Personal

Well, I finally broke down and did it. I’ve gotten a personal trainer at the gym. Someone who is going to make sure that I exercise six days out of seven (at least, he may push me for a full seven of seven). Someone who is going to make sure that I actually work out once I go to the gym. Someone who wants to see me look my best, feel my best, and exceed my own expectations. Someone who is as excited to see me get in shape and feel better about myself as I am. He’s going to drag me to the gym, push me through workouts, and make sure that I eat healthy at home too. There is no lying to this trainer – he knows it all – and he won’t let me raincheck my workouts.

Lest I forget to mention it, my new personal trainer is my husband. I did best at exercising this last year when we were living in Minot, because we’d go to the gym together at least 4 days a week. Then we moved here and he started working out with a training partner from his team and my exercise fell by the wayside. I teach anywhere from 1-9 pm every weekday and I’m horrid at getting up to go the gym before working. But now, B has agreed to either drag me to the gym with him or make sure that I work out if I can’t go with him. Right now we’re still on break from the holidays, so we’re going together. Starting next week I’ll probably have to get my glow on without him.

It started when I got him to buy me Jillian Michael’s 6 week 6 pack – we did Level 1 together before Christmas and I almost died. That’s when I realized that I wanted to be sure that I fought weight gain. I’m in a prime time to do it – I’ve just gotten married, moved to a foreign country, and changed birth control methods. All of those can combine to pack on pounds. I read in Cosmo recently that a 21lb weight gain in the first year of marriage isn’t uncommon. But that will not be me. I gained 10 lbs back in grad school and fought those back off. I am currently sitting at the same basic weight that I went through college at. I’m okay with the numbers – I’m a tall woman so I’m going to have a higher number than other women; but I’m not okay with looking or feeling pudgy. I thought that the 6 week 6 pack would be an entertaining way to get my butt kicked into shape for all the events we have this next summer – his brothers’ graduation ceremony and my sister’s wedding.

That led to me asking B if he’d be interested in holding me accountable. He jumped on the opportunity. So now, I either go to the gym with him or I do a JM DVD – either 30 Day Shred or the 6W6P – at least 6 days a week. I’m so excited. Combine that with my own desire to eat healthier (this may be tmi, but my stomach got all out of joint when we moved to Germany and I’m determined to get it to start behaving again – even if that means eating more fruits and veggies and less pommes frites) and

I’m hoping to be bikini ready by summer. Even if I don’t wear a bikini this summer. We’re hoping to take a cruise next winter (hoping that B doesn’t deploy before then) as our belated honeymoon and I’d kind of like to buy my 1st bikini as part of my celebration of the occasion. Not to mention that B likes to buy me clothes and I want to look as good as possible in them.

My first two days at the gym consisted of using the cross-trainer and doing ab work. I’m starting small and easy – I’ve launched full throttle too many times and ended up too sore to continue. It’s a little frustrating to start over considering that I was running a 10 minute mile before I quit going to the gym in November, but, I did take all that time off with only a random workout or two. My big thing is that I don’t want to get hurt or discouraged. I’m doing this for me and maybe a teensy bit for B, but not for anyone else. Anyway, I’ll be checking in on here every now and then with updates – not too often, I’m not going to become legalistic about my workout routine, but enough to keep me accountable. I’m honestly just looking to tone up and to get my blood pressure back down – no weight loss goals, no dress size goals. I just want to be firmer and happier with my body image.

~The Countess~

North Dakota Update

Hey y’all!

I had to get that out of the way. I haven’t heard any howdy’s or hey y’all’s since I left Texas. And I even wore a cute western dress yesterday…ah well, ND definitely has it’s perks. (Dude, I totally ust typed perv there, ah the joys of switching between qwerty and dvorak on a keyboard.)

Quick commmercial break, I have to go switch the laundry over. And I’m back.

I have never been more grateful to finally get somewhere than I was when my plane finally touched down. After getting to the SA airport at 0530 on Sunday morning, my 0745 flight got puched back to 1300 due to needing a new plane. I’m glad they didn’t put us on a broken plane, but that was going to cause me to miss my connecting flight. And, I had to catch a 1700 flight into ND as that was the second and last flight of the day. The first Delta rep that I talked to said that she could either fly me into the town I wanted on Monday morning, or she could get me into a town 2+ hours away by midnight. B. then found me a flight out of ABIA that would get me to MSP by my final flight. I called Delta back and got on that flight. I dashed up to Austin to sit and wait. Luckily the carpark where I left my car let me leave a set of keys there so my car is back at home in SA thanks to my rockstar parents.

Monday was an awesome day. B. and I just hung out. We did go to the gym. Where I spent 35 minutes on a stationary bike and 25 on an elliptical. Shredhead alert: 30 minutes with Jillian is much more exhausting. He made me dinner that night – Tortellini with Marinara and Garlic bread. And the man says he can’t cook. Normally when I eat dinner at home, I do so in front of the tv on the couch. It’s been awesome to have someone to cook, clean, and eat with.

Tuesday B. had to report in for some training. (Thanks USAF for taking him away during the day pretty much all week.) I drove him in so that I would have the car to do some job hunting. We had to get me a day pass…I have to get one every day because we can’t get a 72 hour pass due to my not staying on base…so awesome. I did find out that I didn’t get the MSU job. Which is fine, the local music store is advertising my cards and will let me use studio space there. I’ve also applied to a couple of other positions. When I went to pick B. up I had to go to the far side of base to an obscure gate so that they could search the car (his car). It took less than five minutes. It might have taken me longer to figure out how to pop and keep the hood open. Which I find pretty funny actually. At least he got off early. We went and explored some of the parks, and shockingly enough took pictures. Now if only I could get those onto the computer, I would share them with you.

That brings us to today. Which is now the longest amount of time B. and I have spent together. We just had a discussion last night about how we’re pretty sure we aren’t ever going to argue too much. We still haven’t had a single slightly heated discussion. We did decide on a few general dates for the future though…

In early July we are going to go visit his parents. And probably end up seeing all of his siblings at the same time. I’m incredibly excited and a little nervous. I did get to talk to them on the phone the other night, that was fun. And then in late July I’m going to pack up my car and a trailer and drive my way north. I can’t believe how close it’s getting.

Here’s the deal - if you know me and want to hang out before I move to the frigid north, call me, email me, message me, and let’s get together. I want to see as many people as I can before I leave the state.

~The Countess~

Weekend Wrap-Up

Confession Time: I didn’t work out at all this weekend. I was bad. I played instead. So, yeah, I ended up not doing my measurements for the 30DS because, well, I hadn’t exercised. I’m going to try and get back on track this week, but, it isn’t promising so far.

This was actually a really rough weekend for me. I spent pretty much all of Friday night on a friend’s couch crying. I mean, I was hormonal and all. And missing B. And they were singing/playing sad songs while rehearsing for a gig. It did a number on me. Luckily, B. is an awesome boyfriend and he spent the whole night texting me. Right before he went to bed he told me that I wasn’t alone. That reminder helped a lot. I stayed out way too late with my friends before finally crashing into oblivion.

Saturday was tubing with the family. I made myself a pair of shorts first thing in the morning. It was the second pair of the summer that I made. I took pants of mine that were just too long (cropped pants that I didn’t like the length/style of anymore, cut off the legs, rolled up the hem and sewed them up. I really like them, one, they’re really comfortable and all worn in. Two, they’re now a spectacular length for me to wear to the river.

Tubing with my family is always an adventure. It took us almost two hours to get to the river from when we had all gathered together. We then had a fun trip floating down the river. It had been forever since I had seen some of my cousins. The only downside was that I got lectured all evening about my plans of moving to ND. Primarily the living with B. part. I know that’s not a popular option with the conservative faction – but, under our circumstances, we don’t have a choice. Not if we want to live in the same state and see each other more than once a month. They kept telling me to be careful with my heart. I’m very careful with it. B. owns it. Anyway, I caught my aunt and uncle taking my mom aside to ask what they could pray for me for and all. She told me later not to worry about any of it. She knows where I’m coming from. I just hate feeling like a leper in my family. I might as well have told them I was going to become a drug-dealing, stripper/prostitute in Vegas. I just wish they would have listened more and judged less. It would have left me feeling less like I was escaping when I finally went home in the evening.

Sunday, my dad proved once again that he really is super man. He replaced the dining room floor (the underfloor anyway), fixed my door handle, and replaced my oil. All after church and before dinner. He’s amazing. As you all know from my post with my irritations about Chevy, I was unable to by a replacement door handle. My dad, being the amazing whiz that he is, harvested the handle from the passenger door directly behind my door. This way, I can get out of my car without having to roll down my windows and if someone is riding in my backseat, well, I’ll always be there to let them out.

And now, I’m at the start of the last week of classes. And less than a week from being with B. for a whole week. I’m so excited. Everything is winding down, wrapping up, and getting ready to start.

~The Countess~

Weekly Weigh-In Postponed

Because I’m only about three days out from Day 5 of Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred, I’ve decided to postpone weighing in until then. That way I have my half-way weigh-in. Which I’m very excited about. Except for certain hormonal factors that will be taking place right around then. Still, it should be fun.

I did cheat and check in this morning with my scale and tapes. I’m happy with where everything is so far this week. Especially considering I was really bad yesterday. I didn’t feel well in the morning so I skipped working out. Then I ate Whataburger for lunch and Panda Express for dinner. Plus last night was an insomnia night for me, so I was sleepless in SA. In spite of all of that, my weight didn’t go up. And I got right back on the exercise bandwagon this morning.

Day 2 of Level 2 was no easier than Day 1. I’m trying to remind myself that it won’t get better that quickly. I can do the squat thrusts in plank position and the plank-jacks. Albeit slowly. But, I used the bicycle crunches from Level 1 for my last abs circuit. By that point my shoulders are screaming so much in plank position that I can’t concentrate on doing the twists and making sure that I actually feel the muscles contracting and working.

I’m hoping to do another round of Level 1 tonight, and, maybe if I do, I’ll switch in the abs from Level 2′s 3rd circuit to make up for skipping them this morning. Check in with me tomorrow to see if I made it or not. It may be an or not seeing as we have donor visits today at work and my boss and I may be in need of a destressing dinner afterward. I promise to go for soup or salad if I eat out instead of working out!

~The Countess~

Level 2

Wow. Just wow. I’ve been delinquent on moving up to level two. I should have done it a few days ago…or something, but, I kept sticking with level one, because, well, I feel good when I do it. It doesn’t really hurt, even though I can tell I’m getting a good exercise. It’s the friendly little devil I know. But, Myobi was raving about level two to me – how she thought she was going to die and that she didn’t know level one had missed any muscles, so, I decided I had to see what it’s all about.

You know that saying, ‘curiosity killed the cat,’ yeah, it’s a propo. I watched it last night, just to get a feel and to try some of the moves and check out the modifications. I was actually very encouraged. I was able to do everything and it didn’t look too scary.

Looks are so deceiving.

Let’s just say that I have not sweat that much, ever. Now I know that girl’s (especially countesses) are just supposed to glow, well, I was pouring buckets of sweat. And I thought that I might die a couple of times – in a good way. I was surprised by how few breaks that I needed – though I did take advantage of the rest seconds at the end of each circuit to grab water. I needed it.

I feel fabulous for all of it though. If you’re just starting out – keep going. Don’t stop. This program will make you stronger than you ever thought possible. Since I quit doing martial arts in college due to injury risks and being a pianist, I have been searching for a program that would let me exercise quickly and efficiently. I’ve finally found it. Even if it wants to kill me.

~The Countess~

Weekly Weigh-In #2

I know it’s a few days late. I actually did take these measurements on Wednesday. I just haven’t had internet with which to post this until today.

Current:                            Difference:

Weight: 159                              0

Waist: 27                                   0

Abs: 36                                     -1

Hips: 39                                    -1

Thighs: 22                               -.5

The weight has stayed the same again – but the loss of inches is much more important to me anyway. I’m at a healthy BMI, so, I’m really not looking to lose weight as much as I’m looking to tone up. And that’s evidently what I’m doing. Because the numbers are going down. And that’s exactly what I want them to do.

This last week has been a bit wishy washy on the exercise front. I worked out Monday and Tuesday then helped a friend move furniture on Wednesday. Thursday I took off as I did three concerts in just under 24 hours. Starting tomorrow I think I’m going to double up work outs. And I’m hoping to move up to level 2 in one work out starting on Monday.

~The Countess~

Keep on keepin’ on

Or the one in which I say, don’t give up.  This week has been the hardest for motivation of doing the 30 DS. I’m so tired in the middle of it. Of course, I didn’t think until this afternoon that this might be because I’m working out mid-morning without having eaten before hand. And, I’m not sure that this would ever be a good idea, but, it’s definitely not considering that I’m hypoglycemic. No wonder I’ve been struggling more with keeping my energy up in the middle of the work outs. Of course, I’ve also bumped the intensity level on everything up too. I really want to get the most impact I can out of this. I was even able to do a few regular pushups. Man are those intense. I feel better doing the modified on those, but I’m sticking with not doing any modifications. Even if it’s leaving me gasping by the end.

The high point of doing all this was definitely swimsuit shopping yesterday.  I have a tubing trip coming up in two weeks with some family and friends. I love my swimsuit from last year, but, the board shorts that I was wearing are, get this, too big. That was both an awesome feeling and a terrifying one as I realized that this meant I had to do the dreaded swimsuit shopping. I grabbed one of my closest friends and after getting our hair cut we ducked into Target to do the deed. I had already spotted a tankini there a couple of weeks ago that I thought was really cute. I went ahead and took it in a couple of sizes and headed for the dressing room. Can I just say that it really is an amazing ego boost to have to go to the smaller of the sizes that I had taken with me in the dressing room. And, also, that as a swimsuit hides nothing it did a great job reaffirming to me that this program is actually working. I felt really cute and slender in the dressing room.

That was a major encouragement to keep at it, even as it feels like it’s getting harder. Because, the results are there. Tomorrow is weigh-in and measurements which should be fun. I’m excited about it for sure!

~The Countess~

Whoa baby…

I took the weekend off to head out to the Lone Star State Dulcimer Festival in Glen Rose, Tx (more about that in my L post!) and therefore didn’t work out at all this weekend. And man, working out today was brutal. It wasn’t as bad as day one. Mostly. I was more tired in the middle of the work out – this was the first time I thought I might throw up in the middle of it. Of course, I also decided to quit doing the modifications where I could. I still did the modified push ups, but everything else was the full version. I really thought it might kill me. I absolutely loved it.

The funny thing about this whole working out thing is that now that I’ve been doing it off and on for a couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that I’m more sore when I don’t exercise. How weird is that? I think it has to do with the fact that my muscles tighten up when I don’t exercise leaving me stiff and sore. The other thing I’ve noticed is that I feel so much more energetic when I work out several days in a row. Today was definitely not an energetic day. I was dragging when I finished working out, but, I know that tomorrow will be better. Still, we’re told that if we just work out two-three times a week that we’re doing good. Only problem is that with that, you don’t get the benefit of the endorphins every day. It’s also harder to fall into a routine when you skip days. Really, every day is best. And it’s what I’m going to try and do. We’ll just see how well it works out for me.

~The Countess~

Weekly Weigh-In

And the one in which I confess that I only did the 30 Day Shred once since my last post and that was today. My workout for Saturday consisted of picking dewberries for 2.5 hours – it was backbreaking work, though not quite the structured routine of 30DS. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I just didn’t feel well enough to work out. I was queasy and had super low energy. It’s an excuse, I know, but, I took it.

Today though, I had the time and the energy, so I went on and did Level 1, Day 3. It felt phenomenal. So did I afterward. The exercises seemed a little bit easier than they had back on Days 1 & 2. I was able to do all of the cardio on full, no more modifications. And my muscles felt less like jelly today and I’m not sore from it yet. I held up better all around for all of the strength and ab workouts. Those anterior raises with the side lunges are still my biggest nemesis, but, even they didn’t leave me feeling quite as defeated as they had in the past.

Anyway, it was with a bit of trepidation that I did my weekly weigh in and measurements. I was pleasantly surprised that while my weight was the same, I had lost several inches in key places.

Current:                                Difference:

159 lbs                                              0

Waist: 27                                        -1

Abdomen: 37                               -1

Hips: 40                                          -1

Thighs: 22.5                                  -1.5

The loss of inches impresses me quite a bit all things considered. I feel like that is a better indication of health gained anyways. I know that I’ll gain muscle weight even as I slim down, since muscle weighs more than fat.

At the end of the day, I felt much better for having worked out. I’m going to try and remember that and use it as my motivation for the days that I don’t feel like working out.

~The Countess~

Goals

I’ve always been kinda funny about setting goals. I’m kinda instant gratification as far as that goes. I don’t like goals set at New Year’s because I’m of the opinion that they are doomed to fail. People make big sweeping changes in their lives – multiple ones all at once – and are then surprised when they don’t succeed with any of them.

When I was working on my thesis, I had to tell my advisor at the beginning of every week what was getting turned in that week.  That worked so much better for me than trying to tell him at the beginning of the semester how all of that was going to go. It worked well for me too, as I had an immediate deadline. Goals like that work well for me. It’s the general, non-specific, no fixed schedule ones that I don’t ever make.

Some of my goals for May and for this summer:

1. Complete the 30 Day Shred – I should be able to do that in May. I started last week and then took the weekend off – but today is the 3rd and I’m on day 3. I may not quite make it from being out of town – or, I’ll take it with me when I travel and subject others to it too. I’ve never done a program like this with a specified amount of time that one should move through it. I’m pretty excited. I’m also using this as part of the May challenge from http://www.theshredheads.com to exercise every day in the month of May. Should be fun. I’ll keep you updated as I go along.

2. Be able to work out with my boyfriend and his men at the end of May. This directly relates to the above goal. It’s the reason I set the above goal. Because I oh so intelligently told my Air Force lieutenant boyfriend that I would be delighted to work out with him and his men while I’m up there on vacation. Now I have to make sure I won’t make a fool out of my self…

3. Pay off my credit card. I’m tired of being in debt. So, I’m really tightening up my belt to see how much I can pay off this summer. It’s kinda a game for me – the more I pay off the happier I am. If my summer gig goes as well as it should, then I won’t have any problem at all with it. Even if it doesn’t. The goal is to be out from under that debt before the next school year starts.

Those are my three goals. Two to be accomplished by the end of this month and one by the end of the summer. Immediate and achievable. Here goes nothing!

~The Countess~