January Fitness Challenge

Sometime after Christmas, I stepped on the scale and was utterly shocked.  The number was just 5 pounds shy of the highest number I ever saw when I was pregnant with my first child.  And I’m NOT pregnant.  Something had to be done, and quickly!  My late night snacking habit and lack of exercise had to change, and immediately!

It wasn’t too long before a friend of mine posted this little calendar on her FB profile and simply said, “Who’s in with me?”  I immediately responded and said “I’m in!”

I started with Day 1 and worked my way through this calendar.  I also joined My Fitness Pal, and started tracking my calories and exercise diligently each day.  Boy, were my eyes OPENED!!  I was consuming 1000s of calories on junk food alone, and with no exercise to offset all the late night snacks, it was clear why the number on the scale had shocked me.

I set some goals, and I’m happy to say that since around January 7th, so just about a month ago, I’ve officially lost very close to 10 lbs.  My goal is 15 more lbs, a number I think I can reach, but more importantly, I just want to feel great, energetic, and I want to know that what I’m putting in my body, is serving a purpose in giving me nourishment and keeping my immune system alive and strong.  The best defense to disease is prevention, and with medical costs getting so high these days, the best defense for your pocket book is not to have to go to the doctor!

Besides doing the Fab Abs, I also did squats each day, adding 5 per day throughout the month of January, and finishing with 150 by the end of the month.  My current goal is to maintain Day 31 of Fab Abs, do my 150 squats, and jump on my mini tramp 20-40 minutes per day.  There is still room for improvement as I am doing girl push-ups, and I can only successfully do 2 minutes on the plank without cheating.  I’d like to be able to do “real” push ups, and hold a solid 2:30 plank before the year is up.

I have also been working on some flexibility, and occasionally I’ll do a Jillian Michaels DVD, if I really want to punish this body of mine!  I have a long way to go before I’ll feel fit, like the way I was during High School, but I feel so much better already, and I’m only a month into this new way of life.  I had aching muscles in my neck, and down the back of one leg, stemming from my tushie, and all of that pain is now completely gone!

And the best part is when I exercise, I can afford to have a treat now and then, which makes me happy because I still have a very strong sweet tooth!!

By KMc
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