Recently in My Journey Category

    Sorry I haven’t been around, but I have been going through the jury selection process and was finally dismissed late Tuesday afternoon. Today I had my training session with Shep and I almost couldn’t hang. I have been to the gym once in the past week or so cuz of jury duty and I can’t believe how tired I felt. It definitely got me motivated to keep going, though.  I’m really going to focus on my cardio to build up my stamina…as well as lose those pounds around the midsection. Whatever you do, do not push yourself through a work out if you are feeling dizzy, nauseous, or light headed…you will only hurt yourself. Shep let me take longer breaks than I usually do and we actually finished about 10 minutes earlier. Also, eat or drink something with sugar, it should help. And….always make sure you eat about 45 minutes to an hour before you work out. If you don’t, that can also make you feel light headed and nauseous.

    It’s really getting close to my Memorial Day weekend in Lake Havasu, so I really need to kick it into high gear. I do not want to be worried about covering up in 115 degree weather. I have my last session with Shep next Thursday, so we are going to retake my measurements. This is more motivation for me to really do good these next seven days. Hopefully my body fat percentage has gone done; I’ll cross my fingers!!!

Sorry I wasn’t able to post yesterday, but I got called in for jury duty…ugh. I was there all day Wednesday and Thursday and the worst part is, the judge whose courtroom I’ve been assigned to is sooo slow. I have to go back on Monday, and I am NOT happy about it.

But anyway….since I haven’t been too sure of my schedule this week, I wasn’t able to see Shep or partake in any of the Group X classes, which really sucks. I really love those classes, as well as having my session with Shep; they both really get me motivated for the rest of the week, but not so much this week. I’ve just been doing my usual exercise at the Active club near my house. But hey, some exercise is better than none, right?!

I’ve been doing about 30 minutes on either the elliptical machine or the step mill, but I need to try going for 45 minutes from now on. I know I can do it, I just get lazy. I also like that there is usually a trainer at the gym throughout the day. You don’t have to have purchased training sessions in order to ask them a question or two. If you are having difficulty on a machine, or just want a quick tip on how to work out a certain part of your body, they are always there to help. And for the most part, they won’t start trying to sell you the training sessions either.

I’ve really gotta start kicking butt, though, since Memorial Day is right around the corner. I really want to feel comfortable – and look good - in my two-piece while I’m on the lake!!!

I went to the 24 Hour Fitness Active club again this past Saturday. Man, I wish the club was that empty everyday; I would never have to wait for a machine. I seem to work out the same area of my body every time I work out without my trainer. It’s hard not to though, cuz the area I work out the most is the area I need the most work on, my back and core.

You wanna be sure not to work out the same muscle group the same day every week, you should change it up. If you stick to a real strict routine, your body will get used to it and you won’t see any results. You need to change it up often, that way your body will be surprised when you are doing something new and you’ll feel it a lot more the next day.

There is this one exercise I really love that works out my “love handles.” Though they should be called “hate handles” cuz there is nothing “lovely” about them. Anyway, it’s called a side plank. Lay flat on your left side and hold yourself up with your left forearm and the side of your left foot; then raise your right hip up in the air, then lower it…raise it up….then lower it…you get the picture. Then repeat on your right side. I swear, the next day my “love handles” were so sore. I’ve got my sister doing the same exercise and she loves it. Try it out the next time you’re at the gym and see how you feel the next day.

I had to reschedule my training session with Shep for Thursday, so I’ll tell you all about it then.

I decided to try out a different 24 Hour Fitness yesterday and went to an Active club. The Active clubs have the same up-to-date equipment, just less of it. They also don’t have basketball courts, and some don’t have saunas, steam rooms or pools. The one I went to was really nice though. They have the big flat screen TV’s and all brand new equipment! I participated in that clubs Turbo Kickboxing class and it was just like the one I took at the Hollywood Sport; the only difference was some of the moves and the instructor. This instructor was really cool. She made sure everyone was on there toes and keeping up – basically the same thing the other instructors do.

The one thing I LOVE about 24 Hour Fitness is that most of them are really open 24 hours, so I know I will never have an excuse not to go. I love going on a Sunday morning cuz there is hardly anyone in the gym and the people that are there are really nice. It’s funny, cuz the more I go, the more motivated I get and I get a little excited about going again. Sometimes I even think about going twice in one day,lol, but I haven’t yet. Once that happens, then you know I’m really addicted!!!

Last Thursday I took the Core Central class followed by Amp’d Abs and I really liked it. It was actually a lot like the Bosu Circuit class. We used the Bosu Ball for every exercise, since the Bosu Ball’s main purpose is to work out the core. I was really sore for almost the entire weekend…especially my shoulders. That is one area I don’t work out too often, cuz when I do, I can barely hold my arms above my head to wash my hair, lol. And once again, we did soooo many squats and lunges. I was getting wayy too tired I had to stop periodically to keep my legs from burning so badly. Omg, they felt like they were on fire! We had one foot on the floor and one foot on the Bosu Ball - try doing a squat like that…it’s the worst!!! It really works your inner thigh muscles.

Amp’d Abs was pretty cool. We did a lot of crunches on the Bosu Ball, but we also did some on the floor. Surprisingly though, my abs weren’t sore the next day. I swear, no matter what I do, they just won’t get sore. I have to try and find new exercises to do so that I feel like I am workin’ them.

Today I had my personal training session with Shep. He didn’t go too easy on me today, but it also wasn’t as bad as it has been. I worked many different muscle groups today…and of course…he had to make me do more lunges and more squats. I have 2 sessions left with him, so I am really going to be working hard the next two weeks. I’m a little nervous to have my measurements and body fat percentage measured again, but we’ll see!

Today was a fairly easy session with Shep. I love it when he’s in a good mood and likes to go easy on me! Our area of focus was from the waist down. The first exercise (which was actually pretty easy, but I didn’t tell him that) was one that worked out my core. We were both standing, Shep was throwing a medicine ball at me, and I would twist my body, and then throw it back at him. I was really trying to focus on squeezing my abs and obliques, but who knows if I’ll be sore tomorrow. Shep said I have a really strong core already; so I may not get sore as easily. It’s just too bad you can’t really tell!!!

For the rest of the session Shep had me do a lot of lunges – his favorite exercise, but hates to do them. I kinda feel the same way. I love them because they are one of the best exercises – not only do they tone and define your gluts and legs, but they also keep your heart rate up, which helps burn calories – but they are such a pain to do and you get really sore the next day. He also had me do some leg extensions to work out my quads and hamstrings.

I felt really good after the 1 hour workout and am looking forward to taking a class tomorrow. I’m really proud of myself; I went to the gym 5 days last week and did a lot of cardio. Hopefully I’ll continue with the same routine so I can really look good for the summer!

Okay so, I thought the Bosu Circuit class was tough….Boy was I wrong. The 24 S.E.T. class was 1,000 times more intense, I really thought I was gonna die. I almost thought about giving up just 15 minutes into the class, cuz I thought I was gonna throw up, seriously!! I haven’t sweat that much during one work out session in years; it was the most amazing work out, but sooo tiring. I could feel my skin radiating heat, it was ridiculous. The instructor, Patti, was really nice and really tried to keep you motivated, but sometimes you didn’t have a choice but rest. It’s kinda like the other classes where you can go at your own pace, but you don’t want to.

We utilized the step, a bar bell and hand weights. We worked out every muscle group in the body (very similar to the Bosu Circuit class). My gluts were burnin’ really bad by the end of the class. It will probably be awhile before I take that class again, lol. You really need to work up your stamina to be able to do your absolute best. I also probably shouldn’t have done 20 minutes on the elliptical before the class; but I had no idea there would be that much cardio involved. Maybe next time I leave my cardio for after the class if I’m not sure what’s involved.

I am definitely pumped for today though. I am gonna take Yoga this afternoon. It will be a nice break from all the intense classes I’ve taken. Plus, I really want to increase my flexibility. I’m just not as flexible as I use to be, but hopefully that will change.

So last Thursday I joined in on the Bosu Circuit class, and OMG!!! I’d have to say it was probably one of the toughest work outs I have had in a really long time. There were about 6 different stations set up around the room and at each station you worked out a different muscle group. The really tough thing was that you had to do the work out for 2 minutes straight, and then you only had 15 seconds to rest before you started on the next station.

Once we completed about 3 stations, we all moved to the center of the room to do a really intense cardio work out. I thought I was gonna die…really!!! Try doing push ups for 2 minutes on a Bosu Ball without stopping, yeah right!!! The nice thing is you can go at your own pace, so if you can only do 5 push ups in a row, stop, take a breather, then go again. Of course, I didn’t want to be the only one resting, so I pushed through the pain and man did I pay for it. I really never felt like that after a work out before, it was amazing!!! I highly recommend this class to anyone who really needs a good kick in the butt, cuz man, it’ll definitely kick ya!!!

Tomorrow I am finally gonna take the 24 S.E.T. class, so I’ll tell you all about it on Thursday.

I told you I was going to be joining in on the 24 S.E.T. class the other day, but I got my times mixed up and ended up in the Camp 24 class. I think they are both really similar though. Both classes (according to the description) utilize free weights to tone the entire body. This class wasn’t difficult, but very exhausting. We worked out every muscle in our bodies until we couldn’t get up off the floor. We used the bosu ball A LOT!!! I was really surprised how well I did. I guess the few exercises I did with Shep really paid off. It also shows that my core is stronger than it looks.

Even though I don’t have a 4 or 6 pack, I definitely have some strength. I was jumping on and off that thing and didn’t even need someone in front of me to catch me if I fell. I was sooo proud of myself!!! In between each muscle work out, we did a very simple, but intense cardio work out. The goal was to keep our heart rate up, which we definitely did, lol. DJ, the instructor, was really cool, mellow, but cool. He didn’t yell out a lot, just at those times when he knew you needed a little extra push.

I’m gonna take the Bosu Circuit class today and I’ll tell you all about it next week. I think I am falling in love with this Bosu ball. Its main purpose is to strengthen your core, and let me tell you, it does just that. Every time I have used it, my core was sore the next day. I love feeling sore cuz I know I’m doing something right.

DJ’s tip of the day: Hydrate yourself!!! When you start to feel thirsty, you are already at the beginning of dehydration. Drink lots of water, especially now that it’s getting hot again. Drink water even when you are not thirsty. And if you’re working out, you should drink even more water.

I joined in on another Turbo Kick Boxing class today. Today was the last day for this class so Skip is stepping in and teaching the Kickboxing class instead. I’m really looking forward to it. I took one of his classes once before and it was amazing. Now he’ll be my regular instructor. Who knows what I’ll be saying about him next week. I want to try some of the other classes 24 Hour Fitness offers; I just haven’t had the time. I think I’m going to try the 24 S.E.T. class on Wednesday and the BOSU Circuit class on Thursday. If you are thinking about joining in on a class, do it!!! Do not hesitate because you don’t think you can keep up, or whatever your excuse is. The instructors are really cool and there are people of all different levels in every class. There’s nothing to be afraid of, trust me.

With Easter this weekend, I know I’m gonna need all the exercise I can get. I am not meeting with Shep this week cuz he is going out of town for Easter, so I’m really gonna need to discipline myself. The bodybugg helps though. It’s a reminder every minute of every day that I need to watch what I eat.

I’ll tell you all about my experiences in the other classes on Thursday. Wish me luck!!!