Skipping a day...sort of... - Carla

I am skipping a day with respect to the sit ups/push ups/dips challenge, but I definitely didn't skip exercise today! After work I went to the gym and did Zumba (with Ellen) then I did 4.5 miles on the treadmill. I had to stop to get gas on the way home which took FOREVER because EVERYONE NEEDED GAS TONIGHT! By the time I got home and ate dinner it was after 8:00. I rested with the boys for a bit, then decided that the challenge would have to wait another day. I don't feel too bad taking a day off because I know I'll get myself back on track tomorrow - and I'll have all weekend battened down at home with the hurricane to keep myself on it! Also, with the changes to the way I'm doing things (sit ups and dips one day and push ups the next day) I think my days are going to be off anyway, so missing one day isn't that big of a deal!

Maria - Where are you??? I thought you were going to get started again this week???

Exhaustion test for Push ups - Carla

I was only able to complete 40 push ups last night and went to bed feeling pretty crappy as I thought I was going to have to do Week 4 over again. However, after looking at it this morning I see that with that number of push ups I can move on to Week 5! Yippee!!!!

Exhaustion test for Dips and Sit ups - Carla

I went to the gym this evening for a late-night run on the treadmill. Tonight I did speed intervals – 5 minute warm up, then 10 sets of 2 minutes hard running and 1 minute easy running, then 5 minute cool down. I would have liked the mileage to be more than it was but I feel like I’m running slower and slower every day!!!

Tonight was time for the exhaustion test for sit ups and dips. Here’s how it went:

Sit ups	100	Week 6, Column 2
Dips	60	Week 6, Column 1

Not really impressed, particularly with the dips. I may have to modify my overall goal for the end of this!

Tomorrow night is the exhaustion test for push ups - can't wait to see how that goes! ;P

Push ups Week 4, Day 3 - Carla

I did Day 3 of Week 4 today, but I'm too tired to write it up...I'll post the details tomorrow...

I went to BodyFlow tonight even though my back was sore all day today. I got to the room right at 6:30 and class was already started! Much later in the evening I completed my push up sets. Felt pretty good, but I wasn’t able to do the “at least” number for the max set…they wanted at least 40 and I wasn’t able to do that!

Push ups (29, 33, 29, 29, Max)

Max set: 30

Dips/Sit ups Week 5, Day 3 - Carla

Late night sets again…and no run or Zumba this morning! (But I did make it to BodyFlow.) I’m not doing very well with this running schedule which does not bode well for the two races I have coming up!

Not much to say about the sets tonight as everything felt pretty good! Here’s how it went down:

Dips (23, 23, 26, 26, 22, 22, 26, Max) and Sit ups (30, 30, 36, 36, 30, 30, 40, Max)

Max sets: Dips – 60 and Sit ups – 80.

Push ups Week 4, Day 2 - Carla

NOTE: Although this is technically being posted on Sunday morning, the set was completed on Saturday night...but just barely!

Apparently my new thing for the push up sets is doing them late at night…almost 11:30 tonight! The boys are spending the night with their cousins tonight so the hubby and I decided we were going to work on purging some toys from the collection. However, after a pleasant dinner at Chick Fil A we decided to go to Kohl’s and Walmart prior to heading home…which led to a later evening than we had planned! Oh well…the toy purge will have to wait for another day! Also, I didn't make it to the gym this morning and I didn't get a run in today. I MUST do better in the coming weeks!

Here’s what happened tonight!

Push ups (25, 29, 25, 25, Max)

Max set: 36

I felt pretty good after the first set – it seemed to be the worst one! Even the final, longer set didn’t seem as bad as the first one! Good progress, if I do say so myself! J

Dips/Sit ups Week 5, Day 2 - Carla

Good night tonight!!! I made it to Zumba (with Ellen, not Bev) then I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and came home to do my dips/sit ups challenge. The boys wanted to do them with me which was very cute, but their counting threw off my counts – I may have actually done more than I needed to do!!! But I feel great and am ready for the rest of the weekend to be as active as it started!

Here’s what happened with the sets:

Dips (23, 23, 26, 26, 18, 18, 20, Max) and Sit ups (30, 30, 36, 36, 27, 27, 33, Max)

Max sets: Dips – 78 and Sit ups – 55.

Push ups Week 4, Day 1 - Carla

I almost forgot to do my push ups tonight – it was almost 11:00 before I really thought about doing it. It was a tough set tonight...I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through each of the sets and was SUPER glad to be done with the last push up tonight! Also, I didn’t run tonight like I had planned to, but I did go for a walk around the block (about 1 mile) with my youngest tonight. Not exactly a 4.5 mile run, but at least it was something, right? Hopefully I’ll have a good, exercise-filled weekend – there are many classes for me to choose from and I need to get at least two runs in over the three days. Wish me luck!

Here's tonight's breakdown:

Push ups (21, 25, 21, 21, Max)

Max set: 32

Dips/Sit ups Week 5, Day 1 - Carla

I didn’t want to do my challenge tonight. After work I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the treadmill – 30 VERY HOT AND SWEATY MINUTES…I was red and pretty drenched by the end of it! And yet I persevered and stayed for BodyFlow as I am such a glutton for punishment. It was completely worth it though – by the end of class I was feeling great! Once I got home (after picking up Salsarita’s for dinner) I snuggled on the couch with both boys and all three of us promptly fell asleep! I woke up just before 10:00 and contemplated skipping today and starting the circuits tomorrow, but since I told Maria today that I was going to do it tonight I decided to get off my tushy! Everything felt pretty good especially considering the length of time I took off! I’m back and ready to keep going but I may need some prompting/reminders/nagging to help me along! J

Here's how it went down tonight:

Sets - Dips (36, 45, 32, 28, Max) and Sit ups (54, 60, 45, 36, Max)

Max sets: Dips – 48 and Sit ups – 65.

Not too bad, if I do say so myself! :)

I'm back!!!! Exhaustion Test and Restart of Challenge - Carla

I don’t even want to talk about what has happened over the past three weeks. I have been a VERY BAD GIRL!!!! I don’t have much excuse for the 27^th of July…I should have done Day 2 of Week 5 that day but I didn’t. My family left for a 17-day trip to Canada on the 29^th of July which threw all my workouts out the window! I had good intentions of continuing with my circuits, but I had several great “excuses” for not doing them…I had gotten behind by not doing it on the 27^th, I was travelling all day on the 29^th, I didn’t want to miss out on any fun activities…GREAT excuses, eh??? Anyway, over the 17 days I was away I managed to squeeze in 5 measly little workout sessions. On the other hand, I spent a LOT of time walking up and down the hills at camp and walking around at the different tourist venues we attended while away. And even with eating everything under the sun (and not the healthy stuff, either!) I managed to only gain 5 pounds while away. That’s with several McFlurry’s (with Smarties!!!) and LOTS of desserts and no measured food. Not bad, if I do say so myself! J

All that being said, my plan is to get back on track now. I have 5 weeks and 5 days until my next half marathon, which means not only am I going to get the circuits going again but that I need to kick it back up with the running as well. We got home Sunday evening and I went to BodyFlow last night which was a good start. I saw Maria at work yesterday and we talked about how long the circuits are getting to be with 8 sets of 3 different activities. I think instead of doing all three exercises on one day I am going to stagger them – maybe do dips and crunches Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday and push ups Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. I did an exhaustion test at lunch to determine where I need to pick back up again with the following results:

Push ups	23	Week 4, Column 3
Sit ups	70	Week 5, Column 3
Dips	50	Week 5, Column 2

With these results, I will be starting on Week 4 column 3 for push ups, Week 5 column 3 for sit ups, and Week 5 column 2 for dips. I will be starting tomorrow with dips and sit ups.

I had a great time up in Canada - it was a WONDERFUL vacation - but I am glad to be home so I can get back into a normal schedule with respect to workouts, food, sleep, and everything else.

Week 5, Day 1 - Carla

I actually did the circuit last night but snuggling with the boys beat out posting it when we got home from VBS so I'm posting it today instead!

Okay, so I am a little bit behind again as I forgot to do my circuit the other day. But I’m back to it and ready to go! I went to the gym tonight to do BodyFlow, however classes were cancelled due to the weather. After doing 10 illegal flip-flop minutes of walking on the treadmill with one of my classmates I headed back over to church where the boys were doing VBS and did my circuit with my brother in the hallway. My brother hung in there and was able to complete most of the sets (minus one) even though this is the first time he’s done my circuit – nice job, bro!

My sets were as follows: Push ups (17, 19, 15, 15, Max), Sit ups (54, 60, 35, 36, Max), Dips (36, 45, 32, 28, Max). My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 21, Sit ups – 90 (because I had to keep up with my brother!), and Dips – 50. The circuit went well (it was nice having someone else work with me) and I felt great at the end of it!

Exhaustion Test, Week 4 - Carla

It's time for another exhaustion test! I am a little bit off with my days as I missed a day in there, but I'm keeping on track as best I can! I did my exhaustion test tonight. I actually did the push ups twice because I thought I could do more than I did the first time. Here is how I did:

Push ups - 24 then 30

Sit ups - 90

Dips - 50

I feel pretty good about how far I've progressed. I know I still have some work to go to meet the full goal, but I'm on my way there! :)

Week 4, Day 3 - Carla

I went to BodyFlow last night and planned on doing my circuit after I got home from the church softball game, however I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be getting home until well after 11:30 pm. Given the late time I got home, I decided to modify my week to do my circuit on Tuesday instead of Monday which is going to make it so I have to modify my days from here on out. Not a problem…I can be flexible!

Today is my oldest son’s 8^th birthday so we are on for some yummy yet not quite nutritious food today (and Saturday, too, as that is when his birthday party is). He is currently doing a four day soccer program being held at a local church, so off we went this morning. Instead of holding off on my circuit, I decided to do it while I was sitting with my youngest at the playground equipment. I’m sure some of the other people around were wondering what I was doing, but I didn’t care – the circuit must be done!!!!

My sets for today were as follows: Push ups (16, 18, 13, 13, Max), Sit ups (45, 50, 45, 45, Max), Dips (30, 36, 30, 30, Max). My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 21, Sit ups – 65, and Dips – 45. The circuit felt good today even though it was warm and humid out. I had a decent sweat going on, which was made worse by a 5-year-old hugging on me! (I wouldn’t trade that for the world, though!)

Week 4, Day 2 - Carla

Okay, so I forgot to do my circuit yesterday. (Thank you, Maria, for not bugging me about that!) Rob and I went to see the last Harry Potter movie at midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning which made for a tired day yesterday. Then after work (and my youngest son’s last day at daycare) we attended the School Readiness Fair to get my youngest ready for the thought of school. We got home late and started watching the first Harry Potter movie as that was what my oldest wanted to watch. Long story short, I ended up falling asleep while watching the movie and completely forgot about doing my circuit. So I did it today instead.

My oldest son and I went for a short walk this afternoon before church. When we got home from church we ordered pizza from Papa John's which was going to arrive in 45 minutes. It was perfect weather for a run, so I laced up and went out for a 35-minute run! Felt pretty good, even if I was a little slow! :)

My sets for today were as follows: Push ups (14, 16, 12, 12, Max), Sit ups (38, 45, 38, 38, Max), Dips (26, 32, 26, 26, Max). My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 20, Sit ups – 58, and Dips – 40.

Week 4, Day 1 - Carla

I split my circuit up today. I headed over to the gym around 5:30 with the boys so I could get a run in on the treadmill before I did my circuit and went to BodyFlow. By the time we got out of the house and I got the boys settled into the Kid Zone at the gym I knew I wasn’t going to have time to do everything I wanted. I knew I NEEDED to run on the treadmill as I have been VERY bad about getting my runs in so that was my first stop. I barely made it through my half hour…I need to get working if I’m going to keep up with my friend at camp in a few weeks! I had time to do my push ups and sit ups before BodyFlow, so I went ahead and did them. After BodyFlow I went home for dinner and some snuggles with the boys before finishing up with my dips. Long story short, it all got done eventually!

Here are my sets for Week 4, Day 1: Push ups (12, 14, 11, 10, Max), Sit ups (32, 38, 32, 32, Max), Dips (23, 28, 20, 20, Max). My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 17, Sit ups – 50, and Dips – 34.

Week 3, Day 3 - Carla

Although I’m not posting my results until late today, I actually did complete my circuit last night before bed. My son, B, decided he wanted to do it with me…although he was distracted during Sets 1 and 2 and only completed Set 3 with me before giving up! Do they have a challenge like this designed for kids who can’t stay focused long enough and get tired quickly???

I am enjoying this process, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get to the goal number of each activity by the end of six weeks. We’ll just have to follow this through to see, won’t we? J

Week 3, Day 3 sets: Push ups (11, 13, 9, 9, Max), Sit ups – 33, 42, 30, 30, Max), Dips (21, 27, 19, 19, Max).

My circuit took 21 minutes to complete. My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 14, Sit ups – 50, and Dips – 28.

By the way...the end of Fitness Weekend was a bust! I didn't make it to the gym on Sunday morning then spent the day at my parents sitting around the pool drinking wine and floating around - not active at all! Oh well - the rest of the weekend went well, at least! :)

Week 3, Day 2 - Carla and Fitness Weekend, Part Two

I didn’t make it out for a run this morning, but I did go to Kickboxing at the gym. Great workout this morning – I was DRENCHED by the time I left! I thought about doing my circuit right after while at the gym, but I wasn’t really feeling it because we always do some core work at the end of the Kickboxing class. Instead of doing my circuits I drove home and had a small slice of the zucchini spice bread we made last night to get me going again!

Week 3, Day 2 sets: Push ups (10, 12, 8, 8, Max), Sit ups (30, 38, 23, 23, Max), Dips (18, 24, 18, 18, Max).

My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 13, Sit ups – 42, and Dips – 26.

I feel like I’m making some good progress in all three areas! I know my arms are feeling it!

Fitness Weekend, Part One

Keeping fit over the weekend is the best thing you can do, right??? So today/tonight started the weekend of fitness for me. At lunch I went for a 30 minute "run" (which was about 2/3 running and 1/3 walking as I haven't been doing much running lately) then tonight I went to Zumba where I saw Maria! Great class with an awesome teacher...my body wasn't able to move the way it was supposed to, but I had a good time anyway! Hopefully I'll be able to get another run in tomorrow morning before Kickboxing class and my circuit! We'll see how it goes!

Week 3, Day 1 - Carla

Okay, so I fell asleep with B in his bed last night and didn’t get a chance to do my first day of Week 3 yesterday. Guess this week is off a little bit already, eh??? (Thank you, Maria, for not yelling at me yet!)

Here are my sets for Week 3, Day 1: Push ups (10, 12, 7, 7, Max), Sit ups (21, 27, 21, 21, Max), Dips (15, 22, 17, 17, Max).

I felt strong as I started, which is always a good sign. Tonight’s circuit was hard work but it felt great. My max sets were as follows: Push ups – 12, Sit ups – 35, and Dips – 25.

I did BodyFlow last night (the new release) and my legs are feeling it today! Hopefully I’ll have a workout-filled weekend (Zumba, Kickboxing, BodyFlow, running, circuits) to keep me on track! Also, I signed up for a 10K in Ontario for when I am up there later this summer – can’t wait for that!

Exhaustion Test, Week 2 - Carla

Tonight it was time to do my second exhaustion test to determine what my circuits are going to look like for the next two weeks. I was a little nervous about doing this, so I put it off until just a few minutes ago. Here are my test results:

Push ups - 20!!!!!

Sit ups - 50

Dips - 30

Squats - too many to count (I think I was bored [and distracted by children] when I did my first test for the squats. I can basically do 200, so I'm dropping this from my circuit.)

I've worked out my circuits for the next two weeks and I'm a little scared...there are A LOT of push ups in there! But I know I'll do my best with it and try to keep up with the program! Two weeks down, hopefully only four more weeks to go! :)