New Workouts and New Goals

For the last 3 days I have been battling a pretty nasty cold. My workouts had not been nearly as hard and thankfully that is ok since I took the weekend off for NYE and to prepare for round 2! Which starts today!

So today I went to the gym with the goal that I was going to hit my targets and do it hard and fast. I tried out some workouts on the Workout Trainer App, mixed in with some of my standard cardio. I normally do circuits with my cardio, but this week I'm gearing up for heavy reps and decided I would do all cardio as a transition. I didn't want to spend 60 minutes on a treadmill so here is what I did. I'd love to hear from you - try out the workout at the end of this post and let me know what you think.

Keri's Round 2 Goals:
Workout 6 times a week
Burn 1000 calories each workout
Lose 8lbs
Drop Waist 1 measurement to 32"
Drop Waist 2 measurement to 29"
Hip measurement to below 43"
Thigh measurement to 23"


Michelle's Round 2 Goals:

Workout 5x a week

Burn 1200 calories each workout

Get Waist's 1 and 2 under 30 inches

Hips under 40 inches

Chest lose 1 inch

Thighs lose 2 inches

See some friggin abs!!!

Finale: Michelle's Final Numbers

Michelle's Stats

Start Stats	End Week
Weight: 158 Neck: 13.5" Chest: 38.5" Waist 1: 34.25" Waist 2: 32" Hips: 42.25" Bicep: 11.5" Thigh: 24.5" Calf: 14.5"	Weight: 149.2 Neck: 13.25" Chest: 37" Waist 1: 31" Waist 2: 30" Hips: 40.5 Bicep: 11" Thigh: 23" Calf: 14"

Finale: 6 weeks of workouts and nutrition and what are the results?

Keri's Stats

Start Stats	End Week 5
Weight: 174.6 Neck: 13" Chest: 38.5" Waist 1: 36" Waist 2: 31" Hips: 44.5" Bicep: 12.5" Thigh: 26.5" Calf: 14"	Weight: 167.5 Neck: 12.25" Chest: 37.5" Waist 1: 33.75" Waist 2: 30" Hips: 43.85" Bicep: 12.25" Thigh: 25" Calf: 14"

Week 5 Weigh-In and Measurements, Only 1 Week Left!

It doesn't seem like it has been 5 weeks already. But, it indeed has. This challenge has been great for reinstating some values of fitness and nutrition in myself. Even after this challenge, I'm hoping to continue this and will solicit new challengers with new goals in the new year! If you feel like joining me, send me an email at kerilong13@gmail.com, or leave a comment on this post.

The benefit to a challenge is that you are not alone in working toward your goal and you have something holding you accountable other than yourself. It kept me from cheating, when otherwise I would want to. It kept me motivated in the gym to hit my goals and it kept me interested in learning more about fitness and nutrition.

Now for the results:

Keri's Stats

Start Stats	End Week 5
Weight: 174.6 Neck: 13" Chest: 38.5" Waist 1: 36" Waist 2: 31" Hips: 44.5" Bicep: 12.5" Thigh: 26.5" Calf: 14"	Weight: 168.2 Neck: 12.5" Chest: 37.75" Waist 1: 34.25" Waist 2: 30.25" Hips: 43.85" Bicep: 12.25" Thigh: 25.75" Calf: 14"

For a total so far of 7lbs and 6.4 inches! A lot of that coming from my waist. I feel good about that, and am going to work VERY hard over Christmas Eve and Christmas to limit my eating, especially since we celebrate with my extended family on Christmas Eve, my immediate family on Christmas and John's family on the following Monday. Plus we have my mom's 65th birthday and my mother-in-law's birthday! Lots and Lots of sweets to avoid. My strategy to avoid eating sweets is to stay out of the kitchen, always have a water nearby and to be the one bringing the healthy options to the party.

Catching Up On Workouts and Nutrition

I got a little busy last week and did not update my numbers and measurements, but I did in fact lose. I lost another pound and about 1.5" total. I weigh in and measure again tomorrow and will update then. There is only one more week left after that! This challenge has been helpful and I wish I would have found this as a motivator prior to help get the last few pounds off. I'm looking forward to my final 9 days of this program and hopefully will be well on my way to kick-starting the new year.

So, I haven't posted my workouts lately, but thought I would do that with my nutrition today. One of my favorite things to do at the gym is the arc trainer. I feel like the elliptical does nothing for me, and I don't love to run. I love the stair climber but it is usually always taken. The arc trainer is the next best thing. Here is the workout I did today:

Nutrition and Taking The First Step Toward A New Career

For the last month and a half I have had six interviews for a new job. I felt like they all went well. Except the first interview I had. But, nothing has come of any of these positions yet. So I figured, since I have the time I am going to start pursuing other interests - one of which is to become a personal trainer. I finally purchased my CPR/AED class and my training material for NASM Certified Personal Trainer.

I am excited about this for several reasons. One being that I hope to increase my knowledge of how to create the best workouts for my body. Two being that I will learn more about nutrition. And three that I will be motivated to stay on track with my own goals.

I've worked with several personal trainers and group ex instructors over the years and hope to take the best things from each of them. I hope my challenges with weight loss and exercise motivate anyone I train in the future and I hope it gives me a better understanding of the motivation they will need.

Now to catch up on Nutrition:

Protein Pancakes - Take 1

I've seen several recipes for Protein Pancakes, and I love pancakes. So, I thought I would give them a try. Being that last night was our 4th Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Bar Hop. I figured it was the best post-party breakfast. I was sober last night, but we were out until 4:30 in the morning. Then I got about 3 hours of sleep and just happened to wake up in time to get to boxing. So, I went. It was rough but not as bad as I thought it would be. When I got home, I decided to have a go at making my first batch of protein pancakes. And they were not nearly as bad as I thought they might be. These were also REALLY filling. I cut the serving down and still didn't finish it.