy) and I do not often sit down when I am at home. This little extra is complimenting the Body Revolution plan and anything you can do to add a bit of extra movement into your day is worth it.

Food

Well I have no pictures of last nights disaster dinner as I was so fed up by the time it was ready, I just ate it. The cook in the bag method did not cook the rice. Even after an hour in the oven. So I emptied it all into a casserole dish and microwaved it to finish it. It tasted good but took an hour longer than it should. I will use the seasoning again and cook the rice separately.

Today's breakfast was 2 wholemeal toast, cheese spread and marmite again. Not the prettiest of pictures but here you go


Dinner tonight will be extra lean spicy tomato pork mince with roasted leeks and brussell sprouts.

I'm off now to my 2 older boys parent's evenings. I'm sure they will get good reports (I hope)

Until tomorrow x

Monday 18 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 15


Day 15 - Hello Workout 3

So today I got to meet workout 3 and find out what new craziness Jillian has in store for me. I had a bit of a stomach ache this morning so I didn't work out until after lunch. I don't like doing it that way, I don't feel as energised then. Anyway, I sucked it up and began.

Well let me tell you there are all kinds of new moves in there. As with each new workout, you have to watch a little to get the hang of the moves first. Full military style push ups feature in circuit 1. I don't know about you, but I STILL suck at these. So I did as Jillian asked and just tried (she kind of sighs the word TRY and drags it out in her gravelly voice, you can hear her now, can't you?) I will get better at these but for now it's back to my knees after a couple of reps.

There is a plank that turns into a yoga lunge type thing, boy did I struggle with that. Not so much the move, but just grasping what on earth I was supposed to be doing. I think it will take quite a bit of practice to get that one right.

The resistance band comes into play again here and it's much simpler to step into the move (no wrapping around feet this time) This move BURNS - A LOT. I liked it though :)

There is quite a bit of ab work and a lot of planking, including plank ups as seen in the 30 day shred. They all started having a little race with this but I just left them to get on with it and tried not too fall flat on my face.

Workout 4 tomorrow, super excited.

Food

Breakfast today was 2 slices of wholemeal toast with cheese spread and marmite.

Lunch I had leftover chicken stew form last night and 3 rice cakes with cheese spread & some sweet chilli sauce for a change. I also had 2 Mr Freeze ice pops, I love these, they are only 26 calories each and satisfy that sweet craving you sometimes get after lunch.

Dinner tonight is a Cajun chicken cook in the bag meal. I have added chicken breast, rice, leeks and sprouts to this seasoning


OK I have no idea why that picture is sideways? I tried to rotate it like normal. Oh well I'm new to this blogging game, forgive me lol

So when all the ingredients are put in the bag with a little water it looks like this



 


You then bake it in the bag in the oven for about 40 minutes and voila! I will post photos of the finished product tomorrow.

I am really trying to kick it up a notch this week with my food. I am logging on MyFitnessPal everyday (my diary is open & my user name is vickiaf if you want to friend me, just let me know where you found me!) I am trying to stick between 1200 - 1400 calories to give my body a push & burn more fat.

Speaking of burning fat, I'm looking into purchasing a heart rate monitor. I have looked at the Polar F4, F7 and the Suunto M4. If any one has any advice or recommendations please feel free to leave me a comment. I would like to know how many calories I really burn in a day, it will help me stay on track.

I'm off to spend some time with my boys before I pack them off to bed and as Oscar got me up at 4.30 am today, he will be going a bit earlier.

Until tomorrow keep pushing x






Sunday 17 March 2013

Rest day & Sunday snap shots

And....... rest. Aaah. No workout for me today, but with 3 young boys you never really get a rest day. I'm enjoying a lazy Sunday with my family.
The boys are building a cardboard camper van (I might just save myself some money this year and buy them cardboard boxes for Christmas!) The fire is lit, Mr F is watching Top Gear & I am tapping away at this blog.
we may take a walk later but nothing too strenuous. I am hoping to get some time to curl up in front of the fire with my kindle as well. My book of choice at the moment is Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard.




It's the follow up of Gabriel's Inferno and very good. It has the strong, passionate affair similar to fifty shades of grey, but not as graphic. There is a third book to make it a trilogy which I'm pleased about, I love it when a good book becomes a series.

Sunday Snap Shots

I love taking photos of my kids (who doesn't?) and playing around editing them. These are a few snapshots I took today

 
 
Food
 
Last nights chilli meatballs turned into chilli bolognaise and I just stuck to pasta without the veg, but it was good

 

 Today I am making my poorly baby some chicken & broccoli stew in the slow cooker. Here it is so far



I am looking forward to workout 3 tomorrow and seeing what the delightful Jillian Michaels has in store for me! Please feel free to leave a comment about your own Body Revolution, your own blog or anything really, and please follow my blog to see my updates.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day's 12 & 13

Day 12 - Workout 2

Well the last day of workout 2 was good. I'm glad to say goodbye to the band around the feet move, for now. I don't know if it's because I don't have the band Jillian uses but I find by the time I have it wrapped around my feet properly, she's nearly done! I wasn't keen on the supermans (too many in 30 day shred) and I know from reading other blogs that she brings this one back - with weights! Ouch. I now do most of the pelvic thrusts (lets do the time warp again! Sorry it pops into my head every time she says that) with my leg raised. I haven't tried it with the bands yet, like I said, they would probably be done before I got started lol!

Day 13 - Cardio 1

Not much to add to this one apart from I am beginning to punch like a boxer ha ha. I'm concentrating on really tightening my core for all the moves and getting uncomfortable. I mean really pushing things so I make the most of my time. I always find myself smiling at Mimi's little dance at the end, that girl has some ENERGY.

Weigh in

- 2 lbs this week, bringing my total loss for Body Revolution - 4 lbs! Pleased with that for 2 weeks in, can't wait to see how much more I can lose.

Cross Country

No, not me, my 7 year old son completed his cross country today. I went along as a proud supporter. He tried really hard and just kept pushing. He wanted me to run with him but parents were not allowed. I would love to run with him someday though.

Here he is with his finishers medal (his main reason for going, he's such a magpie)



I was so proud of him today.


Tooth fairies & runny noses

So while Bailey was running for his school, Jake & Oscar stayed with Nanny.

Oscar has a cold and sounds really cute when he talks but he is having trouble sleeping which is not so good. I'm planning on making a slow cooked chicken & broccoli stew for dinner tomorrow to help him feel better.

My sweet, sweet Jakey finally lost his first tooth! (he actually let me pull it out, the brave boy! it was only hanging on by a thread) He is so proud and placed it into the little gold pouch we keep for lost teeth. This went under his pillow and was replaced with coins at some time in the night.

Here is my gappy guy

 
 

He can be so crazy

Food

I know I was supposed to post a picture of my salmon the other day but by the time I had remembered I had already started eating it! It was yummy though. Here is the picture (sorry for the awful flash, it was dark and I just wanted to continue eating!)


 Tonight I am making chilli beef meatballs with rigatoni pasta. I may roast some leeks and sprouts and have less pasta but I am looking forward to it.
I will take some more food photos over the next week (before I start eating)


Tomorrow is my rest day but I still find myself itching to workout. I won't though, I know I need to let my body rest for it to improve.

Enjoy your weekend and make sure you get your workouts in & keep pushing xoxo

Thursday 14 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day's 10 & 11

Day 10 - Cardio 1

Wednesday started with cardio 1 again. I like this workout, I feel like I've really burnt some calories afterwards. I have noticed something though. The guy in the white shorts near the back? HE CHEATS! Yes he is human too! If you watch during the kick outs with arm circles, he drops his arms, a lot. I'm a bit pleased with this, I find myself going "ha even you with the hulking muscles can't keep up with some of these crazy moves" (childish, but makes me feel better)

Day 11 - Goodbye workout 1

So a bit sad that today was the last day of workout 1. I am sure some of the moves will come back to haunt me in other workouts, probably with jumps or weights. As it was the last go at this, I tried to really keep pushing myself. I used 10 lbs for the chest flies and the second set of lateral raises. For everything else I stuck to 5 lbs. I got a bit lower on the squats and (and this is the bit I'm really chuffed with) I held my 5 lb weights throughout the entire warrior 2 pose. I did feel like I was going to die and I'm glad only Oscar was around to see the strained, painful look on my face, but I did it. And so can you, go on try it.


Food

Yesterdays dinner changed from chicken salad to chicken, mushroom & broccoli pasta. It was just to cold for salad!
I did have a couple of glasses of red wine which I should not have had. It is a habit and one I need to kick during the week. I started strong on my fitness journey and stopped completely on weekdays and that is what I want to get back to.

For tonight's dinner I am going to channel my inner Jillian (ha) and make chilli & lime salmon with her creamy cucumber salad from the fat burning meal plan served with bulgar wheat. I will post pictures tomorrow.

So I can now enjoy the rest of my day knowing I have worked out and am one step closer to achieving my goals.

Have a good day x x

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day's 7,8,9 & Mothers Day

Day 7 was my rest day from JMBR and concluded week 1. Progress - 2lb. Happy with that as I didn't follow the meal plan and went over on my own plan a few times.

Days 8 & 9 were back to workouts 1 & 2. I am getting better form for the moves now although some require coordination that I seem to struggle with. The twist and drop lunge in workout 1 is one of these moves, I just seem to take a few reps to be twisting the correct way and dropping the correct knee! Another one is the weighted step ups. I just seem to be out of tune with that one but I keep moving and get my knee up high so it'll all workout in the end.


Body changes
I have to say if you are considering doing Body Revolution or any Jillian Michaels DVD just DO IT! I am seeing changes in my body that I thought I would never see. Now I know this is not just 1 week of BR, I did 24 days of Jillian's 30 day shred first, but wherever you start you will see results! You know when you wave or clap in a tank top? well I used to get this jiggle under my arms that sort of made me tense my arms to stop it or try and clap using only my forearms (picture that without laughing, I dare you) Well guess what? It's gone. Yes I actually stood in front of a mirror waving and clapping to my hearts content and no jiggle! Another place I never thought I'd change is my stomach. Abs? me? never. My poor stomach has been through 3 pregnancies resulting in 3 c-sections in under 5 years, not to mention the abuse and neglect of letting go and no exercise. I have that "mummy pooch" that we all know and hate! Well, that's still there (for now, I WILL get it gone) BUT the bit of my stomach just under my bra strap is starting to develop a dent. I don't know how else to explain it only to say Jillian and the girls in her DVD have it and I never did. Now it's forming. I keep looking at it grinning like a loon saying "you go girl, you've got a dent" ha ha. These small changes are what keep me pushing, keep me turning up and pressing play so like I said DO IT and Do IT today, you will NEVER regret it.

Rest Day
Sunday was my rest day and was also mothers day. I was greeted in bed by 3 smiling little cherubs, had a cup of tea brought to me and got a voucher to help with the washing from Bailey. I also got a box of very decadent, very expensive Hotel Chocolat chocolates and a bacon roll in bed! (I did have to keep jumping up to fan the smoke alarm but hey it's the thought that counts) It was a lovely, indulgent day and the boys and Mr F couldn't have made me any happier.

This is me with my wonderful mum


Motivation

Sometimes, when I workout, I feel sluggish and like I'm not really trying hard enough. But the thing is it is my workout and I will only get out of it what I put in and that has to be 100%. So for those days when I feel like I'm not giving my all, I created this


I will hang it in the space where I workout and hopefully it will help me through those moments that I just don't feel like pushing

Food
Today I am back to porridge for breakfast, soup, rice cakes, yogurt and an apple for lunch and I am making a chicken & red grape salad for dinner.

Cardio 1 later this morning, can't wait for those suicides lol


Saturday 9 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution days 5 & 6 and the weekend!

It's Saturday, yay! I love the weekends. I get to spend time with my favourite people. Even though my youngest favourite person got me up at 5am!

Workout wise I did day 5 of BR yesterday which was workout 2 again. I had to fit it in before I took the boys to school which meant a few interruptions but I just kept going. It was actually quite funny trying to break up an argument whilst doing weighted step ups! One thing I realised with this workout is I always feel I'm not doing things right. As I spend my time listening to Jillian and not watching so much, I think the team on the set must be twisting further or stepping wider or raising their leg higher BUT when actually stop and watch I realise I AM doing it right and in most cases just as well as they are! So if you are doing BR take some time to watch the other guys now and then and you will see that there is no crazy super power you're missing and you're probably doing much better than you thought!

Today we are off to my parents for lunch (such a long trek to their house next door ha ha) so I will do cardio 1 before we set off. This time I will give myself some room to complete the suicides.

My boys have made me so proud this week. First there was this from my little Jakey


Then this from my clever boy Bailey for helping the computer technicians. That is so Bailey, anything technical and he is there!


Our little Oscar is following in his brothers footsteps, he loves to run off and play with their DS or my samsung tablet and he's only 2!

I have changed the colour of my blog but will probably change it again before I am happy! My goal is to create a pretty format that I can print as a kind of family journal. Life is so short and yet full and this way I can capture those special memories and write my blog all in one place. I hope to add a lot more pictures with my shiny new Nikon digital SLR (once I learn how to use it) At the moment the pictures are from my phone.

This is the scene in my house at 6.48am on a Saturday


Lovely and peaceful right? Notice my cheeky monkey climbing on the sofa arm? 2 minutes later he tried to swipe Jake's DS, so Jake pushed him onto the floor resulting in shattered peace and lots of screaming (them and me)

I will leave it there for today as I am being bugged for the laptop by a 7 year old (he wants to play Mathletics so I will willingly relinquish it)


Thursday 7 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 4

So back to visit workout 1 today and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it. I didn't sleep very well and felt sluggish. Still as Jillian says I turned up!

The moves in this workout are the starting blocks for some of the moves to come in the other phases. At the moment you just have to stand on 1 leg and raise 1 leg but you just know (especially if you have done any other JM DVDs) that she is gonna stick some weights in there real soon.  I find the Towel Runs a bit awkward but as long as you're moving it's OK. I could do with a little more space for that one. I had much better form during the Warrior Pose and was able to get nice and low. The plank is also improving.

I wasn't too hot and sweaty by the end of todays workout but I figure Jillian knows what she's doing. Anyway only 2 more days of workout 1 then it's over. That's why I think I will enjoy this programme because it is not too repetitive.

Food today is the usual porridge for breakfast (I was SOOO hungry when I woke up today) Soup, crispbreads, ham and olives for lunch and dinner will be the rest of the chicken con carne with cous cous. I track all my food on my fitness pal, it is a great site and you can get a lot of support and information on there.

OK, today is world book day and after much deliberation (I offered to ATTEMPT to make any character they wanted) this is what the boys chose








For  those of you who don't know Chris Ryan is an Ex Soldier and Special Armed Forces Expert!



Probably NOT what the school had in mind but there you go!
 
 
It is raining and horrible here and I have to go now and pick up my 5 year old from school, come home and then go back and get my 7 year old from football club. I don't mind that, it is all exercise and I want to encourage my boys to be fit and active in life too.
 
 
So see you tomorrow x 

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day 3

Wow, 26 minutes. That is all cardio one is. I am dripping sweat (sorry).I remember thinking that one short cardio DVD twice a week would not be enough but boy was I wrong!

The workout is one circuit that is repeated 3 times. You warm up with military marches amongst other moves.

There is a move Jillian calls fast feet where you basically stick your a$$ out and wiggle as fast as you can! Believe me after 1 minute this BURNS.

Another move I had heard about and was dreading is the aptly named "suicides" and yes I can see now why they are called that. I don't want to spoil it if you haven't yet started your revolution but let me give you a piece of advice, give yourself as much room as you can ACROSS the room and move all objects (and in my case small children) out of the way first!

There is no mat, weights or bands used in this workout although for the sake of my neighbours i try and do some of the more jumpy moves on my mat as we have wooden floors. Note to self BUY A NON SLIP MAT! I found myself almost "running man" right into the wall. Ouch.

Jillian is on top form in this DVD and it is quite entertaining, which is good as we do this one for a month. She gets Omar and Natalie showing some funky alternative moves and gets Mimi up front doing a dancing speed bag.

All in all a good cardio workout and the time does indeed fly by.

So today's food: Well yesterday I stuck to my plan and ended at about 1300 calories.

Breakfast today: Same old porridge made with 50g oats, 100ml skimmed milk and topped up with water then microwaved. Now porridge is not my favourite breakfast BUT it fills me up and more importantly fuels my workout. A HUGE bowl is only 220 calories. This is my bowl today

Lunch: this will be the usual soup, crisp bread or rice cakes and an apple. For a switch up today I am not having the yogurt and instead having a boiled egg with a tbsp of extra light mayo. This is because the yogurts I usually buy are lower calorie than the ones I have now so I am looking to keep my lunch calories about the same. Also the egg has more protein for my recovery.

Dinner tonight: I am making spicy salsa chickpea cous cous (& roast leeks and sprouts again from the freezer) I hate to waste any food so am always freezing portions to use another day. This also saves time and with 3 boys hungry after school this is a bonus

Do you plan your meals for the week? I do. It helps keep me on track and also saves money. I have a planner on the fridge so I can just look and see what I need to get out for today. The boys have slightly different meals some days due to their ages but I try to always get them to try new foods when we have them. This is my food planner

So back to workout 1 tomorow and it's world book day so I have to go come up with some creations for the older boys to be book characters.

Until then :)

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Day Two

Whe I woke up this morning my quads were sore from yesterdays workout. Also under my armpits? who knows, but I like that kind of sore it means I worked out, hard. Today was workout 2 and another good one. We focused on triceps and hamstrings today with a bit of abs thrown in.

Workout 2 introduces us to the resistance band. Now if you purchase your body revolution brand new, it will come with the band you need. I, however, got mine from ebay and had to purchase resistance bands seperately. I got a set of 3, easy, medium and hard. Today I started with easy. Here is my little workout buddy showing it off for me ======>>>>>

It takes a bit of jiggling to get it wrapped around your feet as required but I will get quicker at that with time. I may have a little play with it before my next workout 2. I don't advise standing on the band and seeing how high you can stretch it, IF you don't have your feet securely on the bottom. The result of this is a very red, angry looking chin and a lot of pain! Even now, half an hour later, I feel as though my chin has sunburn lol. I only hope it goes down before the school run!



My Food yesterday went well until dinner time, when the chicken con carne got relegated in favour of left over takeaway pizza and wine! oops! Oh well this is a lifestyle and sometimes in life plans change. Today will be the same as I planned yesterday and I WILL stick to it. If I report tomorrow that I didn't, you have permission to kick my butt!

I was thinking last night about my hopes for Body Revolution. Realistically I would like to lose 14lb of the 28 I have left until I reach my current goal and drop from a loose UK 16 / tight 14 to a tight UK 12 and a loose 14. Ideally I would like to lose 28 lb and be a size 12 but I am not setting unrealistic goals.

I will continue to push myself to do the work and eat better and work towards my goals.

Until tomorrow :)