Wonderful Wednesday

It was a lovely day at camp. Tie dye. Tae kwon do. Bundles of fun.

Then I got home and was like Ugh I have to do PLYO today UGHHHH. But I did it anyway.

This workout/eating plan is the bomb. I didn't enter my recorded weight this morning because it seems too low and I wanna wait another day to confirm that it's right. But if it is, this workout/eating plan is SERIOUSLY THE BOMB.

I just wanna snuggle in bed the rest of the day.

Plyo will do that to ya.

Here's a little chalk fitspiration. Have a great evening :)

-Ellen

Just call me the Barre Tender (Ha?)

I actually went outta my comfort zone and tried a new workout class today! YAY for embracing Workout Wednesday!

Tonight my mom and I went to a barre exercise class (Barre="bar"). I had never even heard of it before, but mom said she'd heard from her friends that it truly transforms the body and we had to try it some time.

When we got there, we entered a medium-sized room lined with mirrors and barres (like, ballet style.) We were given two 2-lb. weights, a resistance band, and a small rubber dodgeball. The class had about 30 people in it and lasted for one hour.

This class was HARD. Instead of the typical large movements they encourage you to do in zumba classes and workout videos, the barre workout consists of tiny isolations that involve lifting and squeezing only a matter of inches. There were abs and arms portions, but the main focus was on the "seat" (which I thought was a cute way to refer to it) and the thighs.

There were certainly times when I had to stop and rest my muscles, and there were definitely times when my legs were quivering a noticeable amount. Tomorrow I'll let you know how sore I am, because I'm sure that's when I'll be feeling it the most!

It's been a while since I've been to a workout class. I'm so accustomed to the privacy and comfort of my basement that it was kind of a culture shock to work out in a studio with so many people around me. I quickly realized I was the least flexible and one of the least fit people in there, which was slightly disheartening. But I was proud to finish the class in one piece, having only taken a few quick breathers. A few weeks ago I know that would've been impossible for me. Also, watching myself work out (in the mirror) was a new experience, and it was empowering to see how strong and focused I can be.

I'd give the barre workout the following ratings:

• Difficulty: 8.5/10
• Fun: 6/10
• Worth it? Yes.

Next time, Mom and I are going to zumba! We agree that it's more fun and burns almost as many calories.

Quick health update! As you can see by my ticker, I'm down 6 pounds since the start of the summer! (Well, technically 5.8, but, shh.) YAY! I don't expect to lose weight on my vacation in CA, but I'm hoping not to gain any, either! Fingers crossed. 

Have a great Wednesday!
-Ellen

 Today, for Workout Wednesday, I decided to really challenge myself by advancing to Level 3 of Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred!

It was the third and final level and, as I expected, it was killer. I probably took more 5-second breaks than acceptable, but I made it through. Most of the strength exercises in this level were plyometric (jump training) and therefore extremely difficult. However, I've tried the P90X plyo video before, and some of these moves are in the BL Cardio DVDs, so I'm sorta familiar with them and I'm not completely inept. But one minute straight of jump lunges? I'm not that fit, guys.

I have been having the most intense cravings today and it's been muy muy hard to ignore them. But so far, so good. No time to dilly dally with fatty foods (like the Arby's mozzarella sticks my brain thinks I'm in dire need of) when there's only fifty something days left before back to school!!! I just put in a countdown calendar at the bottom of this page to help motivate me to lose as much as I can before I move back in. I got this brillz idea from my friend Esha :)

Here's Josh as a penguin. He's great.

Happy Workout Wednesday, readers. Work up a sweat today and you won't regret it tomorrow!

-Ellen

Today I continued with Level 2 of the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. Holy cow is it a tough workout. Like I said, my lifestyle has become a lot more active (I am constantly moving/walking/running/playing from 9am-1pm every day) and therefore I'm working out a little less and eating a teeny bit more.


Haven't weighed in since camp started so I am a bit nervous to see if my body is adjusting correctly and if I'm still burning off enough cals every day.

I would love to get to a Zumba class one of these Wednesdays to really switch up my workout. I'll try to do that next week if my life isn't so crazy. Luckily my online classes end Monday (HALLELUJAH) and that's also Joshie's big birthday, so I'll be done gathering gifts for him :) (No hints for you, mister. You'll have to wait and see whatcha get!)


I challenge you to really push yourself this Workout Wednesday! Try a new exercise or even do an extra few jumping jacks. Small changes and moderation lead to big results over time :)

Peace out,
-Ellen

Happy Workout Wednesday. Or should I call it WERK-IT-OUT WEDNESDAY. (No?)

As I mentioned on Monday, I just started the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. I do this in conjunction with either one 10-minute segment from the BL cardio DVD or any old workout from one of my various DVDs.

I love this workout. I know that I literally said that it wasn't very hard two days ago, but I changed my mind.

I find it unique because of the emphasis on arms + legs. I'm so sick of everything being about the abs. Of course they're important, but so is the other stuff! Even though I use dinky 3-lb. weights (Shut up, I'm a beginner) I definitely feel my arms working really really hard. And she keeps saying in the video "Working your arms isn't enough. You have to combine arm and leg exercises in order to burn max calories." So so helpful. Hopefully, so true.

Today, I combined it with a new BL DVD featuring Bob Harper. I can't remember what it's called. Sorry. But it kiiiillllleeeedddd me. I did the level 2 part right after the 30-Day Shred and my arms and thighs were definitely quivering by the end.

Health Updates: I am disappointed in my number on the scale, you guys. I've been told time and time again not to worry about that number, but how can I not? It's the primary way to measure weight loss. I didn't weigh myself for a few days because I knew that I wasn't going to like what I saw. But during those 2-3 days, I worked extra hard and did extra cardio and everything, and then I get this stupid number on the scale. It's the EXACT same one I've been seeing, but with an added .2 lbs. (Yeah I know it's .2, and it could be water weight or something, but, COME ON.) Gotta keep going.

-Ellen :)

 
THIS! I love it! This right here! Click!

This is, like, salvation. It's a 50-minute walking interval workout.

Walking, you may think, scoffing. Walking isn't real exercise. Walking is for losers who can't run, you may say, adjusting your monocle and sipping your Earl Grey tea. (Apparently you're a British villain who hates walking. I don't even know.)

Um, anyway. I was talking to my group text this morning about how I get up some mornings and I go down to the basement, prepared to work out and just think: I HATE this. I hate exercise. And my friend Esha said You don't have to hate exercise! Do something you like! And I thought, what do I like to do that involves moving. What about moving slowly? Like, eh, walking? I mean, I don't mind just taking a stroll. Especially compared with running, which I despise. So I saw this article with a workout that claimed to burn 400 calories in 50 minutes. And all you have to do is WALK. (Yeah!!!!)

So I did it, and it was totally fine! I just listened to some music and walked for 50 minutes. I had to adjust it because my treadmill doesn't even have a 15% incline, and the 10% makes my calves scream in pain. So I switched between 4% and 7%. Still burned 375 calories. Not bad! Then I did my usual abs+arms stuff. I highly recommend this workout if you hate running/exercise! It's like the non-exercise-exercise :) However, if you're like me, note that you will be jogging at 4mph, not really walking. For some reason it hurts my calves extremely badly if I speed walk that fast, so I jog. And the article says "If you don't want to get your heart rate up" & "If you don't want to be sweaty'' Um, wrong. Both happened to me. But for me, that's a good thing :)

Health Update: Okay, so, if you've been reading this little blog of mine (I'm gunna let it shine) you'll know that I have had some issues with protein intake and that I've experimented with protein shakes and yada yada. And after I gained back a pound, I decided to seriously rethink my eating plan. I've basically been going off of the philosophy It doesn't matter so much what you eat, as long as you take in fewer calories than you burn. This philosophy may work for some people, but I know that every metabolism is different, so I've really gotta try something new.

So, today I'm going to the store and getting a ton of meat. Turkey, chicken, salmon. And also some vegetables. Broccoli, salad stuff, cucs. And also some almond milk. Because I'm going to try very hard to go on a limited-carb-and-dairy diet. YES. I'm going to try to go without my two favorite types of food. AAHHHHHH. I don't want to. And clearly this is not going to be a permanent change. But I need a new strategy for weight loss. And I know that eating lots of carbs is bad for you, even if they come from fruit, dairy, and whole grains. Because carbs stick to your body and protein doesn't.

Here's the thing. I've been working out every day, and I've been limiting my calorie intake. That isn't working. And I'm desperate here, people. I was talking yesterday about the Right Size diet with the two meal replacement smoothies. How stupid. (I did it yesterday by the way.) That stuff has more carbs than protein. It's also packed with sugar. I read articles saying it's just a dumb scam. The only plus is that it forces you to eat way fewer calories in a day (which, like I said, isn't even a good strategy for me.) I'm not going to avoid carbs completely! Here are some good carbs:

 Leave me a comment if you have any experiences/opinions about the low carb/dairy diet! Also, I'd love recommendations for proteiny foods to try. Like, does anyone know of a non-meat/eggs-food that has more protein than carbs? PLEASE clue me in if you do.

-Ellen

Workout Wednesday: Intervals?!

So uh, I know it's Workout Wednesday and I'm supposed to be all jazzed about this cool new workout I tried. Not really the case.

I saw this interval workout for the treadmill and I was like: Eh, I'm not the best runner and I hate the treadmill, but this looks like a cool way to mix it up. It only makes you sprint for 15 seconds and then you get a break! Seems doable!

No.

It's not doable. (For me.)

I mean, maybe it is. I'm sure I could do it if I reeeeallly wanted to. But it sucks. Call me crazy, but I kind of want a workout that doesn't make me feel suicidal because of how horribly un-fun it is. Yeah, working out isn't always fun and sunshine and daisies, but I think there's a happy medium between that and the fiery cardio underworld...

So um, I did it for the first seven minutes and then decided to go back to my good old Biggest Loser DVD :) And if you're thinking Ah geez--Ellen is such a baby for using that lame cardio video, well, I say: IT'S NOT LAME! It is inspiring and kinda fun, but still burns about 300 calories in 30 minutes. (Good enough for me, yo.)

But hey! The person who wrote the interval workout blog said she found it fun. So maybe I'm a nutcase. Try it out and leave me a comment telling me whether you love it or hate it! :)

Diet-wise, I'm still workin' on the whole protein thing. I had a black bean/feta omelet as a snack this afternoon and it was mighty good. But eggs are high in cholesterol...and black beans only have like 1 gram of protein unless you eat a full cup...and....and...ugh I hate worrying about protein. Contemplating trying the powder stuff,
but something about that just seems unnatural to me. If worst comes to worst I'll give it a shot. I really just need to eat more meat :/ Ick.

Okay, well have a terrific Wednesday! Squeeze in a workout and you'll feel a little bit better than you do right now :)

-Ellen

Workout Wednesday: Bob & Jillian

Yeah. That's what I looked like after starting my new cardio program yesterday. (Attractive.)

Josh got me this DVD and some other awesome workout stuff, so I decided to try it out! I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to mix up their cardio workouts! It comes with three different levels to try. The first is 20 minutes and the other two are 10 minutes each. I did the first two (30 minutes total) and was totally wiped! Both were a full body cardio workout and included jumproping, lunges, weights, high-knees, and all kinds of other crazy stuff. Plus, it's kind of fun (at least for dorks like me) to pretend like the real Bob Harper & Jillian Michaels are training you. In my opinion, ANYTHING is better than running on the treadmill. So it was fun to try a new cardio program that gave me a great, calorie-crushing workout, yet didn't make me hate my life. And some of the past Biggest Loser contestants are  in the video, which, to me, is very motivational. If they can do it, so can I!

In other news, I tried quinoa today. Weird stuff. It doesn't taste like anything. I added some sauteed asparagus and mushrooms, plus a dash of soy sauce, and it wasn't half bad. Will I ever truly enjoy health food...? We'll see.

Have a wonderful Wednesday :)
-Ellen