Heading out of town for a week.. will have to stay motivated on my own.  Lots of long walks under the palm trees.  Not the same as team training at FFY, but I will make the best of it!!

Thanks, Lisa!

Another reason I love the Team Challenge...motivation! I would have never pushed myself to run the 5 mile morning challenge with Lisa but I did it! woo hooo! And I have the blisters to prove it! I will miss the training sessions with Aya and Lisa!

Spring Fever Randomness

It's official, I've been diagnosed with spring fever.  I know, it's very sad.  But, cheer up the days are getting longer and when I get up for my 6am workout with Kristen, it's actually light out!  Hooray for sunshine!!  I can't even tell you how hard it is to get up at the crack of dawn in the cold darkness, and drag yourself to the gym.  It's amazing though, afterwards I'm glad I did because I always feel like a million bucks. 

Thankfully now when I get home from work, it's still light out!  You know what this means...soon enough we'll be able to exercise outside.  I love trail walking, doing yard work, walking/jogging with my dogs, playing softball, and just plain being outside.  Chin up, spring is around the corner.  And with all our hard work these past few weeks we can embrace bikini season! Bring it on, I'm not scared.

Miracles can happen!

Thanks Team Training - if it wasn't for the glory of points and not wanting to disappoint my team, this girl who LOVES to sleep and NEVER sees the 5 o'clock hour, would NEVER have gotten my sorry *ss to the gym in the wee hours of the morning (at least that's what it is to me)...let alone run FIVE miles - a first for me! THANKS! and the other bonus was that I went shopping for a new pair of jeans yesterday and dropped down a size - yahoo!

Thanks to the bonus class this week, I now know.... I can run 5 miles without stopping. Thanks Lisa!

Yes 5:30 comes to early in the morning for me...sorry MG6 just couldn't getting up that early to go workout! I think the only thing that could get me up that early would be house fire or something like that! However I will make the 4 classes this week for 10 pts. Good job to those of you who made it to bonus class this week!

Wow, 5:30am sure comes awfully early, but Team Silver Xtreme  got there today for Lisa's bonus challenge class and did their best.  Yay us!
Last night's health workshop was really very informative.  I am glad I went.
Great to have my teammate back in action this week!

MEAN GIRLS WK 5

Okay we had a couple of incidences. One really MeanGirl fell off the Bosu with 20 lbs of weight in hand. So who ratted me out? The story is now "an accident". I almost fell over again with that one. Another fall when hurricane Kristin stormed in. Okay MeanGirls. We are trailing 2nd place. Let's kick it in gear girls.........

Bin28

Just made reservations for Wine Bar Bin28 tonight.......and I'm not going with the Shirley Temple's option. Guess that counts me out of the no alcohol bonus points this week. Hmmm. Drinking = minus 10 points. Blogging that I'm drinking = 10 points. okay, I'm breaking even on the deal. Martini's it is! Well needed after "Hurricane" Hotter knocked me off the ab ball at team training last night. Mean girl.

Team Training Standings

What... No WINE????  But it is book club week.. at my house no less.  Whine, whine, whine.
Meanies.......
:-)

Not a good week

Got a new puppy and all is upside down. Will get back to it all ASAP!

Sugar is the Devil

It was a weekend of temptation....organic oreo cookie ice cream from Whole Foods, Valentine's Day cupcakes at my sister's house, and I said NO NO NO!!! It's just not worth the calories when you realize how hard it is to burn it off. Thanks for keeping me on track MG6!!

Running in the land of enchantment

I was worried that a quick trip home (read: eating my mom's homemade chicken and cheese enchiladas and my sister's made-from-scratch hot fudge) would derail my progress...but with the two hour difference in my jet-lag I was able to get two nice outdoor workouts in - breating in the wonderful scents of the southwest. So now I'm back well-fed but also happily a little sore and ready to hit it with Lisa and Angela this week. Wondering if I will be able to wake up for the bonus work out this week - that will be the true test for this sleeplover!

The Accountability Factor with Team Training

I had to be in San Diego for a conference this weekend and due to weather related delays (and some bad luck at the airport) it took 16 hrs to get from Boston to San Diego for this 2 day trip. Normally this would have been a perfectexcuse to skip my workouts. However, due to thoughts of earning points for my team (MeanGirls6) and my newly rejuvenated commitment to fitness, I made it to the gym in San Diego both Sat and Sun am before the conference. I have found the accountability of Team Training to be an enormous motivating factor. Thanks Girls!
Theresa

Love FFY classes

I love the FFY classes-especially Sunday's yoga and Roque's Body Pump. After training ends I hope to try out some others with my schedule at the gym being more flexible. I have a good website to pass along:

sparkpeople.com

Recipes, workout plans and videos to motivate you to get active!

Foods That Fight Fat
Avocado and tomatoes pack a powerful health punch.
Not only do healthy fats in avocado help thwart belly bloat, they also help our bodies better absorb carotenoids, cancer-fighting compounds found in colorful fruits and veggies like tomatoes, carrots, spinach and winter squash. In fact, people who ate salads with avocado had 15 times higher absorption of carotenoids, a study from The Ohio State University at Columbus found.

Try this juicy burger recipe, which comes all dressed up with superfoods.
Turkey BurgerCook a 4-oz turkey burger in a pan coated with cooking spray until done, 8 minutes (turn once). Place on a whole-wheat bun; top with 1/2 tomato, sliced; 1/2 avocado, sliced; lettuce. Serve with 1 cup cubed papaya.

LIKEA MG6!!

Not sure why my previous post didn't show up but...with the pressure of girl scout cookies and Valentine's Day candy just remember: A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!
Loving my workouts with Lisa and teammate Aya!

MeanGirls6

Skiing this week was even easier as we complete week 3 of team training. It is amazing the difference in a few short weeks for strength and endurance. Thanks to our MeanGirl leader Kristen. We had a new recruit working out with us this week. Our very own adorable chocolate lab Vino. He quietly crawled under one of the MeanGirls while she was in her bridge and he planted himself under her to make sure she kept up the bridge. He also did a few exercises with several of us. Since we are down one member we decided to let in one "boy" into our MeanGirl team. MeanGirl team has improved in weekly points. Let's try for another increase this coming week.

Disney Bound

"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!"

Off to Disney the end of this week with my son. I am hoping I can find some good to eat there, i.e. healthy options. There is a gym there just have to figure out what to do with my son while I go to the gym. Walking will help a lot. I am just hoping my son and Disney do not stress me into an eating binge! One more hard work out with Dean before Disney bound.

Despite Valentine's Day still feeling fit thanks to Charlene and Lisa!

So I thought I posted this last night but alas it must not have "stuck" - anyway, enjoyed a yummy early Valentine's Day dinner (now last night) with my honey and was so happy to have made it to Charlene's bonus class - lots of fun! And despite the extra-yummies due to the holiday (and did I mention that my Girl Scout cookie order arrived? my total downfall!), I am still feeling like I am making steady progress thanks to Lisa's training. Now I just have to stop myself from eating the WHOLE sleeve of Thin Mints :)

Rumba

Hi fitness friends,
I highly recommend trying a Rumba class for a great work out. Fun way to work up a sweat! You should go even just for the funky music. No dance skills, no problem. The class was forgiving on gracefullness. It was a hoot just to attempt moving my hips in unconventional hoola hoop gyrations. Ok for those with their minds in the gutter.....let's keep this about Rumba. Have fun!

Don't forget about jump rope

I know, I keep posting about cardio exercises.  I can't help it, I need all the inspiration and new ideas to get motivated, so I figured you do too.  I love jumping rope as a cardio exercise, and over time you'll be surprised at how long you can do it.  I like to do 100 jumps at a time, which can take 1-2 minutes.  If you have a short rest in between sets, you can do this for 10, 15, 20 minutes, and really get your heart rate up and your leg muscles burning.  You can really mix it up and vary your jumps; side to side, front to back, knees up, double dutch, heel taps, etc.  Couple this with some time on a machine and your cardio workout just became more diversified and interesting.     

Mean Girls 6 Team Training

After falling down a flight of icy stairs last Sunday I was out of commission last week and need to make up some serious points. I was a little sore but had great workouts this week. I was at the gym at 6:30 this morning getting my cardio in, (Hodder you looked shocked), and I'll be there tomorrow morning too! Love feeling so motivated and pushed by my team members. Let's go Mean Girls 6!
Renee

Quote

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."
- unknown

Don't you love this quote! Go Fab Five!

Hmmm.......   Are we going to get weighed in again?  If I read the e-mail correctly, the scale at FFY is off?  Wonder if my scale at home is off a little then too?!  Seems to have moved in the wrong direction.  Oops.  However, I am feeling good about exercising, and know the next 4 or 5 weeks will be even better! I got a kick out of the note regarding those that tried classes "out of their comfort zone" on Sunday.  That was me for sure!  Zumba might not quite be my thing, but was fun to give it a try, and what the heck, I probably provided a chuckle or two for others in the class.
Good luck to all the teams this week.  Have fun and stay strong!

MeanGirls6

Let's go team we need more points!! On Wed. let's make sure all of us are blogging!! Easy 5 pts per person and no hard work involved!!!!

Mission TrimPossible Team Pushes On!

I was excited today to hear we weren't going to spend time running on the treadmill for cardio, until I discovered the difficulty level of climbing hills for 15 minutes! Then turning the treadmill "off" and using our own body weight and force to move the track! What a calorie burn! Try it - You'll like it????

Team Training MeanGirls6

Team training helped me to do six of seven classes on Super Bowl Sunday. Look forward to skiing the next couple weekends; legs should be prepared. Don't forget to eat healthy with the team training plan to drop weight and body fat. I highly recommend the new book High School Reunion Diet Book by Dr. David Colbert. It's simple but effective if followed. You will have a completely new look but it does take discipline not unlike working out so you can all do it! MeanGirls6

I feel super after super sunday!

Thanks Fitness for You for a fabulous day of fun! I really enjoyed all four of my classes and am feeling freakin' fantastic! Team Training keeps me on task (I never would have dragged myself to the gym last week) and the competitive spirit helps motivate me to exercise a little more and eat a little less of the delectable treats that are always calling my name (because I'm more than happy to plop down on my couch and drink wine and eat chocolate after a long day). Anyway, can't believe we're about to start week 4 - is that possible??? Hope everyone has a great week. -Aya

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Two New Years ago my family tried to eliminate most processed food as a news year resolution. It has been really hard but his food rules have really helped us.

Rule #3

Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.

Rule #4

Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup.

Super Sunday!

Love the new classes, BodyPump, Step and Combat! All three really good! Enjoyed taking the classes this morning made up for missed classes last week. Burned 1235 calories today!

2/5/11

Two great team workouts this week.  Having both a fun teammate partner,  and enthusiastic coach,  makes it that much better! I love being challenged and pushed in ways that I do not do on my own. Tough week though with the storms... just did not get in to the gym as much as I would have liked to.  Next week I will make up for it.    Go Team Silver Xtreme!

A new cardio idea

Last week I blogged about keeping my cardio workouts interesting by switching up the machine.  Today's blog is about a new idea to keep cardio interesting and intense!  This morning I ran on the treadmill while holding a 4 pound medicine ball.  It did make the workout a little harder, but what I liked best about it was it took my mind off the cardio workout itself and onto how many different ways could I hold this ball?  As you can imagine, it gets heavy in any given position so I kept finding new ways to hold it.  I put it over my  head, in one arm on either hip, in front of me, or I got fancy with it and passed it between my hands and around my waist.  It honestly made the time fly by and afterwards I felt a great sense of accomplishment.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Eat Clean Diet

Have you heard of Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet?  She is a fitness professional with a great story.  I found her book after the Christmas holidays a few years ago when I was feeling very sluggish.  Her written motivation coupled with fantastic, healthy recipes jumpstarted a healthier me.  I made a few recipes a week and the pounds started coming off.  What I like best about it, is that it isn't a fad diet.  It is a healthy eating, lifestyle change for the best!  You should try it!  http://www.toscareno.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=572&Itemid=108