It's fun being a house wife when you have your own house.  I don't so much mind cooking and cleaning.  I'm sure the cleaning will get old and I'll start to mind doing it, but for now I'm enjoying enjoying it. ha!  Yesterday Dave and I headed to the gym to sweat it out. And that we did. I was sweating like crazy and loved it! I did 30 minutes on the stair master (that baby is freaking hard) and then 10 minutes of abs.  Here I am doing my

Whittle

My

Middle

My arms get so tired and fatiuged by the end of this routine. I really have to focus on my abs so my arms don't do all the work!  hey…check out my sweat pits! YES! I just noticed them…those are SEXY!!

I had a dinner creation in mind, nothing special, but none the less I was excited about it. I got to work as soon as we got home.  Dave started working on the guest bedroom while I created a masterpiece very simple meal in the kitchen.  What was on the menu?

Cilantro Turkey burgers with hummus, sprouts, tomatos and lettuce with a side of sweet potato fries (MY FAV)

Not too shabby a picture considering I used the IPHONE.

I wish I had a really good picture, because they looked really pretty. I was proud of myself for cooking dinner and making it look pretty at the same time. I'm notorious for burning/ruining meals, so this was a success. I'm more proud of Dave though because guess what? I didn't modify his sandwich one bit!  He ate the hummus, tomato, sprouts, lettuce, sweet potato fries…all of it!  It was not his favorite, but he ate it anyhow. If you understood how HUGE this is you'd be jumping up and down with joy.  Dave HATES all veggies, every single one. He hates all beans, every single kind, along with quite a few other foods.  He flat out HATES them, as in they make him gag and feel sick.  The past month, he has been very open to try new things and make himself eat the foods he does not like. He is trying to get himself used to their tastes in hope that one day they won't bother him.  He is super interested in eating healthy and fueling his body properly, and realizes that he has not been fueling with the foods he needs.  I'm so happy he is SO willing to make changes and try to improve his diet.  Even Monday when he ordered rumbi he didn't ask them to hold the veggies. NEVER HAPPENDED BEFORE!  There was a point where he had to spit out a few bites into the napkin because "it tasted DISGUSTING" but for the most park, he choked the veggies down! WAY TO GO HONEY! 

Isn't it interesting/exciting how our food choices and knowledge of nutrition can help improve those around us? I never thought I'd see the day where Dave told me to make his dinner the EXACT same way as mine. ( I always make two seperate meals, or make his completely different than mine). I never thought I'd see him order a meal from a restaurant without asking them to hold the veggies. He has always tried to eat healthy and moderate the things that he knows are not good from him, but his problem is that he dose not get enough of the foods that are so incredibly important.  I am so thankful that through my journey to a healthy lifestyle, he has also been making healthy changes.  His willingness to make these changes makes me a happy, happy wife! Another thing that makes me super happy was talking to my sissy yesterday. First of all, she is pregnant..yay! And she is having cravings and all sorts of other stuff happen that is cracking me up. Anyhow, she told me that her and her husband tried Cous Cous the other night and loved it. She also proceeded to tell me about some other healthy food choices she has been making and the different types of foods she has tried in the past month! Way to go Jac! You rock sister! It is so exciting to see/hear about people making positive changes or improvements!!

Guess what?? I am only working for a few more hours today! YIPPEE!! I plan on going to they gym, working on the house, and possibly putting up our Christmas tree!  My parents bought us the most beautiful pre-decorated tree last year for Christmas, but since we didn't have a home last year, we haven't been able to use it yet. I can't wait to put it up!!

We still don't have internet (what is wrong with us) because we can't decide which provider to use, so I don't know that I'll get to blogging this weekend GASP! Hope you all have a wonderful safe holiday!  Eat lots of good food, play lots of fun games, watch lots of good movies and take lots of good pictures!!  xoxo
Love, Happy Housewife-

 QA:
Have your healthy choices produced positive outcome on those around you??

Ange at Oh She glows started and awesome 30 day challenge that is going to help get my belly stronger and in better shape! Obviously I have been not followed through with my 30day shred challenge. BUT not because I don't want to do it. I simply can't right now. It has been almost two weeks since my last shred and I don't plan on doing it until my foot is better. (Sorry Shreders). I hope you will still keep shredding without me and keep me posted until I can get back at it.  I was excited to read about Widdle My Middle and am personally up for the challenge. It is definitely something I can do with my foot pain. Doing core work everyday is a great way to strengthen your back as well, which it seems we are all in need of doing!!

Here is HER challenge:

 When? The Challenge takes place from Nov 11th until Dec 10th 2009.

Who? Anyone can join!

What? Strengthen your core and get that belly looking good!

1) PICTURES: Before, half way, and after pictures on Nov 11th, Nov 25th, and Dec. 10th, respectively.

2) MEASUREMENTS: Before, half way, and after measurements of my ‘smallest’ waist (above belly button for me), widest waist (3"-4" lower approx.), and hips (over fullest part of butt)- same dates as above.

3) CORE WORK: 6-10 minute core workout, 5 days a week, doing the following exercises:

• Plank
• Side plank
• Plank with elbows on stability ball
• Stability Ball Jackknifes
• Stability ball roll out
• Plank Rotations

I have already completed day 1 and 2. They were both great ab workouts! My abs were burning and my foot felt fine. I did make sure I was wearing shoes to give my foot the support it needed.I took my measurements and #1 picture last night. I asked Dave if he would join me and his answer was…uh, maybe. I asked again and he said no. Just give him time…he'll come around.

SO….Are any of you doing the "Widdle My Middle" challenge? If not want to join in???

Update:
We aren't moving in tomorrow. TEARS!!! I think we won't close until Monday or Tuesday of next week.  Oh well, what do you do.  Great thing is the owners are SUPER cool and don't mind if we proceed with the scheduled deliveries we have tomorrow. So we will be getting our Fridge, couch and tv stand tomorrow. I think we will slowly start to move in a few other things too! We are lucky they are so great about it!

Thanks for all your suggestions for modified workouts! I was able to get a great work out in yesterday! I had a lot of  fun doing it too! I was able to get the things done I needed to and also get in a good workout! I actually sore today from it! OH YA!

 Ya know what I wrote yesterday about Dave? Well, I wanted to do something special for him but had no time , so before I left work, I wrote a really short poem and then stopped by the gas station and bought him a Coke Cherry Zero and his favorite treat. It made me happy to be able to do something/anything a little special for him, even if the poem was REALLY CHEEZY!

ON THE MOVE WORKOUT

-Walking Lunges
(anytime I want to get from one side of the house to the other, I did lunges to get there) I had to modify the lunge when my hurt foot was in the back, so each lunge was done a lot slower than usual, I think this added extra burn!

-One legged Push Ups
(I dropped and did 20 1 legged push ups 3x..1 legged because of my foot)

-Shoulder Raises
(I had to lift a few boxes and in the process I did 3 sets of 15 shoulder raises (box down and box up)

-Abs
(I did 3 sets of 45 sit ups) Dave was done taking pictures of me by this point, so I don't have any of me doing abs..but I'm sure you can imagine!

What a great/fun way to get in a workout. I felt so great afterwards. I was glad I did something active, my mind needed it! I got my heart rate up quite a bit when doing the lunges and push ups. The exercises I chose did not hurt my foot and were fun to do! Since we have so many things going on this week, workouts like this that I can incorporate into the projects we need to get done are PERFECT!! 

I did most of my workout while dave was putting together this baby:

Before

During

After

I'm such a nerd and TOTALLY forgot to take an after picture. Dangit! I'll take one another day!! Oops!!

After my workout I went through the house and prepped it for movers! Since we just got the carpets cleaned we wanted to try and keep them that way (clean)!

After we finished at the house, we went home, ate dinner, got in our jammies, cuddled and watched TV. I waited all day just for that!  Today we have more work to do. We have to clean out our storage shed! BLAH!  But I'm gonna put on my happy face and chug through…there is an end in mind!!  We might find out today if we are moving this weekend or not!  MY FINGERS ARE STILL CROSSED FROM LAST WEEK!!

QA:
Do you like to decorate?  If so…will you come to my house and help me dec0rate?
What is your favorite thing (decoration wise) in your home?  Please share (and send pictures or examples)

Shred Day 2

Success! I jumped right into level three and loved it! It was GREAT! I was grunting and squeeling and sweating just the way I like! My arms were on fire, and my legs were burning! It gave me just what I was looking for and in 25 short minutes! 

The plyometic lunges were so hard. I've never done them like that before and my legs were burning. Dave got home 10 minutes into the workout and sat and watched me the entire time. ( He goes through spurts where he is super motivated to exercise and then not intersted at all) this week, he's not intersted!  Lucky for him his muscles are huge and he is in great shape all the time!

I liked the floor work in level three with the plank exercises and the leg lifts. I also enjoyed the abs in level 3. They were much more challenging.

All in all the workout was great! Today (if I can fit it in) I am going to try level 2, as i've heard it is just as hard as level 3.  Jillian is not bugging me yet, but after another 27 times, she might start to get on my nerves. Oh well I can handle it, a toned body does not come for free right!!???

If you are contemplating joining in and doing the Shred with me….don't think about it anymore, jump on bored and get started. I plan on doing the shred 5x a week for 6 weeks, which will equal 30 days. I will take 1-2 rest days each week. Sunday is always my guaranteed rest day, and then I'll vary the other day throughout the week if I choose to take it. You can take rest days whenever works best for you!  I think there are a total of 6 people who have started doing the shred this week….join us!!  I plan on taking my measurements this week too..but I keep forgetting. I am going to make an effort to do it tonight. I am also going to take some before pics. You don't have to do this if you don't want….I just like to do it for fun!!  Here is to SHREDDING. 

ALSO…..like I mentioned yesterday. If you are not interested in doing the shred, I challenge you to commit to some sort of fitness goal for the next 30 days whatever it may be.  The Holiday's are right around the corner and i'm looking forward to getting in better shape instead of the other way around!  Let me know what your plan is and we can help hold each other accountable!! If you just say a goal in your head no one is there to hold you accountable and it is much easier to slip up or give up…use me and your other bloggie friends to help push you a little harder over the next few months we will be your sounding bored!! I'm always here for support and encouragement!!

Do you have a plan to help keep your fitness and nutrion in check this holiday season?
Do you find yourself slackign off and doing things differently?

 30 Day Shred

I was not sure what to expect but was super excited to pop it in and find otu! I listened to her intro and decided I would start with level 1 and see what I thought.

Thoughts:
Level 1 was an OK workout, but not enough for me, especially since it is only 20 minutes.  Jillian said…this is only 20 minutes, so if you want to be able to work out for 20 minutes and really see a difference in your body, you have to work really hard.  After the workout I knew that I needed to bump it up to level 2 or 3. I went through and watched both level 2 and 3 and decidedI will do level 3 today and see how it goes. Pretty sure I can handle it for 20 minutes. Plus, I like to feel like I got my butt kicked. Nothing is worse than feeling like you need more or you could have worked harder! I ended up adding on a 2.5 miles fast paced walk afterwards. 

Likes:
I love the ciruct training. I like how the workout is set up. 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. I really enjoyed that.  I like that Jillian explains how to do each move properly. I feel comfortable with most exercises but sometimes there is technique that really makes the move more effective, and if I'm going to do something, I want to be doing it right!

I like that she does not allow any breaks. I totally agree with what she says…if you want a 20 minute workout to change your body..YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD.  She kept saying this does not come free. These abs do not come free…etc. I love hearing things like that.  Sometimes I get caught up in looking at other people and wishing for their bodies or muscles or whatever….I have to remember that their toned bodies did not come free, and if I want it I have to work for it! I really like that!

I like that there are a lot of reps in the strength training section. Since there are so many reps, you can use lighter weight but really fatigue the muscle! I can't wait to try level 3…I think it will be perfect! 

I like that this is a 30 day program.

Anyone can do it, beginner or advanced. (I'm working on getting my mom and dad to do level 1)

You don't need anything besides hand weights.

Dislikes:
I can see myself getting bored doing the same workout over and over. (I think at 30 days I'll be ready for something new) -I do however think that a repetitive program allows you to see big results in your body since you are working the areas over and over.

Jillian does not recommend using a particular weight for the workouts. I'd like to know a round about number to shoot for instead of guessing. When I am told beginner use X amount of weight, intermediate X amount,  Advanced X  amount…I think it helps me push harder and I end up lifting more and pushing harder. (I found this to be the case with my personal trainer).

Conclusion:
I am SUPER excited to do the 30 day shred. I am excited to try level 3 today and see how that works out.  I think this program is going to give my body some great results.  I am excited to track my progress on the blog and hopefully encourage you to do the same (even if its not with the shred). The holiday season is right around the corner, instead of putting on the lbs…lets get in better shape, lose some LBS (if needed) and keep our bodies moving!! How great will it feel to come away from the holiday season, leaner, meaner (fitness wise) and in better shape!?? Gobble gobble!
I bought my copy of the shred on line for $10! It is super cheap and well worth the money! If you are interested in joining in and doing the Shred with me and don't yet own the Shred, click  30 Day Shred and it will take you to several different Shred DVD's for sale (some as cheap as $7 with free shipping).

QA:
Shred Questions:
Did you start the 30 day shred yesterday or are you planning on doing so??  
What level did or will you start at 1,2,3, and was it the right level for you?
What are your likes, dislikes about the program?

Non-Shred Questions
If you are not doing the Shred, what are your fitness plans for staying in shape over the holidays??