Checking in!

Hey guys! How's everyone been? It's been a while since I've written something other than a DVD review and I wanted to check in. I think my last check in was more of a whining post about how I had been busting my butt with workouts and with my diet, but the scale was going up. Unfortunately, I think that's still the case, but I'm not sure. To be honest, I avoid the scale these days and try not to identify myself with a number. My pants size is still the same, so I'm guessing my measurements are staying the same also. If they have, it's only been a slight difference and I'm okay with that. I can't say that I'm not curious, but I'm also not interested in having my day ruined by a number because that's how I am. I'm still working on trying to find that balance of eating healthy but living a little, workout and rest, and everything in between. It's a work in progress! I never thought it'd be this tough. I did take a lovely rest week. I made sure to get all my Fitbit steps in, but I took a week off of all my two a day, intense workouts for more fun ones. It was so nice. I took several baths, I tackled my Amazon watch list and got to watch several movies I've been wanting to see, and truly enjoyed my week. Getting back on the wagon wasn't difficult at all and I was glad to be back. I was really burned out there, and that was definitely what I needed. :)

In other news, I've upgraded my Fitbit. I went from the Charge HR, which I had a lot of problems with, and went with the Versa. I was a little nervous sticking with the Fitbit brand after all the issues I've had it he past, but I ultimately decided to stay because the Versa is water resistant up to 50 meters and you can swim with it. (Or more accurately wear it while you're paddleboarding, or going up five stories to go down your favorite waterslide!) So far, I'm really happy with it. I've had it for a little over a month and I can't think of any major issues yet.

Did anyone capitalize on all the Jillian Michaels' DVD's at the Dollar Tree? I sure did! Right after Christmas, someone posted on Facebook that there were a ton of Jillian DVD's being sold at Dollar Tree. I went and lo and behold, there were an absolute ton of them, each for $1. I was so excited! I got Hard Body, Extreme Shed and Shred, Killer Cardio, Killer Arms and Back, 10 Minute Workout 1st Edition and 2nd edition, Beginner Shred, and Hot Body Healthy Mommy. I think that's all. I got the Beginner Shred and Hot Body Healthy Mommy simply because I didn't have them. I know Beginner Shred is awesome for beginners, and I am hoping I can get my dad or my brother to workout with me with the BegShred. I thought that the pregnancy one might be good for when you're coming back from an injury, but it's nice to have around just in case. ;).

I turned 30 in February! That is kind of weird to say. Turning 30 bothered me a lot, and still bothers me, to be honest. But I can say that at 30, I am the healthiest that I've ever been physically! :) (Well, physically if we ignore my hips and joints, haha.) And that's a wonderful feeling! August makes it six years that I've been on my health journey. I saw an old picture of myself from 2010, while on vacation in Washington DC. After maintaining this weight loss for over four years now, I don't always realize the changes, because I've gotten used to my face. I sometimes get discouraged now that I don't see major changes as often, but when I saw that picture, I thought: WOW! That my face. And my face is significantly thinner now. I see all the changes. I see it from point A to point... J (because at the end of the alphabet is the end of my life. I'm hoping I'm only 1/3rd of the way through!) I shared the post on Facebook after hemming and hawing for a couple of days. I really don't like old fat pictures, but I remembered again that the Julie from years ago deserves the ultimate celebration and the utmost respect. SHE is the one who got off the couch, started to play DDR, and then changed her life and grew into me. :)

Current workout is Killer Body. It's one of my favorites and I went back to it back in March, I believe. I have a confession. I didn't completely complete Body Revolution. I had four days left! FOUR DAYS! And then I caught the awful flu that went around. It knocked me out for three weeks in January. By the time I finally got my strength back, I felt like I couldn't do Week 11 and 12, and definitely not Cardio 3 with all I had lost while sick. I started back into fitness with some Youtube workouts. I found a lady named Pahla Bowers, and I really like her running in place workouts. I started 10 Minute Workouts, both editions and really enjoyed them, and then I started back up with Killer Body. So while I'm a bit bummed that I didn't quite finish Body Rev, I did do every single workout. It's not a huge deal, but 86/90 days. Booo. It'll happen though. :)

I'm going to start winding down now. Thank you so much for reading! Coming up. I'm hoping to have more reviews on some new DVD's I've tried recently, such as both 10 Minute DVD's, and Killer Cardio. I'm seriously considering trying 80 Day Obsession by Autumn from Beach Body. I love Country Heat, and if I do, I will talk about it as I go. Thanks again for reading!

Springing along!

Is anyone else just ready for Spring? I know I am. I’m tired of these 1-2 days of warm weather only to have it rain and get cold. Phew. I’m ready to get outside and take the dog on some nice walks and really test out my Fitbit someplace besides the treadmill and in my bedroom doing Jillian DVD’s. It’s not that I’m necessarily getting bored with my workouts, but I just am itching for a change somewhere and I think the weather changing would be a great start. 

Nothing has really changed too much lately. Right now my workouts are an hour of treadmill or a run everyday where I average 4.3-4.5 miles. I don’t try to necessarily “kill” it, but I just try to keep a decent pace and get a good amount of cardio in. I still love cardio more than anything else, and I think it’s because I can do my own thing. I can listen to my own music, I can just have a good time. I can run, I can dance, I can listen to cheesy 80s music, Disney, or DDR music. With that said, strength training has changed my body in awesome ways, so I’ve been keeping up with Jillian. As I mentioned in previous entries, I’ve been doing Killer Body - Upper body workout and Killer Abs Level 1 (still not gotten to moving up to Level 2, but I want to. Level 1 is starting to get easy but I love it so, so much!) but just a couple weeks ago I added in Killer Buns and Thighs and I’ve been doing Level 1 of that also. I don’t have a set schedule of what workout where, but I alternate a shower one night and a bubble bath the next and on nights where I shower, I’m more pressed on time, so I tend to do Killer Abs OR Killer Body Upper because they’re shorter. Despite Jillian going on and on about Killer Buns and Thighs being under 30 minutes, she doesn’t know how to count, and that one is 40 minutes from warm up to cool down. Those extra 10 minutes are needed on nights where I shower, wash my hair, and so on. I try to do each workout twice a week. Still struggling with days off, but I’ve been trying to take off one day a month running and Jillian, hmm. I’m iffy with her. Honestly, I really am starting to dislike Jillian workouts and am DESPERATELY looking for a strength training program that is LIKE Jillian’s; same length, same style, but just different. Maybe I need to switch and look into a new Jillian DVD but I think it’s just that I want to branch out to more trainers. But because I am beginning to see Jillian as a chore, it makes me more nervous to take the days off. I’ve slipped off the strength training bandwagon before, and I definitely don’t want that to happen again with Spring and Summer weather coming up! Plus, my ten year high school reunion (really!? 10 years ALREADY?!) is coming up and who doesn’t want to look their best for that?!

Other than that, not much going on. I’ve been dealing with some back pain and I think it’s because I desperately need new shoes. I have really weird feet; they’re extremely wide and pretty small too. They just do not make shoes that are small enough (left foot is a 6, right foot is a 7) and WIDE enough. I mean, they make one or the other, but not both! Not that I can find in my price range at least! I’ve been to so many shoe stores to the point where I feel like the salesclerks picture me in their nightmares. I've bought 3-4 pair of shoes, but none of them work out and I have to return them. I wore one pair of shoes for almost five months thinking, “Okay, gonna break them in any day now!” when I finally realized, okay, after five months constant pain, these shoes are NOT going to work for me. Right now the Nike Air Pegasus’s I’m running in are over 8 years old, and they are literally holding together by threads. They just have no support anymore, and my ankles, legs, and lower back are now really starting to protest these shoes. (Which is why I alternate between baths and showers now; the baths help my legs and back ease enough to where I can sleep. That bath bomb recipe I posted earlier has been a godsend!) I am the only woman I know that would go bathing suit shopping and model for all the strangers in the mall rather than shoe shop. Shoe shopping brings up a whole new wave of feelings, which I hope to touch base on shortly. Ever heard of Fat-Girl Mentality? Oh man, do I have it bad. 

So now that we’re in April, how has your 2016 been going so far? My goal for the year was to have 1000 active miles. I’m already 386 miles into my 1000 goal for the year! Pretty proud of myself! That’s a rough estimate as I always run just over four miles a day, but I also count it as four, regardless if I go just a little over. The treadmill says I run 4.3 miles and Fitbit says 4.6 miles while on the treadmill, so not sure which one is right so I just say four and make it easy! I’m trying to think of new goals to set to try and keep myself on the upside. This has been a rough year so far. My dad’s side of the family has suffered two very sad losses and that’s been hard. It is a reminder that time on earth is limited and a beautiful gift. I’m trying to stress less and enjoy life more, and I’m trying to be as healthy as possible. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure I’m happy and healthy mentally right now, but I will touch base on that soon with a new blog hopefully very soon! 

Think some duct tape will help my shoes?! ;) Phew. Aren't they a mess?!

Happy April!