Working Out and Weight Loss

A lot of my blogging buddies have posted about their work outs, weight loss and running adventures the past two days so I thought I would join in on the fun.

My work out routine started in December when I decided I could not bare to look at myself in the mirror any more. I was so repulsed by my own body that I really was starting to get more and more depressed. That is not a good feeling at all. So from there I started running at our gym. When I first started I could only make it about half a mile before I wanted to die. literally. I have been a dancer for as long as I can remember and being that out of shape was really upsetting for me so I set a goal then and there to start working out regularly. I started running, started building my pace and got up to about 2 miles when I decided I wanted to run in a 5k we were having here in town. I started taking my running outside in the morning to get prepared for running at 6:45am. I was always running after 5:00pm so this was a big change for my body to make. I was not able to rely on the water and food I was consuming during the day. I completed my 5k without stopping which was ultimately my goal but I found myself starting to resent running as the day got closer. I ran before because I wanted to. Once I had a goal of I had to get my body prepared to run 3.1 miles, I did not enjoy it as much. After the 5k I slowed down on my running some and found myself wanting to do other things like the elliptical and stationary bike. I was surprised to find after I started switching things up that I began to lose more weight. I recently gave a blogger buddy of mine some advice based on that own personal finding of mine - If you switch up your routine and you keep your muscles guessing, you will find yourself losing more weight. The beginning of April is when I started Jillian's Shred DVD. I believe I completed Level 1 for a day then quickly moved up to Levels 2 and 3. I finished my Shred 15 and 16 this past Monday and Tuesday and while I can complete Level 3 without stopping now, I like to throw Level 2 in there every now and then again, to change up things. I really have be enjoying the Shred DVD because A) 20 minutes goes by so quickly! and B) I feel I am seeing results. My legs are more defined then they were from running, my inner thighs are starting to look smaller (Praise the Lord!) and my arms are becoming stronger and thinner. If there is somebody out there that is looking to lose weight I recommend this video. It will be a very beneficial jump start for you. Most recently, I am going on my third week now, I have been waking up 30 minutes early to go workout in our gym (running or elliptical) and then also doing some form of workout after work as well (Shred, Pilates, Running, Wii Fit). I try to work out at least 7 times a week, Monday through Friday. I am usually forced to take weekends off from working out because we either have company or we are not here but when I do have the time on the weekends I will usually go run for about 2, 2.5 miles.

On top of my working out, the most important change I have made is to my diet. I started at the end of December really breaking down and counting calories. I read The Daily Fix by Alexa Fishback and it really changed how I saw the things that I was eating and I really got to learn what I can cut back on without giving up the foods that I love. Through this book I learned exactly how to count my calories and with the help of http://www.calorieking.com/ I found counting calories helpful and rewarding.

I am happy to say that through all my hard/fun work, I have lost 12 pounds up to this point and I have dropped 2 pant sizes. I know that has to come across as me tooting my own horn but it was a lot of work and I am proud of what I have accomplished and I feel as though I am finally getting comfortable in my own skin. We all know too well that when you do not feel good about your body it is sometimes hard to feel good about yourself, and that is just the sad truth.

I am very proud of all of my blogging buddies out there because you are all doing amazing with running, shredding and making conscience changes to your life styles. You guys are the ones that motivated me to start shredding and for that I am thankful. Keep up the hard work girls try to have fun while becoming lean and mean for yourselves!