Fresh Start

January 27, 2011

Fresh Start: It’s My ‘Home Gym’

Let me just be honest for a second. I’m not going to work out at a gym. Like ever.

The idea of awkwardly attempting exercises in front of strangers while I drip with sweat does not appeal to me. This self-consciousness is, in part, why my membership at Curves a few years didn’t last very long. I just hate working out in public.

Thanks to the Wii and Walmart‘s generosity, I don’t have to. During the Fresh Start campaign, in addition to sending each of us an XBOX 360 with Kinect, they also gave us the opportunity to purchase a wide range of workout equipment to help us on our journey toward healthier living. On my list?

Jillian Michaels 3-piece Kettlebell Kit
Gold’s Gym Exercise Stay Ball
Shake Weight

We also received EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii, and I added all of that to my existing yoga mat and a heart rate monitor watch I purchased out of my own pocket (shown below). Plus, I still have to go back to the store to get Dance Central for the XBOX and a couple of other items.

In other words, I have no excuse to fail. In spite of my aversion to public gyms and other exercise spaces, with all of this at my disposal, I have all the incentive I need to get my butt in gear and do what needs to be done.

Jillian Michaels and those kettlebells kicked my butt, and despite my skepticism about the Shake Weight, it actually gave me a good upper body workout. I started off thinking it wouldn’t work at all, and at first, I didn’t feel much. But once I popped in the accompanying DVD and tried the 6-minute workout, I found myself struggling to keep up by minute 4. And as I type this, my arms feel like spaghetti.

The exercise ball will be added to my yoga routine, though I have so much to do that I haven’t used it yet.

More than anything else, I’m happy to wake up in the morning knowing that I have variety in my workout schedule. If I feel like dancing, I can dance. If I feel like working just my upper body, I can do that. If I want to get my heart rate up with some traditional aerobics, I can do that. This variety will help keep me on track, because I’m known for becoming lazy bored easily when it comes to exercise.

However, my diet is another story. I backtracked a little this week and found myself eating some of the things I’ve been trying to avoid (Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino ice cream, anyone?). So the number I’m about to show you is not a surprise.

This Week’s Weight: 229.2

I really need to become more disciplined with eating throughout the day instead of 2 (or if I’m lucky, 3) bigger meals and unhealthy, late-night snacking. Still, in spite of that setback, I’m determined to continue this journey to a healthier lifestyle. And now I have been reminded of what NOT to do

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share my journey to healthier living with you as part of the Fresh Start Challenge. I was also provided with a gift card to purchase exercise equipment and fitness products to help me on my journey. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

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January 20, 2011

Fresh Start: Video Games Make Me Love Working Out!

I admit that I have (had?) bad eating habits, but what once was even harder for me to do was get motivated to exercise. Doing hundreds of situps, jumping jacks and squats didn’t really appeal to me. In my mind, it was all work, so I didn’t want to do it. I have to say, I’m SO glad to be living in an age of amazing technology, because video games have revolutionized the way I approach exercise.

We’ve had a Wii for a while, and I credit games like Zumba, Wii Fit and Just Dance for getting me off my butt. But last week, Walmart and Microsoft hooked up all the Moms participating in the Fresh Start Challenge. They sent each of us an XBOX 360 with Kinect!

I had never even considered getting an XBOX until they debuted the Kinect technology, and we’ve been wanting one for months.

We also received Your Shape for the Kinect, and I couldn’t wait to try it. Compared to the fitness games on the Wii, the Kinect takes exercise to a whole new level. Because the game tracks your whole body, there is no need to hold a remote. This also makes it really hard to cheat…lol. I have to make this distinction for one simple reason. On the Wii, it is really easy to cheat your way into a high score. As long as the hand (or leg, or hip) holding the Wii remote is doing what it’s supposed to, you’ll score points. The game can’t tell whether the rest of your body is even participating, much less doing the exercise or dance correctly.

Of course, its up to me to push myself and get as much out of each workout as I can, but this is just my observation.

The biggest con versus Wii? Many of the games only allow one player to play at a time, so if you’re playing with a group (my daughter and I often play together), you’ll have to take turns. Not so bad when it’s 2 people, but it would get tedious and affect the value of the workout if there were 3 or more.

Overall, I love the Kinect and Your Shape. In the very first photo, I’m doing Cardio Boxing, and my daughter is playing a balance game in the photo above. There is a wide variety of training routines, fitness games and classes, and Ja’Naya loves the fact that she can see a graphic representation of herself on the TV while she’s playing. I’m not as fond of this feature, but I will be once I’ve dropped some more pounds

Bonus: Michael Jackson The Experience

Walmart also arranged for us to get a copy of Michael Jackson: The Experience for Wii. We are big fans of dancing games in this household, and my husband and I are children of the 80s. I couldn’t WAIT to try this! I actually took the game to my sister’s house along with a bunch of Wii remotes so we could have a Michael Jackson dance party. We had such a good time, we didn’t realize we’d been working out for nearly 2 hours until my niece looked up at the clock. Seven of us (myself, my husband, my daughter, my sister and my 3 nieces) took turns playing, and I just wish I’d had my video camera. It was crazy fun! The photo below doesn’t show us all falling all over ourselves, laughing and singing along, but it was really a great time!

The video below shows my 5-year-old daughter dancing to “Beat It,” (which she specifically requested…lol), so ANYONE can play and enjoy this game and others like it.

Our next step? We’re going to grab Dance Central and Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout so I can make the Kinect a bigger part of my repertoire and continue to use the Wii.

So now, what you’ve been waiting for…

This Week’s Weight: 227 lbs!

That’s down 2.6 pounds from last week and 7 pounds since I started! I know that the weight appears to be melting off somewhat, but I know that’s mostly because I have a lot to lose. Still, I am really happy with my effort and that it’s beginning to show some results — especially given that I was sick for a week with the flu.

So what about you? Are you working toward a Fresh Start for your health and/or fitness? I’d love to hear about your goals, what you’re doing (or not doing) and any support, encouragement or questions. Like I said in my first post of the challenge, this is it: This is the year I’m finally going to make it happen! So let’s do it together!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share my journey to healthier living with you as part of the Fresh Start Challenge. I was also provided with a gift card to purchase healthier food items to help me on my journey. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

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January 15, 2011

My Fresh Start: A Week in Bed

Apparently, my fresh start should’ve begun with a flu shot. But since it didn’t, it begun with a week curled up in bed. The flu really laid me out this past week, and I’m only just recovering enough to start getting anything done.

But as unproductive as my seemingly endless days of bed rest could have been, I used that time to think about the changes I need to make for the sake of my health, and about the things I have tried in the past that have worked. The problem? Not many things have worked, and there’s lots I need to change.

Of all the things I have tried, the Atkins, low-carb diet was the only thing that really worked for me — but that was about 7 years ago. Still, I wanted to draw what I could from the experience. I know it worked because I was forced to cut out my 2 diet nemeses: sugar and other carbs. That meant no snacking on bare slices of bread or eating sugary cereal for dinner, with no milk. I admit, Atkins was a very restrictive way to eat, and I hated it, but it worked. I lost about 30 pounds total between the low-carb diet and exercise. That’s the most weight I’ve ever lost when I was actually trying.

The problem with Atkins is that the variety comes from the different meats, cheeses and veggies you can eat. Since I only eat poultry and seafood (and I’m pretty picky with those) and I’m not a fan of many cheeses or vegetables, I found myself eating the same things over and over. While I don’t plan to go back to a diet that is quite so restrictive, I do plan to pay very close attention to my carb intake. I’ll try to stick to the good carbs and stop overloading myself on them when I’m hungry.

I’ve decided that I will eat at least one salad each day. This may not sound like a lot to change, but it is for me. I don’t pay close attention, I can go days without eating any vegetables, and I will literally eat whatever junk is within arms’ reach when given the chance. So a salad a day is a step in the right direction. It is also admittedly the easiest low-carb meal I can make for myself that I’ll actually eat.

Today (the first day I’ve really been well enough to be out of bed), I had a very simple grilled chicken salad for lunch. I used Tyson’s Grilled and Ready Cooked Chicken Breast Strips. I love the fact that they are pre-cooked. I was able to just drop them in a nonstick pan for a few minutes (no oil or cooking spray) and let them get nice and brown. Then I tossed a couple of strips with some organic baby spinach, 2 sliced strawberries and about a tablespoon of lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I have to say, it was great! The photo at the beginning of the post doesn’t do it justice

Given that little else has worked for me, I have started counting my calories so I can keep track of what I eat every day to hold myself accountable. This salad contained a total of about 230 calories. Not bad for a nice, filling lunch.

In an attempt to find lower-calorie snacks that will also help curb my sweet tooth, I also picked up some Special K 90 calorie dessert bars and Yoplait yogurt in two flavors I had never seen before: blackberry pomegranate and cranberry raspberry. So now, when I find myself craving for something sweet, I can grab one of those without feeling too terrible.

All these plans will be better put into action in the coming week as I fully recover from the flu, but I did say I would weigh in every week. Believe it or not, I actually lost weight — mostly due to illness and barely being able to eat anything for days.

This Week’s Weight: 229.6 lbs.

That’s 5.4 pounds down from last week! Although I can’t take any credit for it, it’s still nice to see the scale going in the right direction. And now that I have a good game plan, I’m determined to drop at least another pound or two before my next weigh in.

I’d love to hear about what you’re doing to live a healthier life! Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share my journey to healthier living with you as part of the Fresh Start Challenge. I was also provided with a gift card to purchase healthier food items to help me on my journey. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

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