WHY DO I EXERCISE??? WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND MY GOALS???

I've thought a lot about these questions lately. I exercise for me. And I want my husband to say I'm hot. I mean, he already does, but I want to feel that way when he tells me. I also exercise because working out -and the goals I make- are the very few things I am in control of at this time in my life. It's all up to me. If I fail, I have no one else as a scapegoat. On the flipside, when I succeed and make a goal, I have myself to be proud of.

There are things that happen to all of us that we have no control over: the choices of others that directly affect you (I.E. hit & run drunk driver, neighbors doing/saying rude things, friends letting you down, your judicial and legislative system taking advantage of you). But how one chooses to invest in their health is their choice alone.

More of the same today. But I've found that after yesterday (@ home with a couple of sickies), I really miss it when I get off my routine.
I'm technically supposed to already be in the weights phase of my training, but there were no open appointments until next week, so cardio it is for a few more times!

Anyway...

• Treadmill- 15 minutes. Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can! I guess I was really wrapped up on the new bill coming to pass (you know about the 9823123645 gazillion dollar infusion into the economy that won't even go to people like you and me so it's a stupid thing to think it will do anything immediately like politicians are trying to dupe us into believing. But let's not get political here...). It was nice getting so upset at what is going on, and directing my frustrations out on the treadmill. My body is gonna suffer a little for it tomorrow :)
• Bike- 10 minutes. I am not surprised at this one at all, and neither should you be. Turns out I love the bike. I could be on it for 30 minutes and still love it. But I am still trying to mix it up (lol, not really) a bit.

The flu. Yumminess. That's what I have been dealing with all night. No me, but my oldest. He was barfing up a storm last night. Why does child sickness always need to include throw up in the middle of the night? Never during the day, unless it's spawned from a late night of spewing. {sigh}
So needless to say, I did not go work out this morning, nor will I be going in the afternoon. I need to recover some lost sleep. You know you're not supposed to operate heavy machinery on 2 hours of sleep, right?
What I did instead:

• Took O to his 1-year physical (yeah, I can't believe it either!). Turns out that the doctor's office is within walking distance. So we did. Well, he rode in a stroller, I walked.
• Ran down the hill, ran back up the hill (much slower, but I'm proud that I was able to!). There is a nice slope of hill that I live on the top of. And we have quite a few things we are in walking distance of.

Today was a good lesson for me that even though you can't get to the gym to work out, there are several opportunities throughout your day that you can take advantage of. Instead of driving the (seriously) .2 miles to the doctor's office, I decided to run/walk there with baby in tow. So I saved gas and lost calories! Go me :)

So, what can YOU do to give yourself a little extra push? Sit-ups during commercials? Running in the backyard with your kids? Walking/riding a bike to work? Give yourself little goals to accomplish, little milestones to surpass. You will feel better in no time!

So since I only did two workouts last week (I've committed to at least three a week), today (Monday) is my final workout for last week. I told you I was screwed up by the Holiday! It's also my last workout for the cardio portion of my program. Woo Hoo!
Ha ha, I woo hoo'ed too soon...
It took me FOREVER to get out of the house. For. ev er! I dodn't leave until around 11am, and the kids were cranky and a little clingy. Well, a lot clingy. My initial response was to stay with them and hang out at the playground, but the little Jillian Michaels in me told me to get my butt movin'! So I dropped them off at the child care center, sad and all. Let me tell you, big L is NEVER sad to go there. He loves playing on their playground, the blocks, all the toys, and he even likes sneaking snacks with little O. So I was very surprised when he was literally crying as I was leaving. And even after many distractions and love by the child care staff, there was no consoling him. And since L was crying, O had to chime in, too.
After 2 minutes of elliptical, I was interrupted by a member of the staff coming to get me to take care of my kids. Grrr. (Not upset that I had to take care of them, but a little frustrated that I had to stop my barely started workout)
I am SO lucky that Bryan works there. So lucky. I count my blessings every day. Seriously, his job there has been such a huge blessing in so many ways.
He was able to watch them for the 25 minutes that I wanted to work out. The best part was that he and his boss (we are good friends with he and his wife) both got to go out to this little playground and play with them. You guys are SO awesome!

So here's what I did:

• Elliptical- 20 minutes. It was awesome! I broke out in a great sweat (and I hate to sweat), and even got to finish an episode of 'Designed to Sell' on HGTV (there are TV screens hooked up to each elliptical).
• Bike- 10 minutes. Can you tell that I like the bike? I want to do a spinning class after this program. Looking forward to it!

Wednesday will be interesting. O has a doctor's appointment (check up) and both kids will be ready for naps after that. But I will be ready to work out. So hopefully they will be willing to play at the Y for a few minutes before nap time!

So today (Saturday) I didn't go work out. Bad me. This is an example of not carving out the time before I plan out my day. It doesn't get done. But instead of beating myself up over it, I will just continue to move forward!
Next goal to add (since they are building blocks of sorts and work with eachother):

• Work on diet
• More fruits/Vegetables to replace the overly processed stuff

I know that I cringe every time I give my kids fast food chicken nuggets, so why don't I cringe when I put sub-par things into my own body??? Okay, no more treating myself as dispensable. So those are my goals.

Today didn't have very much time. I was lucky to have Bryan at home watching the kids, so I didn't need to use my day care credits (if you are planning to use YMCA for your gym and you have kids, they have an awesome day care center where you pre pay for several hours/days of child care. I'm not sure if this is normal protocal at other places. I'm still new to this!). Thanks honey! Anyway, because he has such a tight schedule, I only had about an hour and 15 minutes, travel time included. So, 25 minutes to get to Encinitas (including parking, walking into facility, etc), and 25 to get back equals a short workout. SHORT!

So I busted it out in 20 minutes. And I did what I know best. Boring bike and treadmill. But I knew that these two machines would give me the best workout for my time because I wouldn't have to mess around with buttons/straps/programs/etc.

• Bike-15 minutes. I warmed up, then did fast bursts for almost the entire time.
• Treadmill- 8 minutes. Pretty much did the same thing.

So, I think I spoke a little too soon last time when I said I didn't like cardio. I may not like it as much as lifting weights (which I really do like, incidentally), but this time I really got into it. I was able to get out all my stresses, frustrations, and anxieties about life. It was great. It was my time. It was actually very nourishing, relaxing, and cathartic. Hopefully from here on out it will be this way!

So, the Y (and I'm not talking about BYU) was closed for the holidays (MLK Jr Day) and I wasn't aware of that until the actual day. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier... anyway, it pretty much messed up my groove for the whole week! I was off an entire day.
Regardless, I ended up going today (Tuesday), and did ALL cardio. I am beginning to realize why I don't like working out so much. I think cardio is just so dang BORING. I mean, I really enjoy the bike, but treadmill? Where are you running to? And the elliptical machine? You are climbing and climbing and there. is. no. end. in. SIGHT.
Anyway, despite my disdain for cardiovascular exercise, I signed up for this program, and cardio is for the first two weeks. I am still accountable for my body, and I want to look rockin'. So I have to put in the work.
Going back to work out after a long weekend is really rough. I don't recommend it. I mean to say, I DO NOT recommend taking a long weekend unless you are out for surgery or having a baby. haha Unless you are extremely motivated (as I am) then it is so much easier to say "I'll do it tomorrow" for another day, until you find yourself out of a routine. Yeah, not good. So stick to it! Make yourself a schedule and follow it. Even 20 minutes is better than none.
I digress. Sort of! Tuesday, I did the following:

• Bike- 15 minutes
• Treadmill- 10 minutes
• Rowing machine- 5 minutes

People are saying I'm already looking good. That's good to know! I myself haven't seen any progress (because everyone knows how much MORE you scrutinize yourself over other people doing it), but it's really motivating to hear compliments from others. Thanks, everyone!

I'm late on my posts, better catch up! Friday was the last day of this workout week. It was awesome! I'm really enjoying this time for me and no one else. I always used to think that it was purely selfish of me to have some 'me' time, but I am finding that it makes me a better person by far! With the exception of an Ipod fiasco this time (I do much better without it. Or maybe I can figure out how to download my playlist so it actually PLAYS.) my workout was really rewarding, totally exhausting, and it felt great to sweat out all those skin impurities! I did 15 minutes on the bike and 10 on the treadmill. Awesomeness. Next session I'm going for more time, and I want to incorporate the rowing machine. Gotta get my Madonna arms somehow, right? :)

I worked out for the 2nd time today. It was much better than the first! I actually sweat. I pushed myself. I was on the bike for over 10 minutes, on the treadmill for a greuling 10 minutes, then the ellpitical for 5 minutes.

I was EXHAUSTED!

25 minutes of cardio may not seem like much for some people, but for me it's a big deal. I felt so proud of myself, empowered, and giddy with serotonin (that happy "feel-good" chemical released to your brain when you exercise)!

I felt even better because the night before, during my Tuesday night ritual of watching The Biggest Loser, I did all types of crunches during the commercials. See there? Cancelling our DVR wasn't all that bad! :)

So, I started my 12week program at YMCA today. It's not exactly what I expected, but it will at least get me in the habit of working out.
I suppose I was expecting my personal trainer to be more willing to kick my butt. However, my instructor was more concerned that I was going to be scared away! So she went really soft on me, which I was a little dissappointed about. I honestly didn't even break a sweat. I know.

Anyway, there were some cool things that I did as part of the program:

• I wrote down goals (typical practice), but also wrote down reasins why I wouldn't be able to achieve them. I thought that was genious. It really allowed me to focus on the excuses I've given for letting myself get soft and lazy.
• I got a personal walk-through of every machine, how each one works, etc.
• I got tips on what I could do to get the most out of my workouts.

Since I am on a twelve week program, I have committed to working out 3 times per week. I have a personal trainer to help me with the first session of all six phases of the program, and after that I'm left to my own devices (mwahahahahaaaa!)

Like I said before, I am a little dissappointed at how easy my instructor went on me. I guess I was expecting a Jillian Michaels or something. So I have made my own kick-butt attitude goals for next time.

I have never been good at working out. I have never been the type to want to exercise. I hate to sweat, though I do enjoy the empowering feeling of post-work out exhaustion.
This year, it's all changing. I have watched too many seasons of Biggest Loser and felt motivated to change my life, and never done a thing about it. So, I've started this blog to stay motivated about my goals. Well, what are my goals?

• Lose 30 pounds
• Gain shapely arms
• Lose post-baby tummy
• Lose 2 pant sizes

Wish me luck! I'll be tracking my progress.