health & wellness

Have a fabulous weekend!

Posted by Ginna on Oct 21, 2011 | 0 comments

It’s getting chillier and I can’t get enough of the bright blue sky against the changing leaves. This weekend my plan is to find the perfect oversize sweater, update the blog a bit, crochet a granny square (just one perfect square, that’s all I ask), and start on some Christmas shopping. What are you up to?

Last week I neglected to update on my Happy Pounds (oops, sorry!), but here is this past week’s recap:

-Fitness: Went for a 3-mile run Sunday afternoon, did weights Tuesday morning, yoga Wednesday, and taking walks at lunch. I still want to get in the routine of running more in the mornings, but my goodness is it dark when I wake up!

-Diet: Aside from the Halloween candy that has magically appeared (and thus disappeared) in our office, I have been doing pretty well. I am not counting my calories as strict as I used to, but I try to make a conscious effort to get a little more fruit and veggies in each meal.

-This Week’s Win: My pants aren’t quite as tight as they used to be. Win!

Hope you all have a fabulous autumny* weekend!

(photo credit)

*Yes, autumny is a word. Remember? :)

The Happy Pounds

Posted by Ginna on Sep 27, 2011 | 7 comments

Remember that old Bridal Bootcamp I was doing back in the spring? Where I would exercise a minimum of 4 times a week? And count my calories? And remember how I reached my goal weight for the wedding?

Well, since then I’ve gotten a little lazy. Like, really lazy. Like gaining-EIGHT-pounds-in-the-last-five-months lazy.

My best friend Allison calls it the Happy Pounds. And boy was it happy: a decadent honeymoon of mixed drinks and seafood. A whole season of attending weddings and parties. And then summertime laziness of barbecues and potluck dinners….

Well, this careless newlywed eating needs to end now. I had one of those terrible moments the other day when it was a struggle to button up my favorite jeans—the same jeans that just five months ago I could shimmy down my hips.

So what’s my brilliant, hard-core plan to lose this weight, you ask? I’m going to keep it very simple. Starting this Friday, all I will do is just report to you guys what I have done for the week. Even if the answer is “I ate horribly and didn’t work out once,” just knowing I’ll have to write that in public will motivate me during the week. I look forward to sharing my results with you all! :)

What keeps you motivated when you are trying to lose weight? What is your favorite exercise activity?

(photo credit)

Bridal Bootcamp Update

Posted by Ginna on Jan 13, 2011 | 5 comments

My new favorite loves:
1. A free gym at my apartment complex (I say free, but let’s be honest, we all know it’s a hidden cost in my rent)
2. My Fitness app on my phone (that calculates 1,200 calories per day)
3. The new carpeted apartment (where I can do push-ups and crunches much easier than hardwood floors)

With the help of these little tools I have lost three pounds in the last two weeks. Which means I am down to 124 pounds! Just four more pounds until I reach my goal!

*insert sounds of girlish squeals*

Okay, while that is great news, I confess I’ve been quite the blogging failure when it comes to updating my progress on here. Oops, sorry friends. I don’t really like the spreadsheet because it felt like a chore and really miss my colorful and visual drawings of my progress. So I’m bringing it back next week. Get excited. :)

With any luck, by March I will be down to goal of 120. *fingers crossed*

How are your fitness goals going?

(photo credit)

Bridal Bootcamp: the first six weeks

Posted by Ginna on Oct 19, 2010 | 17 comments

In effort to take charge of my lack-luster, sloppy workout behavior as of late, I created a plan to get in serious bridal shape! I shall call it Bridal Bootcamp…

I created a chart for the next six weeks and hung it behind my door to track all of the activity I do. My goal for the beginning is to simply show up and do something, even if it’s just running for 10 minutes. However I would like to get into a weekly pattern to:

• Run 3 times a week at 2 to 3 miles each time
• Practice Yoga 3 times a week using the Biggest Loser’s Yoga Workout video — it’s part yoga, part strength training and 100% kick-my-butt.
• Do Crunches & Push-Ups: I’d love to be able to do 100 crunches and 100 push-ups in a day, but that may be waaay down the road

This is the first six weeks that will continue until Thanksgiving. After that, I will have three more set of six-weeks until the week of my WEDDING! So crazy! It sounds intense, but I plan to take just one day at a time and post my progress as I go along. I am sure it won’t be easy, but I am thankful to have a whole wall to keep me motivated. :)

Anyone else want to join me in the next six weeks? You can modify the plan to fit your goals, but I’d love an accountability partner. Here’s to getting into serious shape before the holidays!

–

PS- Do you like my awesome drawings of wedding dresses? Initially I drew what my wedding dress looks like but realized J would see it sometime and so I drew so many other styles to throw him off. :P I know, I really should quit my day job and go into drawing.

To Gym or Not to Gym?

Posted by Ginna on Jul 6, 2010 | 18 comments

I am in a serious fitness funk. Long gone are the days when I would run 10 miles in a weekend… in fact it has been two weeks since I did anything and that was a pathetic two-mile walk/run. Because of this funk (combined with careless eating), it is no surprise that I’ve gained 7 pounds in one month. At the rate I’m going, I could easily be 40 pounds heavier by the end of the year. No thank you!

So today I vow to end this bad habit before it gets out of hand. Or at least more out of hand.

My fitness options are then to
a) workout outside,
b) join a gym, or
c) buy a video and workout in my living room.

I’ve never been a fan of at-home workouts. I get bored of the videos after three viewings, plus my downstairs neighbor wouldn’t appreciate my heavy self pounding on the floor. My neighborhood is lovely to ride my bike and run through, but it is so hot outside that even in the early morning it leaves me in a sweaty mess.

So that leaves me left with the gym.

I have mixed feelings about joining a gym. I really don’t want to have another $30-40 a month taken out of my already small paycheck, yet it is an investment in my health and wellbeing. However, I can always suck it up and run outside. But I get the best workouts through group fitness classes, so the gym would give me the best results.

This week I plan to shop around for the best gym deals. And in the meantime start eating right and exercising outside when I can!

What are your thoughts on joining the gym? Do you view it as a guaranteed, non-negotiable item in your budget? Or is it a luxury you forgo to save money?

10 in 10: Week Four

Posted by Ginna on Jan 30, 2010 | 1 comment

WEEK FOUR:

Weight:
Starting Weight: 130 lbs.
Today’s Weight: 127 lbs.
Weight Loss: 1 this week, 3 total

Gym Visits: 3
Monday — Yoga
Tuesday — Morning spin class
Wednesday — lift weights at home
Thursday — Morning workout

Healthy Foods:
I did pretty well this week! I counted my calories a few days and tried to get in more fruits and vegetables than I normally do.