I realized I only worked out the first part of this week as I was on the road Wednesday and then swamped Thursday and then exhausted Friday. So I'm hoping today will provide for some activity within the usual household ones. (I don't stop by here and post when I do laundry, despite running up and down 2 flights of stairs, because that's just part of my everyday life.)

The earlier part of this week I continued to stay active, but not work out. So as for Wednesday I did my Leslie Sansone DVD called "Walk Strong" which alternates walkaerobics and intervals of hand weights and squats. I also did that today as well. Tomorrow I intend to go back to Pilates class.

Today was a GREAT day at the gym.

I did my one-hour Pilates class and although I didn't "breeze" through it, it's still such a natural thing for me to be doing. I absolutely love it!

Then, while warmed up and on that high, I was motivated to go through the weight machine line and did two sets (lower reps and moderately high weight)...pulled out my 10 push-ups (which are getting harder - gotta keep on that) and then did 30 minutes on the elliptical. That's the most I've done in awhile and although I'm exhausted now (partially due to it being hot and my being pregnant) I feel really accomplished and pleased with myself.

I'm baaaaack. I can't believe my last post was 6/1. That's shameful. Believe me, I've been plenty busy and active since then. But yes, the last few weeks have been more wedding and less bench press, that's for sure.hehe

Today I was back at the gym for an hour water aerobics class (great workout!) and then a run through our "express line" of weight machines. I'm definitely ready to make a habit of this!

I tried a new Pilates class today and it was quite challenging and different. The instructor is completely different and her style is decidedly unique as compared to what I'm used to...for example, she uses a ball in a lot of her exercises and doesn't concentrate on breathing to the extent that my other instructor did. But she is enthusiastic and helpful and gave me good modifications for pregnancy (the only ones I needed to adjust were tummy-related moves). I did a good bit of sweating and stretching and was very proud of myself for completing the full hour so successfully. I even did the "express line" afterwards, figuring if I get that in twice a week I'll still be ahead of the game.

How funny that my last gym entry relates to Pilates. Of course that was back when I was pregnant and now life is completely different. I am at a new gym and my workouts need to be carefully planned around babysitters. But the best part of it is that I AM exercising and have been consistently since early June. I have steadily been increasing my activity and resistance and challenging myself and I decided it was time to get my gym log updated again because my approach to working out has changed considerably. Below is a synposis of where I've been and where I am now, exercise-wise...

In the past year I've done a great deal of weight lifting, pilates, water aerobics and alternate strength training for various reasons. I've also been through a healthy pregnancy, labor and birth and been back to the chiropractor to deal with pain and numbness in my wrists. That was decidedly scary since you are SO limited without the proper use of your hands/wrists in general, let alone for working out. But I took the same approach I did years ago when my neck and back were being treated. I received treatment while simulatenously strengthening and stretching the surrounding muscles. And I'm pleased to say I've once again recovered and very grateful.

In early June my SIL was in town and wanted to attend a Zumba class. A what?? I looked it up. It's essentially a cardio class based on Latin Dance. It's Jazzercise for the 2000s I think. But it's a "fad" that has truly taken root in the fitness industry and I think will be around for a long time. And after attending one class I could see why. As a matter of fact, I loved the class so much I joined the gym and I'm so glad I did. The place is a more boutique style and I appreciate the energy there, which is in great part because of the people.

To be clear, although Zumba is cardio-based, there is a great deal of strengthening and strethcing that happens as well. So I do tend to think of it as much more than standard cardio. However, I count it simply as that and am working on strength training in addition to it.

I have managed to set up a weekly schedule that allows me to attend Zumba classes 2-3 times (depending on if we're shooting a wedding on the weekend). I attend one Pilates class and also work 1 day with a trainer (doing a Pilates-based workout since she is the instructor). Those two days are dedicated to strength training. I have worked my way up from the basic Pilates moves to more advanced with the use of resistance. I started with a 5 lb. body bar and have just moved to a 9 lb. bar. I have also changed the resistance band I use in class and when I work out with my trainer, we do moves using the foam roller and swiss ball in order to increase difficulty and resistance. In addition to the session and class I also do some extra strength work on my own (such as swiss ball squats with handweights). I have found that some extra work on my lower body rounds out my overall strength training nicely since I do a great deal of upper body work in class and with my trainer. (I also do a lot of lower body work in class too, to be sure. I just mean that in class I feel I'm sufficiently challenged with my upper body however my lower body needs a bit more.) Combined with the core strengthening of Pilates in general I think I'm covering my bases sufficiently for now.

So I'm working out 5 days a week with two days of rest (not in a row) and I think based on all the other demands of my life that is more than sufficient. I am rather active on my days off anyhow, but I do think they are very important. I am trying to challenge myself without pushing to the point of injury or exhaustion. My goal right now is to push enough to keep my body working and strengthening, but not so much that I collapse and can't handle the other demands of my life.

I don't have the time to describe all I'm doing in Pilates, but I thought this link was very informative and figured I'd share it here...

http://pilates.about.com/od/pilates...t_Exercises.htm

As I've mentioned, I also add resistance with resistance bands, body bars, swiss balls and foam rollers (the last two with trainer but not in class) and something I'd never seen until recently...a Pilates ring. I guess it's called the "magic circle"? If you clink on the "equipment" you can see what I'm talking about. Here is a direct link with a picture http://pilates.about.com/od/pilates...cCircleTerm.htm
It's an awesome addition to the workout because it really helps you focus on contracting your muscles and having a physical object like that also helps with alignment and keeping your body even.

What I love about all this is that it not only provides variety but a way to constantly increase the level of difficulty. Pilates may seem like the same moves over and over again, but it is definitely NOT a statis way to work out if you know how to mix it up. Plus I can definitely see investing in some classes with the reformer someday as well.

Tonight I did this move http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/pilates/h_pilates22.htm from a lying down position (a roll up into a "teaser" I guess) WITH a 9 lb. body bar. I didn't do it as high as it's show, but I held the "V" position strongly before rolling back down and repeating it a few times. It shocked the hell out of my trainer. Yay!

I haven't been posting here regularly, but my standard gym schedule is as follows:

Monday - rest
Tuesday - Zumba (1 hr)
Wednesday - Pilates style strength training with trainer (45m)
Thursday - Zumba (1 hr)
Friday - rest
Saturday - Zumba (1 hr)
Sunday - Pilates class (1 hr)

Unless otherwise specified, this is the schedule I'm keeping. The only times I'm going to miss these are if I have a wedding to shoot or am forced to otherwise reschedule (client meeting or other family obligation). Thankfully our August is light until the end and I only have one client meeting we were forced to do on August 12th. On the weeks I'm forced to miss a Zumba class I might consider an extra Pilates class (available on Fridays) to try to make up for it a bit.

Todays' Pilates class was challenging as always. There were some things I did brilliantly and others that were just SO difficult. It is always so humbling for me. But I'm definitely getting stronger and making progress so I try not to get frustrated. I'm actually trying to see the good in it, which is that the farther I have to go the longer the challenge of it will "last" and the more good it will do my body. If I conquered it tomorrow, then what good would that do me? I fully anticipate doing Pilates for years to come and the longevity of it is one of the things I love the most.

Rough week with gym times and classes changed up a bit. Missed out on last Thursday's Zumba class (cancelled) and ended up doing only a little bit on the elliptical (20 minutes with a few intervals). It was better than nothing and I used the extra time to get a jump on things I had to do. My life has been filled with a lot of stress and anxiety, but I know better than to think skipping the gym will actually help.

Saturday Zumba and Sunday Pilates were good, with the Pilates humbling me yet again. I'm always reminded how far I have to go in Pilates every time I attend a class. There is so much I've conquered and yet so much that makes me feel pathetic and weak. LOL But I really don't mind it. It makes me fight harder.

I was forced to miss Tuesday night's Zumba class due to a business obligation I couldn't avoid (potential client meeting and they are booking with us, so I count that as "worth it" this time). So I went to the gym earlier in the day and pushed myself hard for 40 minutes on the elliptical. I used steady state to warm up and cool down and then did a segment of intervals that were short but very hard. Instead of just "going fast" I did what the descriptions of intervals say...I pushed myself "as hard as I could go" for about 15-20 seconds. It was killer, I was sweating hard, and I feel good about the workout. And I tried to embrace it as a change of pace for my body, which is always good.

Last night I workout out with my trainer. And something happened that encouraged me SO much I was beaming the rest of the night. We had our feet on the swiss ball (feet elevated) and I did a roll-up, but instead of stopping at a certain point, I was able to roll up completely and touch my feet!!!!!!!! Something has changed. Some strength within my core has shifted. And the result is conquering a move I couldn't do before. I was elated. I was so happy I hardly realized the major feat of doing multiple teasers in a row with a 9 lb body bar...like that's no big deal? LOL

I knew I was feeling stronger, but this is proof. And it reminds me that all I'm doing to push myself is completely worth it.

I was happy to be back in my Zumba class on Saturday.

Today's Pilates class was a treat...with only 3 of us in the class we were able to use the swiss balls and we did a lot of unique and challenging exercises. I also used the 12 lb. body bar (up from the 9 lb. I was using) to add resistance on a couple of roll-ups and some leg lifts.

<blows off cobwebs and peers anxiously around>

Hello???? [the only reply is an echo]

Alrighty, then. It's been a LONG time since I posted anything here. It hasn't been that long since I worked out, but let's review, shall we?

2008 was the "Year of Ian". My son arrived in January and I was feeling decidedly bloated and beaten down as a new Mom also caring for my Mom (with dementia) and a business. By the spring I joined a new gym and started to do Zumba...a latin dance style workout that I still love to this day. It's not sissy stuff for sure and it's fun and sexy. I highly recommend it. Anyhow, I ended up doing those classes along with Pilates and lost a good bit of weight and inches.

But then the wedding season came. As a wedding photographer, I fall prey to a really rough period from September through November and often beyond - the worst of which is in the month of October. Not enough sleep, too many 12-hour wedding days, ridiculous stress and then the demands of clients leading into the holidays. For the past few years I have always stopped working out and gained weight during this time and last year was no different. I finally ended up quitting that gym (didn't really like it anyhow) and workout out a bit at home. In the meantime I went back to physical therapy for neck/arm/wrist issues. Ironically I suspect they were exacerbated by the weight gain and lack of working out. But once things get too far, working out also becomes problematic. It's a vicious cycle.

This year I struggled through and only began to change after finding a revised path of eating and approaching life ala the Primal Blueprint. With that I was inspired to "lift heavy things" "sprint once in awhile" and "move often at a slow pace". The problem is that I'm really behind on the lifting heavy things and haven't sprinted in awhile. The good news? By eating well I kept from weight gain during the hellish fall months of wedding demands.

So now what? It's November and I feel like I'm getting nowhere with exercise. I have attended a local Zumba class once in awhile. And I move at a slow pace often (and sometimes faster - I have a toddler).

But it's time to find the right resistance training and with help, I'm going to create a doable and lasting routine I can accomplish at home.

Here we go...

My new friend Matt, who has made some tremendous strides himself with a combination of LC eating and weightlifting, has offered some advice on the core moves to create a routine. The concentration is on compound exercises, bodyweight resistance, and simply moves using dumbells. Here is a quote from his post in my journal:



Thanks again, Matt! This is a great starting point.

Some more good advice from Matt:

So it would seem I'm shooting for 2-3 times a week that I do some form of resistance training. And then a couple other times a week I'll do something lightweight, with maybe one time a challenge. Sadly that challenge day would've been Zumba class, but they've been cancelled until further notice. Bummer.

I haven't quite figured out exactly how I'm going to work out, but I do know that I'm going to establish a consistency again to start.

On Monday I did a set of body-resistance-based exercises per my posts above. And today (Wednesday) I did about 25 minutes of Kathy Smith's Build Muscle Shrink Fat DVD that offers a guided workout with handweights plus a couple really short intervals. I didn't finish the 30 minutes plus cool down because I ran out of time, but I was happy just to do the workout. I feel my muscles a little more today, especially in the legs from the squats. And although I have to regain some lost strength, my form was good and my balance was really good.

It's a start...