First run post pregnancy

It feels like it has been a long time coming, but I finally donned my running shoes and hit the trails. I seriously had to shake cobwebs out of my bones. It was hard to succumb to my pregnancy and give up running, and it feels incredible to be back out there again.

My body took longer to recover than I expected, and I'm still not feeling completely back to normal yet. But the doc gave the thumbs up, and the opportunity was there, so I had to give it a try.

I ran one of my favorite trails. Forget the gym. The gym and I don't necessarily get along. I needed to feel dirt under my feet and take in the elements to ensure my first post pregnancy run would be a success.

My goal was not to keel over and hopefully not to stop. Luckily my feet remembered this trail I have run dozens of times. One foot in front of the other and I found myself back into my old rhythm. Man, did it feel good. And I made it. I ran the entire way without stopping or collapsing.

This is seriously going to hurt tomorrow and my abs feel like they are going to shake out of my body, but man did that feel invigorating. My mind didn't really forget how much I love running, but I think my body needed the reminder. Despite being seriously sleep deprived, I have a crazy burst of energy.

Of course I haven't got a clue how well I'll keep this up. This could be the last run I do for awhile or it could light a fire in me. We all have things we need to keep us going. The past six or so months have been challenging and not having my regular runs - my moving meditation - forced me to face far more emotions head on and look for other ways of release. I'm afraid to admit that more often than not I didn't release and instead let it all build up. Never healthy, right?

We have a seriously rich life with two amazing kids, loads of travel (with those two amazing kids), and a lot of change preparing to happen in the not-too-distant future. I'm glad to be back on my feet where I can blow out all the stress and pent up emotions and really be there for my family. I am so ready to have myself back again. Who knows, maybe you'll actually hear from me more often again. Lord knows we have an insane amount to tell you about these days.

Happy Sunday and I hope you get a chance to find yourself today!

xoxo

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

 

Posted with Blogsy

A good day for yoga daydreaming...

It's a warm summer day here in Bavaria - a perfect day for daydreaming and doing yoga (or perhaps a little bit of both). Around the time we moved to Germany last year and I became a full-time mom, I started using yoga to release the stress that comes with daily life and help me feel a bit more grounded in heart and mind. I try to practice daily, although some weeks are definitely better than others. With a mere 20 minutes a day I find I am able to moderate my sanity.

Doing yoga with some regularity has also greatly benefited my practice. I'm much stronger now and less afraid to try challenging poses. I have a better understanding of what I'm capable of and how to make the poses really work for me so I'm enjoying my practice instead of focusing on how tired my body is staying in one pose for too long.

After I attended a few yoga workshops with my friend, K, back in May, I started trying to take my yoga practice to a new level. During those workshops I managed to get into yoga poses I never in a million years thought I'd ever be able to do. It was motivating and invigorating for my yoga practice.

I owe the Internet for allowing me to do yoga nearly every day. Although I'm still a regular user of yogadownload, I also became a member of My Yoga Online (another one of K's influences), where I can choose a class from the site's vast database for any length of time at pretty much any level and stream it directly to my iPad from the internet. Several weeks ago, the yoga class that K teaches at the gym on post had to be cancelled, so we made arrangements to do a fun advanced class together from My Yoga Online. The class was so incredibly challenging, and it was fun to try the advanced moves with a friend. It was somehow more fun to laugh at myself with company.

I was completely taken aback at some of the poses I was able to do (and equally as complacent with those crazy poses I knew would take some serious time). At one point I went from crow pose, into headstand, and then back into crow. Crazy! Obviously you need to be strong enough to do these poses, but what I'm realizing is that you mostly just need to be willing to try them. I remember taking yoga classes and practically ignoring my instructor when she would say, "just see what you can do and try to get into the pose." The poses seemed far too difficult and I always accepted that I was anything but flexible. Denial was easy, failure was not.

So, what am I dreaming about now that I have this newfound way of approaching my yoga practice? Eventually I would really like to get my yoga certification to start teaching, but right now I'm daydreaming about finding a yoga retreat to lose myself in and take my yoga to another level. It sounds so amazing to me to spend a week at a resort doing nothing but practicing yoga, meditating, and eating healthy food. Am I a weirdo that this sounds like heaven to me?

There is a beautiful retreat I recently came across set in Mexico just south of Cancun. The yoga at the retreat is being taught by Gina Caputo, who was one of the instructors I was introduced to at a yoga workshop in May. She was amazing, and I would do anything to be able to take a workshop from her again.

The retreat is called the Winter Solstice Yoga Retreat in Tulum, Mexico. You spend one full week at the beautiful Amasala Resort on the Mexican Riviera. How amazing would that be?! Mexico is not exactly a destination on our map right now, but I would love to find something like this nearby. Can you imagine spending a week on the ocean doing yoga twice a day with two amazing instructors that challenge you, like Gina Caputo, eating nothing but incredible food that is good for you, and relaxing? That is something worth daydreaming about... Ahhhhhhh...

What do you daydream about on beautiful summer days?





 

Posted with Blogsy

Ultimate Blog Challenge Complete - YAY!

This blog post marks my 30th post in 30 days. I really had doubts there for a bit that I wasn't going to complete the Ultimate Blog Challenge that I signed on to do. I am so relieved to have finished this goal.

My reasons for signing up for the challenge were two-fold. I wanted to build content for my legal blog, and I also wanted to challenge myself to write every day. Overwhelming you with a million blog posts was not my intention, and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't write more articles for Green Trees & Legalese. That said, I did manage to write a handful of posts on my legal blog. No one is really reading that blog just yet, but that is perfectly fine. I needed this challenge to find my niche and writing style and also to see what people are interested in reading.

One thing this challenge taught me is that it is truly "challenging" to write every day. My personal blog has been so much fun for me. River Runs Through It was started as a way for me to journal our adventures in Europe and document them so that we have a place for all our memories. It was also a way to stay connected with family and friends. My mom told me when she was stationed in Germany with my Dad, she wrote letters to everyone several times a week. That's what I think of my blog - my letter to you telling you everything about how life is going for us here in this foreign place. What I never anticipated was how much I would enjoy writing my blog, and I greatly underestimated how much it would help me feel connected with everyone back home.

For my legal blog, this challenge helped me see how much work the blog was going to be. Not in a bad way, but I definitely needed the reality check to help motivate me into moving forward with the project. Something that is difficult is easy to put aside - I do it all the time - but this is important to me, so I needed a better understanding at what kind of commitment it was going to take to help that blog move forward. I think I am finally getting my niche and writing style, and I know that with practice it will come easier.

Anyways, thanks for sticking with me through this challenge and reading all of my blog posts. I love sharing with all of you. I am going to take a much needed break as I spend the week with Big R in Italy. I'll come home fresh and ready to share! This summer has so much adventure packed into it, it might just take a blog post a day to keep up!

Much love,

Johanna

What's Next?!

I've had several people ask me what my plans are now that I have completed my fitness challenge. I feel like my answer to this question has changed many times throughout the 12-weeks of the program. Right before Phase 3, I started getting that panicky feeling. Putting all this work into my body was not allowed to go to waste, and I was paranoid I would just end up right back where I started.

So, I started talking to K quite a bit, and we were loosely brainstorming what we could do to sustain our new post-Jamie Eason LIVEFIT bodies. At the start of Phase 3, we were both happily noticing how defined our muscles were getting and neither one of us were interested in letting it go. She had a somewhat similar experience to mine where her numbers were no where near as drastic but she looks amazing. I'm starting to think the whole numbers game is overrated, and it might be time to throw out my scale once and foreall! My best friend has never let a scale enter her house, and now I'm thinking there is something really healthy about that philosophy.

I digress... My mind has been a flurry of activity trying to think of how to build workouts into my schedule. One thing was for certain, I was absolutely NOT going to spend nearly as much time working out as I have for the past twelve weeks. Another decision I had made was that the gym was not for me. I'm done with it. Sounds ridiculous, I'm sure, but the environment at the gym is not my thing. There have been different phases in my life where I've been somewhat of a gym rat. It never lasts long, and it's typically related to working with friends. I like the gym...for classes, not for the whole weight lifting deal. As much as I love my sculpted arms and firm back, I know that I need to find a way to keep these areas of my body strong in a way that I feel more comfortable.

I downloaded an application onto my iPad to track and create workouts that I could do from home. My plan was to buy a couple more sets of dumb bells at varying weights so that I could get a decent workout here. It all started to feel a bit overwhelming all of the sudden, but I couldn't place where this anxiety was coming from. Then it dawned on me... This wasn't what I wanted, and I had no desire to continue a workout plan that included all of this "jazz."

No, what I wanted was to have a solid yoga practice and start running again. That has been my desire for quite awhile, and with little r in kindergarten, it was a desire that I could bring to fruition. It is, after all, what my plan was before I got on this big fitness challenge kick in the first place. I finally realized that there was nothing wrong with wanting this. Funny, but as soon as I made this decision, all of the anxiety left my body and I started watching that finish line like a hawk because I couldn't wait for my challenge to be over so that I could begin this new fitness plan.

So, that's what I plan on doing now. I'm going to focus on my yoga practice. With little r being in kindergarten and me NOT having to fill those hours with time at the gym, I could now do a full hour of yoga 3-4 times a week, if not more. Yoga has a way of bringing calm to my life. At the fear of sounding cliche, I really REALLY love being a yogini, and I like it being an important part of who I am. My goal is to start working on more challenging poses, and eventually attain a certification to teach. This might not happen for quite awhile, but it's a goal that I think is worth reaching for.

I am also going to keep running. I thought that I had given this up because my body is quite frankly falling apart. My marathon days did me in BIG TIME. My hips are a disaster, and I get injured so easily. All that aside, I enjoy it, and I absolutely love running the trails around our home here in Germany. I plan on taking full advantage of living here. It also seems like a good time to start working on increasing my pace. Oddly, I actually enjoyed the sprinting segment of the LIVEFIT program - albeit, sprints five times a week can be super exhausting - and I think it was key in helping keep my metabolism moving. That said, I'm going to put myself in the gym once a week to do sprints on the treadmill (I know, that was really strange for me to read, too). I'm going to tie it to taking a yoga class at the gym as well (K is starting her yoga instruction for the first time - so awesome!), and hopefully that will make it seem less painful to be within the confining walls of the gym again.

Hopefully the combination of a regular yoga practice and trail running will keep me in line and I can avoid losing all of this hard work from the last few months. I believe everyone has a body and mind that responds differently to exercise and if you don't pick a fitness regimine that works well for you both physically AND mentally, then it's a losing battle. You'll either give it up or be really unhappy. Being in shape shouldn't be easy, but doing it should help relieve stress NOT create more stress in your life. That's my two cents on the issue anyway...

What works for you? If this challenge taught me anything it's that you should listen to that voice in your head and not only go after the things you want, but to feel good about the decisions that you make. Well, as long as those decisions are healthy ones!

Challenge Update - Final Results!!!

My 12-week fitness challenge is FINALLY complete. The results are decent, but not overwhelmingly so. The numbers feel mediocre to me compared to the amount of effort and dedication the challenge required. However, the visual results are much more telling. I do feel better, I think I look better, and my clothes fit more comfortably (or not at all in some cases).The final numbers are not terribly different than what I reported at the beginning of Phase 3. I lost another inch off of my hips and at certain points I was down several pounds. With all said and done, overall with the program I lost 2 inches off of my waist, thighs, and chest, and three inches off of my hips (yahooooo!), and a total of close to 10 pounds. Like I said, not terribly drastic results, but here are some pictures so you can see where it counts...

My muscles have much more definition, and my body is definitely firmer. Big R claims my curves are back - everyone loves having some curves, eh? I can't argue that I'm stronger today than I was three months ago, which makes several facets of my life a tad bit easier, not the least of which is carrying around little r. Here is a comparison of my first picture and my last. I tried to take the last picture to match as closely as possible to the first so that the comparison was fair. I even wore my least favorite workout top - Lord only knows why I decided to wear it for my first picture!

On the left is me around Week 3.

And on the right is me at the end of the 12-week challenge.

Whenever I feel like I gained nothing these last three months, I look at these before and after pictures and feel a bit better.

 

And I'm going to be brave and show you my favorite comparison - my abs. I took the "before" picture hoping that I would be happy enough with the results to take an "after" shot, and I think it's a decent enough improvement that I want to share.

Here I am (left) at the beginning (well, two weeks in, but close enough).

And this is me now (right).

 

 

 

Being able to see the difference visually makes me feel so much better about those pesky "numbers" not being more dramatic. Now that I have sufficiently embarrassed myself by sharing photographs of my mid-section, let's move along, shall we?

For some reason those 12 weeks felt like an eternity. Yes, I am such a drama queen. I suppose some things are just more taxing than others for certain people. This fitness challenge certainly fit into the category of being one of the more difficult challenges for me. The workouts were definitely a lot of work, but not terribly grueling or impossible. More than the actual "work" they were just hugely time consuming.

Being finished with Jamie Eason's 12-week LIVEFIT trainer is somewhat bitter sweet. It was exciting to be a part of a challenge and to have all of the work scripted and planned out. I rarely had to think, and that part was a relief. I enjoyed feeling myself get stronger when I was lifting heavier weights and running much faster during my sprints. I also really enjoyed the variety of the workouts. Jamie does an excellent job keeping your muscles and your mind guessing, so boredom was never an issue.

All that said, I could not be happier to have completed this challenge so that I can have my day back. As horrible as it is to say (and to think it), I felt incredibly guilty and selfish doing this program. It ate up so much of the time I had while little r was in kindergarten, that I was rushing around like a crazy woman trying to complete all of the other things I needed to get taken care of for the household. The workouts were also a tad bit exhausting, especially in Phase 3, so I had such little energy to get anything done. Juggling our schedules with only one car, many early mornings that started before 5 a.m. so that I could get my workout completed before Big R needed the car for work, and the constant feeling that I was extremely pressed for time all created anxiety I really could have done without.

Am I glad that I did the challenge? Absolutely. I really needed to do this for myself despite how it made me feel or how crazy I was for three months. I also learned a fair amount about myself, particularly in those areas where I need a lot of work emotionally. The challenge also helped me make healthier food choices for the family, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Speaking of food, I probably would have seen even greater results had I been stronger about following the "diet" Jamie directs you to do. I found out that I have zero will-power where this is concerned. (And all the running in Phase 3 makes me freaking hungry!!!) Sure, I can force myself to annex chocolate and wine and all those sugary goodies, but keeping the calories crazy low AND the carb intake at close to null is a recipe for moodiness and anger in this lady. It's not worth it to me. That is not healthy for my mind. Instead, I opted to take a moderation approach. I tried to make smarter food choices when I was hungry, and I made sure there were little to no unhealthy snacks in the house to avoid any binges. At the end of the day, I failed miserably at the "carb cycling" that Jamie has in her program, and the calorie counting went by the wayside at the beginning of Phase 3. Despite all that, I feel really good, and I'm much more conscious about what I eat.

So, there you have it. I don't look a thing like Jamie Eason, but I am slimmer, leaner, stronger, more confident... Let's just hope that after all this hard work, I can stay this way :)

Thanks for all your support as I worked my way through the last 12 weeks!

 

Which way do I go?

In the realm of getting lost, there's not much more intimidating than losing your way in the downtown area of an old city in the middle of a pedestrian zone (save driving down a bike path following nifarious google directions - clearly the pinacle of my getting lost adventures), except for losing your way in a maze of trails in the woods finding yourself at the bottom of a hill only to look up and see a wooden sign telling you that you just came from the direction in which you should have been heading. This is only going to occur, of course, when the sky decides to open up and release a flood of rain on your head, and your legs want to cry because you just finished running these hilly trails for the past 45 minutes and heading up the trail is the last thing on your list of "want to do's." This was my last workout of my challenge though, and I needed to complete an hour of cardio, which meant I was not going to stop. So, I plowed on just praying I'd find a "sign" at the crossroads telling me which way to go.

When I got to the intersection, I started to panic. It went at least five different ways. Not two or four, because that would be too simple. The sign I had followed down the hill still seemed to be telling me that I had in fact gone the right way the first time, but since I knew this was wrong, I stood there for a minute stunned. These are the worst moments to doubt yourself. Then again, you are not me, and my gut has a strong tendancy to lead me in the completely wrong direction. My moral compass might face north on most occasions, but my internal compass leads me astray each and every time. Everything always looks the same to me, especially in a forest. I am NOT the person you want to get lost with, and the Army would probably toss me to the wolves after I had failed the navigational test for the fiftieth time.

This is what the rest of my year will probably look like. Now that my challenge is FINALLY over, I plan on doing a lot more trail running, which means I'll be lost more than finding my way, and Big R will stop questioning why I tend to run the same routes all the time when he has received the fifth panic phone call from me as I'm lost in the woods crying for someone to show me the way home. I'm really not THAT bad, but I'm sure there are times the hubby must think I am. Just creates more stories to share with you.

I made it home, clearly, and I think I have that trail run all figured out now ("think" being the operative word here). I finished my hour long cardio session (that was unnecessarily extended by nearly 15 minutes) to end my 12-week fitness challenge - YES - and what better way to end it than to meet the family on the last 100 meters of my run. Big R planned their dog walk so they would purposefully meet up with me at the end up my run. As soon as little r saw me he ran to me so fast he lost his shoes no less than three times. It's enough to make your heart melt - I love it :)

 

p.s. I promise to bring you my final results soon!

 

 

 

Jeans - my celebratory reward

I am one workout away from completing my challenge. This has been a grueling 12 weeks (again, I'm dramatic, I know this), and it'll be such a pleasant day to wake up having this behind me.

My friend, K, asked what I was going to do to celebrate. If you can believe this, I actually hadn't thought about it. Then I told her, "I think I'm going to buy a new pair of jeans."

This is a funny thing for me to do to celebrate because shopping for jeans is probably one of my least favorite things to do. I have rarely had a perfect fitting pair of jeans and I'm convinced my body type was carefully left out of the computer modeling when they developed sizing and cuts for jeans. That said, my celebrating is more in the form of acknowledging I need a new pair because I literally have no pants in my dresser that fit me anymore. I look like a dumpy bum in all my clothes and that's about the opposite of how I feel after having finished this workout challenge.

I had the car today (YEA), so I decided I was going to do a little jeans shopping while little r was at kindergarten. It was one of several things on my agenda this morning, but I didn't anticipate how horribly difficult it was going to be to find a pair if jeans that fit me. Why? Lord only knows. I've never had a different experience. Guess I had hoped that the new slimmer me would have zero issues finding an awesome pair of happy jeans.

At least 30 pairs, half a dozen stores, and two hours later, and we have success!!! I'm elated AND I'm comfortable. I am literally in love with my new jeans. Best part, they were only 20€, and I was willing to go big designer style with this celebration!!!

I'm excited for Big R to come home and see that his wife hasn't lost all of her style :) My other jeans will be washed and folded away hopefully not to be seen again for a very long time...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

 

Sunny morning run

Oh how I've missed my outdoor runs. Since I can remember, I've always had some aspect of running in my life. I've never been exceptionally fast or good at it, but I never let that stop me from enjoying a nice run. Sprinting was my thing until I decided to tackle marathons in my late 20's, and although I felt a huge sense of accomplishment after completing three marathons, it became pretty clear to me that my body was not built for long distance running. In fact, I have been having so many issues with my hips that I thought I might have to hang up my hat on running for good. I so much as road it off last summer before we moved here to Germany.

Then...we moved here. Not only are we in Germany, but we are in Bavaria, and it suits our lifestyle so well. Except for my time in Vermont, I have never lived somewhere so incredibly perfect for running. The environment here inspired me, and it only took a couple of runs to get me hooked again (despite the hip pain).  I was excited that once little r started kindergarten, I would have some time on my own to start running these beautiful trails on a regular basis.

Somehow I decided to beat my booty into shape and take on a 12-week fitness challenge (Jamie Eason's LIVEFIT 12-week Trainer) that has had me locked in a gym six days a week for the past few months. The workouts have been long and sometimes arduous, but I know I'll be happy with the results when I've finished. These last two weeks of my challenge shift from HIIT training with active rests and sprints nearly every day, to lesser weight with more reps and lots of cardio. Getting my gym workout done in 30 minutes or less has freed me up to do more with my mornings again, including hit the trails for an energy boosting run.

I forgot how different it is to run outside than it is on a treadmill. Despite the constant cardio work I've been putting my body through at the gym, my run today was heavy and slow. I despise treadmills, I really do, and my run today reminded me why I prefer to run outside. After doing sprints for two weeks at the gym, I was ready to push myself - HA - that was not going to happen. Today was all about making it up the hills without giving myself a heart attack. I made it, and oddly it just renewed the excitement in me that doing this regularly is going to help me be in great shape!

And how awesome is it to run here? After struggling up my first large hill, I caught myself squinting my eyes because I thought I was seeing things and wanted to blame it on being out of breath. In front of me was a horse drawn carriage - YES, a horse drawn carriage - how cool is that?! I really thought I was hallucinating in some sort of 1800's dreamworld, but I was quickly drawn back by Lady Gaga wailing through my headphones. I love living here, and I can't wait to make these runs a regular part of my routine.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Challenging challenges

Somehow this is becoming the year of challenges for me. I suppose this is how we achieve personal growth, especially when we are gainfully unemployed for all the right reasons.

I have two more weeks left of my 12-week workout challenge. Only two weeks! Wow, that feels so good to say that. I am thrilled that I decided to do this plan, but I couldn't be more excited to complete it and start focusing on some other aspects of my life.

Enter challenge #2 for the year: 30-day blog challenge (www.ultimateblogchallenge.com)

My friend, K, got me into this one as well. The girl is really good at being convincing, that or she has a knack for finding ways to enrich her life and she likes to share it with others. I decided since I spent the last several months focusing on my body, it was time to start focusing on my mind.

The 30-day challenge is about creating accountability to give you a reason and motivation for helping your blog take off, and it felt like the perfect way for me to get content started for my new legal blog. I'll keep blogging here, too, no worries. My plan is to do 30 blog posts in the month of April between "River Runs Through It" and "Green Trees and Legalese." Hopefully this will be the extra push I need to get comfortable writing my legal blog. And maybe I'll get lucky and start increasing my readership a bit.

Thanks for supporting me in all my crazy endeavors.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Challenge Update - On to Phase 3

It has felt like an eternity, but I have finally made it to Phase 3. How am I doing, you ask? Eh, I'm hanging in there. It was nice to put Phase 2 behind me, but to be honest, Phase 3 is anything but a walk in the park. This phase is tough. Jamie Eason introduces HIIT training into this phase. The basic translation is that we no longer rest - we now "actively" rest. No fun. So, instead of catching my breath between sets, I'm now doing supersets of several exercises and jumping rope for a minute in between sets. Today I did lat pulldowns, reverse bicep pulls, and then 25 crunches; yesterday my favorite was the over arm cable pulls with the push ups on a kettle ball. Pure craziness, I tell you... My body is dog-tired.

My trip to Rome fell right at the end of Phase 2 and overlapped the first couple days of Phase 3. I decided not to stress myself out over it and just jump back in when I got back. Turns out I walked miles and climbed a bazillion steps, and most of which was done carrying a 30 pound toddler. Big R and I both laughed when I read that my workout for Monday was supposed to be Quads and Calves - we found this funny because I had climbed 480+ stairs to the top of the Duomo tower in Florence carrying little r pretty much the entire way. I decided this made me even somehow...

I'm doing an ok job following the plan despite having a couple of weeks where either I or little r (or both) were sick and going to the gym was not an option. I woke up really early some mornings and got to the gym just after 5 a.m. so that I could fit in a workout and then stay home with little r or take care of something else that needed attention. I also did several of my cardio workouts at home. My most exciting addition to the workout plan though was riding my bike to post. This sure beats running on a treadmill for 30 minutes, which is something I pretty much despise. Spring is finally here and with it came warmer weather, or a few weeks ago, at least it was dry and not so frigid that some gloves and a good hat couldn't keep me warm on my ride to the gym. It has been so awesome being able to ride my bike again. YAY for spring!!!

Unfortunately I had to somewhat jump off of the food wagon. I'm still eating healthy and using Jamie Eason's plan as a guide, but when we started having to count calories and greatly reduce carbs, I was not doing well. I was starving all the time, and the scale and the tape measure were giving me absolutely no motivation to keep going. I decided that having a slice of good German rye bread with my egg whites was a-ok, and I turned off the Livestrong application on my iPhone and instead just watched that I ate things in moderation and only when I was hungry. Funny, but randomly I started losing some weight again and I had a lot more energy.

So, what are my results, you ask? Well, here we go...


At the start of week 9 I had lost a total of 5 pounds, 2 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my thigh, 2 inches from my hips (I'm starting to sense a trend here), and 1 inch from my chest (thank goodness that didn't follow the trend). I also started tracking my body fat index at the start of Week 6, and I've gone down about 1% in those three weeks.

I got a lot of crap from people for not smiling. Something about taking your own picture at the gym screams "don't smile, you are a dork!" So, I asked a friend of mine to take the picture for me this time. I'm also sporting some new workout clothes. It seemed that since I'm spending such an insane amount of time at the gym, good workout clothes probably wasn't going to be a waste.


Just to give you a visual comparison, here are my pictures from Phase 1 and 2:














Honestly, I was a little disappointed that Phase 2 didn't show the same drastic results I saw after Phase 1. My weight was all over the place, and I think it was because of the dieting. I learned one important lesson this past month and that is you should really listen to your body. If you are light-headed, really hungry, and feeling bloated at the same time, something isn't quite right. The cravings were unreal, and I felt moody and unhappy a lot of the time. With those demons, you'd expect to be shedding the pounds!

On the positive side, I feel really good now. My posture somehow feels straighter, I'm more confident, and I am definitely stronger. I rarely do my yoga practice anymore, more because my body is too physically exhausted AND because I literally have no more time. I have been able to squeeze in a yoga session about once a week, and it is unreal how much stronger I feel. Pretty amazing.

Phase 3 is probably going to kill me, but I'm hopeful that the results will be worth it. I've spent a lot of time thinking through how I'm going to stay in shape after this challenge is over. I'm glad I did it, but I will be even more happy when it's over. As much as I really enjoy having chiseled arms and flashy muscles, I miss yoga and the peace it provides me. The gym is not my happy place like it can be for so many others. I get frustrated and anxious at the gym, and spend more time being irritated at the people that don't put their equipment away or take too long on each exercise that I have a hard time relaxing. I also always feel like I'm trying to rush through my exercises and get the heck out of the gym so I can start my day. This isn't really the mindset I've been striving for.

All that said, I have enjoyed learning about myself and discovering all the different exercises you can do to strengthen your muscles. Jamie Eason uses a ton of variety. We never do the same thing more than 2 weeks in a row, and she does a creative mixture of strength training exercises to properly tone your muscles. I'm hoping to work with my friend, K, after we're finished with this craziness to see if we can recreate some exercises that won't bring us to the gym more than a couple times a week (or in my case, I'd like to do it all from home if I can!). I plan on bringing back my daily yoga practice and striving to attain some challenging poses. And running these awesome trails around my house is almost all I can think about especially on days like today when spring is singing outside.

I'll be posting final results in just a few more weeks. Until then, eat healthy and take care of yourselves. Oh, and secretly keep your fingers crossed that this insane Phase 3 magically transforms my body to look like Jamie Eason - hahahaha.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Challenge update

I started Phase 2 this week and I will soon be at the half-way mark of my 12-week challenge. One thing is for sure, Jamie Eason kicks some serious butt. The first phase wasn't that bad. I was sore, sure, but other than being a little time consuming, the workouts were very doable. Besides, there was no cardio in Phase 1, so I wasn't terribly fatigued.

Enter Phase 2 - ah, holy hell. This phase is hardcore. As my friend so eloquently put it, I really could have gone for Phase 1.5. Jamie steps it up about ten notches with this second phase and I am feeling every muscle in my body - oy!

So working out 4-5 times a week at the gym for four weeks has to bear some results, you would hope, right? I can certainly notice a difference but the changes are subtle.

I've lost only about three pounds total. However, the first phase was not about weight loss, so it's not a good gauge for progress. My friend, K, suggested I take measurements to avoid getting discouraged, and that was really great advice.

As much as I'm embarrassed to share, here is a "before picture". I forgot to take photos at the start, so this was taken a couple weeks in.



So far I've lost 1.5 inches in my waist, 2 inches in my hips, 1 inch off my thighs, and 1 inch from my chest (probably the only measurement I wish was heading in the other direction). I haven't lost any inches from my arms yet, but I can see strength and definition I did not have before. The best part is that I didn't start taking measurements until the start of week 3!

Here I am after Phase 1. Not sure you can tell the difference yet, but I notice the subtleties. (btw, it's super embarrassing to take a picture of yourself at the gym - lucky for me the gym wasn't too busy and hopefully no one noticed!)



These results are certainly motivating and it's a good thing because Phase 2 is extremely challenging and very time consuming. We are now in the gym 6 days a week and doing cardio 3-4 of those days on top of lifting weights. This workout is not for the weary - it is no joke!

Being in the gym all the time is not making me like it more or helping me feel at home there. Unfortunately I'm hating more now than I did before I started.

I've also developed a new pet peeve - people that don't put their weights away! It's always those men that stack on the 45-pounders that leave their weights, too. Something tells me I will have a newfound addiction to the gym soon though. I was already feeling it this morning when I was sensing worry about what I was going to do to stay in shape when this program is over.

One thing I truly miss is my yoga practice, and I look forward to getting back into that when my butt is kicked into gear at the end of the 12 weeks. Even if I can find time, my muscles are too fatigued to have a safe and enjoyable yoga session.

I will also enjoy running the trails around our house again. I could technically do my cardio sessions at home, but after a rough workout, it's nice to be completed when I walk in the door.

All this aside, I'm excited to be seeing results and even more psyched to see things at the finish line. My eating habits are 10-fold better, and it's rewarding to be taking such good care of myself and my family by feeding us all well.

I'll give you another update when I start Phase 3 in a few weeks. Stay tuned and thanks for all the support :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Challenges can do the body good

I'm a little over half way through Phase 1 of my 12-week fitness challenge. As much as I've enjoyed focusing on my fitness, I have been a little concerned about the amount of time needed to dedicate to this program. In fact, I have almost been frustrated with myself for committing to it because it leaves very little time for the list of projects I wanted to tackle with little r starting school. Fitness was always on the agenda, but I was looking more at a regime that allowed me to do it all from home...

I was telling all of this to Big R on our walk home from taking little r to kindergarten, and almost as if he'd had husband training on saying all the right things, he tells me that he can definitely tell a difference already. Now that's exactly what this girl needed to hear to stay focused on the goal. It IS a lot if time, but as my mom so kindly reminded me, time spent at the gym working out is NOT wasted. I also remember that one of the reasons I'm doing this now is because I may never have this kind of time again - or at least for a long time.

So, I haven't had significant weight loss yet, only a few pounds, but I am noticing changes in my body. Phase 1 is not about weight loss anyhow - it's about building muscle. Jamie Eason makes it very clear that she wants all caloric intake to go right to muscle production, which also means no cardio. I'm surprised by how much I miss running, and it's something I'm really looking forward to in Phase 2.

The challenge is also about eating well. This has been difficult for me. I'm not sure why because I have made the move toward healthy choices for me and my family awhile ago. All I can figure is that it's mental for me. More veggies also means more shopping time, and I dread shopping. Although I will say that I have been rather proud of my cart these days. When was the last time you looked at your cart and wanted to give yourself a pat on the back because it was full if nothing but produce, lean meats, and eggs - nothing processed and very little packaged. I'm finding that I'm noticing other people's carts now, too, which is something I never paid any notice to before.

This is what Jamie Eason has done to me. Here is my typical lunch:



Spinach leaves, arugula, Avacado, scallions, chopped walnuts, bulgar and lemon-olive oil dressing. Very tasty and refreshing, I might add. And the bulgar helps give it a little extra something to help it stick longer. I guess I can thank being at home for this. Making this to pack for a lunch the next day isn't impossible, but preparing it in my kitchen to eat at lunch is definitely a perk I haven't had in a long time.

Some parts of the eating plan are a little arduous. I have to eat my weight in egg whites and I cannot have hardly any dairy. But this has inspired me to be creative with my meals. The other night I was actually sick of eating salad so I created this:



Talk about tasty and it couldn't have been easier. If nothing else I have become super hyper aware of what I'm putting in my body and I think twice before eating something that doesn't resemble a vegetable.

Knowing that I need to keep this up long after the 12-week challenge is over, I'm being realistic about certain things. Instead of saying "no" to everything, I am doing things in moderation. Wine and beer only on weekends or special occasions, only a bite of desert when we are out for dinner instead of ordering my own, and things along those lines. So far it's working.

I hope to create a couple dozen healthy meals for my dinner rotation and train myself how to shop smart. I also broke down and bought one of those veggie choppers because it takes a long freaking time to cut veggies! And let's be honest, who wants to break out the food processor and clean it every day and for every meal?! (and I have to plug it into a transformer that is the size of my head - just not worth any saved effort...)

Not sure how all this will turn out come May when I have hopefully completed this challenge. I will say that it's teaching me things about myself, so even if I don't look like Jamie when all is said and done (because that is the goal, right???), I will feel like a different person from the inside out.

I promise to keep you posted on my progress.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fall is in the air and I just had the most invigorating run I've had in a long while

It's been raining all day - the kind of rain that comes down in steady sheets and makes tranquil sounds on your window.  A perfect day to curl up in sweats and a blanket and read a book while the baby naps.  I did that. Then I had this undying urge to go for a run.  Something I haven't done in a very long time.  Why I felt like running in rain that would have me soaked within the first quarter mile I would never know, but my legs were restless and the moment was drawing me out.  With a little encouragement from Big R to go for it, I pulled out my old running gear, strapped on my running shoes, and cranked up my iPod.

I took the trail we frequently use for our long Sunday walks, but the trail is so much different without a toddler hooting in your ear or an old pup stopping every couple of minutes to take in the latest smells.  The rain had stopped just as I left the house, it was a lovely 55 degrees (one of these days I'll get accustomed to using Celsius, but I don't have it down quite yet), and there was a fresh crispness to the air - absolutely perfect weather for a run.

The run started making me feel nostalgic for Vermont and happy to be living in a place where I can enjoy running again.  The hills kicked my lazy behind, but the soft trails helped motivate me to keep on going, and somehow I finished my four-mile or so run without a pause.  It helps that my music was so loud that I couldn't hear my heart beating out of my chest.  Big R was right, it is a rare experience these days that I get a nice run without little r or Rani, and as much as I adore both of them, it was an invigorating experience.

Germany might have just brought the runner back out in me afterall...