reallyfitRenee

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 21

Day 21: Week 3 is COMPLETE!

I really gave it my all today. My “all” meant lots of breaks and huffing and puffing, but there was maximum effort, and that’s what counts. It was just nice to get back into things and move on from all the sadness and bad luck that keeps coming my way. I hope to finish this challenge with better continuity- I am in the final stretch!

Time is flying by so fast, and with my mind so preoccupied I completely forgot about my Day 150 photos in my totally unsexy, old blue swimsuit. I’ll throw that on tomorrow and give ya an update. I am very doubtful there will be any change from Day 120. There has been ups and downs and alot of bumps of brownies and ice cream. But on a positive note, all that aside, I am still here, still slowly heading to my fitness goals.

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 20

Day 20: losing it.

My workout today was lacking that extra “umph” again. I feel like I am losing the battle right now, and it’s not a good feeling. Of course, it’s hard to have a good workout when you’ve been crying all day. I was hoping some exercise would take my mind off the sad news I had awoken too…

Our family dog was put to sleep this morning. She had bad pneumonia and couldn’t keep anything down, including her medicine. I knew she wasn’t doing good over the weekend, but I had hope she would pull through again like she did when this happened last March. This morning her condition went from worse to horrible as she could barely breath anymore and became unresponsive. Despite all the vet trips and medicine, she couldn’t pull through. She was almost 11 years old. I didn’t get to say goodbye, it all happened so suddenly. If they hadn’t put her to sleep she would of been gone by the end of the day, and they didn’t want her to suffer any further. The last I saw her was almost 3 weeks ago, and she was healthy and happy then. Tomorrow I’ll be over my parent’s house, which won’t be the same without a big Collie walking around, licking everyone’s faces, and wagging her big, bushy tail. As sad as I am about what happened to our family dog, I feel even worse for my mother, who loved and treated her like another child, especially after me and my sister had moved out. It’s been a hard day for all of us, at least tomorrow I’ll be able to offer some hugs, and have the family all together. Don’t ever undervalue your’s, your pet’s, or anyone else’s health.

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 19

Day 19:  achy breaky body.

Mark today down as done. I can’t say much else about my workout as I’m still just toughing it out at this point. Wish I could be okay with just doing okay, but I have seen myself do better, and I have a hard time settling for less. I will continue to push play tomorrow- I think this is helping my injuries more than just sitting around was.

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 18

Day 18: it hurts so good.

Despite being STILL in pain (see previous posts), I have been feeling really down about my lack of exercise and couldn’t wait any longer to get back on track. I really enjoy the Week 3 routine, and although I did slack here and there (especially on the last circuit), I did work up a nice sweat. It also made me feel a little more inspired to just do it, even if I’m hurting, even if I can’t give it my all, at least I’m giving it something.

Resting and Resisting

With my 1 year workout anniversary coming up next month, I should be working out at every chance I get, but it’s just not that easy. I’m still recovering from the end of April, which was more brutal than I had anticipated. I have been feeling very delicate ever since, the tendons in my right knee are acting up making it uncomfortable for me to even walk right now, though I have been taking short walks to avoid being entirely inactive. My biggest problem is my upper back and shoulders, which I imagine is hurt from a combination of me being muscle-woman and lifting things I probably shouldn’t have, and multiple long, long, long car rides. I have spent this week trying to rest up so I can feel strong again. Getting the apartment back in order after barely being home for 2 weeks had become quite the task as well. I have also caught up on my missed work, so the only thing that’s holding me back now is my body. I’m crossing my fingers for tomorrow, as I’d like to get back into my Ripped In 30 program, even if it means taking it easy phoning in most of the moves. My eyes are dead set on this goal, which is probably why I feel so guilty about not getting back into workout mode yet. I can and will do this. I want to see 40lbs gone.

oh and… it’s been really hot… we bought ice cream. My husband and I have been overworked and overstressed. Ice cream helps. I have been being good though- not helping myself to it everyday, and keeping my calories low on days when I know I’ll be having ice cream later. I almost caved yesterday, I was already well over at 1800 calories for the day thanks to pizza, and all I could think about was that ice cream in the freezer! lol! But I resisted, and now today I am at 1000 calories and can definitely have a bowl later. yay eating healthy!

UPDATE

So I have been gone for a bit… but with good reason!

First of all, our trip to Ohio to see some old friends is officially done! We had a great time! Jillian’s tour stop was in town the same time I was… kinda wanted to ditch to go see her… lol jk but it was cool knowing I could possibly bump into her while I was in Cleveland… nope didn’t happen. Now I get to have another 1 years difference photo:

These photos aren’t the best comparison shots, but I didn’t have much control over it! I certainly feel alot more comfortable in my body these days, but I don’t see much of a difference. I still have some summer pics from June for before/afters to mark my offical 1 Year Working-out anniversary so I am excited for that!

Before the trip we were very busy helping my in-laws move and it was the move from hell! Everything that could have possibly went wrong did. We ending up being 2 days behind the move-out date there was too much to be done and not enough time, help, or resources. The long drive over there is exhausting enough… add in all the never-ending hard labor, and it was torture. We were living out of a car for the week eating nothing but quick junk and only sleeping a few hours a night. At one point our car broke down at 4 am on our way back home. It was freezing. It was costly. We had to stay at a cheap motel just to get some rest. It was probably the worst days of my life and even though it’s over I still find myself reflecting on it all and getting nauseous  It was seriously that bad. We almost didn’t go to Ohio we were so drained. Luckily, we pulled it together and made it through, endured the long trip, had some fun, and now it’s finally back to normalcy. :)

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 17

Day 17: guilt is a powerful thing!

I was set on not working out today- woke up super early to prepare for a weekend of heavy lifting/helping my parents-in-law move. I was super tired, but after my husband came home from work we got the idea to go get a soft serve ice cream to wake us up. That did the trick- we got home and I had a great workout! I couldn’t let those extra calories linger! There were a couple of breaks, but I still rocked it. I have to wake up early for the rest of this week… which makes me super unproductive…. ugh busy busy tired tired

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 16

Day 16: I needed this.

These past two days have been full of traveling and physical labor. I was excited to have a nice, relaxing day at home today! Seeing I had already seen the craziness that is the Week 3 workout, I took extra good care of myself this morning in preparation- healthy breakfast, drank lots of water, pre-workout banana…ect. Level 3 is an absolute powerhouse of advanced moves and not for the weak. I only took 1 short breather today, and the rest was an absolutely amazing performance and I am overjoyed at the fitness level I have reached! I really enjoy the balance involved, the pacing is perfect, and it’s challenging from start to finish. Afterwards I feel so accomplished and proud that I did it! With all the windows open and a cool breeze flowing by, I had an extra long cooldown stretch session and it was just what I needed. I felt all the stress drip off me with the sweat, and lift off me with the wind. A truly magical workout. I feel more relaxed right now than I have been in weeks! :)

Ripped In 30: Week 3 Day 15

Day 15: late night workout

I started my workout just before midnight. Yep, it was one of those days where I just didn’t get the chance, but I can’t go to bed with the guilty feeling of missing a workout. I really need to shape up- I have been eating way too much pizza and other crap (says the girl with brownies in the oven). My first try of the Week 3 workout was a measly effort. I knew going in I didn’t have much energy to give, but I needed a trial run anyway. Today I focused on my form and took it easy. I can’t divulge my opinion of the Week 3 routine yet, as I was half asleep doing it. lol.

I am going to have an extremely busy week. My in-laws big move is coming up, so that means even more long car rides and days full of packing and moving are ahead. I don’t know what to expect as far as time to workout, but I’ll do my best to fit it in if I’m not too exhausted. Tomorrow I’ll be visiting my own parents since I haven’t seen them in weeks. I’ll be doing laundry all day for sure, but might do another late night workout when I get back… maybe.

Ripped In 30: Week 2 Day 14

Day 14: got my mojo back!

Whew! What a great workout to end Week 2!!! I’m so happy I was able to power up a fierce finish, and I cannot believe I am on to Week 3 already! I’m not even scared guys! Let’s do this!

Ripped In 30: Week 2 Day 13

Day 13: DIG!

Don’t you just love it when Jillian gets right up to the camera and yells “DIG!”. I know it really gets me through. lol! I needed the extra motivation today- I am just beat. My calves are aching more than anything and it’s affecting my form big time. So that settles it, rest day tomorrow. I’ll be busy helping my in-laws pack for a move anyway, and the car ride alone is 2 hours. Just one more day of Week 2!

Ripped In 30: Week 2 Day 12

Day 12: not good.

Somehow I’m actually getting worse at Level 2. I struggled and skipped a few reps of almost every exercise. I was really low on energy, which was probably because I’m all out of fruit so skipped my healthy snack today. Or maybe I’m still tired from yesterday? Ah well, you win some, you lose some, tomorrow is another chance to do better.

Ripped In 30: Week 2 Day 11

Day 11: I am a trooper!

With the horrible 3 hours of sleep I got last night, combined with my early dentist appointment… a workout was not in the plans. I was stressed to the max! The dentist fixed my chipped tooth and everything went really well- got some groceries while I was out, then came home and caffeinated then caffeinated again. I was fighting to stay awake and eating more than usual just for energy. That’s when I had a quick burst of energy and made good use of it. Had an average workout, nothing amazing, but I got it done. Now I can sleep. haha!

Ripped In 30: Week 2 Day 10

Day 10: Failing!

It has been a rough weekend for me! I chipped my front top tooth, completely messed up my sleep schedule, and have been making a lot of dumb mistakes. Bad luck everywhere! But back to what this blog is really about… working out. I have been enjoying Week 2! My favorite move is the jumping rope w/kicks- really takes me back to my childhood! lol! I took a few short breathers today, but it was still a solid effort. During all those plank positions the sweat drips right off my forehead, which used to make me feel disgusting, but now I see nothing more beautiful than working up a good sweat and making yourself stronger than the day before.

Ripped In 30: Week 2 Day 9

Day 9: endurance!

Today’s workout went extremely well! I impressed myself! My only issue with Level 2 is the ab holds/tables- either my arms are too short or my butt is too big- I cannot do them properly. Rather than give my booty rug burn, I may just substitute that move from now on. Other than that, this workout is another winner!

Yesterday I had an issue with my right hip. I just sort of woke up with it and couldn’t walk or sit comfortably. I was quite worried and confused about it, but today it’s like it never happened! The day before that I didn’t workout either- I just got too busy catching up on housework! I’m hoping I’ll have minimal distractions from this point on, so I can finish this program fast and furious!