Last week went pretty well considering my mental state and over all exhaustion. I mostly kept to my menu and cleaning projects. I did not do all that crazy working out... I was just plain too tired and something had to go. Triumphantly I did keep my desk cleared off ALL week.
This week is going to be a little crazy. My Dad is coming in town for the weekend and I'm going to have to do a more thorough cleaning before then! I'm going *easy* on the food prep this week to compensate and using more freezer and pantry staples to offset the additional expense of entertaining this weekend.
Here we go...
Menu:
Monday - Spaghetti & Meatballs, steamed broccoli & carrots
Tuesday - Cornflake Crusted Tilapia (from freezer), sweet potato fries & green beans
Wednesday - Kid's Date Night
Thursday - Salmon Noodle Casserole, "fried" apples
Friday - Pizza Night
Saturday - Potato & Leek Soup, homemade bread, salad
Sunday - Vegetable soup, leftover bread
Cleaning:
Sweet Jesus... what do I not have to clean?!?!
Monday - make Guest room presentable (ie no storage bins everywhere!), vacuum
Tuesday - vacuum upstairs
Wednesday - clean stove & Kitchen floors
Thursday - vacuum, make basement presentable
Friday - clean bathroom & kitchen
Exercise:
Anyone up for a serious cardio challenge?!? Heather and Robin are in and are going to try and workout the Mrs F way. I've been slacking off with the holidays and then Baby's crazy late night torture sessions.... but it is time for me to kick it back up.
This week I'm going to do 6 cardio sessions of 60 minutes (or MORE). If you all want to know how I dropped 10% body fat in 4 months this is how I did it. Seriously people I have ONE hour in the day to myself.... ONE!!!... and I use it to workout. It isn't what I WANT to do but more days then not it is what I do. You can find one hour to do this. I'll write more on this coming up this week. I'm not saying strength training isn't important ... it is... but if you've got fat to lose you are going to lose it MUCH faster with LONG cardio sessions. You can always add strength on top of that or add it back in place of some cardio training when you start seeing the fat loss results you are looking for. This is just my opinion folks and what worked for me!
Okay so I'm pumping out 6 days of cardio this week. I'm doing it! Check my sidebar for proof.
Special Cleaning Challenge:
#1 keep desk cleared off all week
#2 empty out "cubby of shame"
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37 comments:
Umm... 60 minutes? Probably not going to happen for me this week. But a treadmill is on order for our new basement, so I should be joining you in the coming weeks.
I just told my son, "Hold on, Honey. I know you have a poopy diaper, but I'm checking up on Mrs. F." In response, he took my watch and is now cruising my office, pretending it's a cell phone. Don't know why I shared that... doesn't much matter, because I have a poopy diaper to change.
My feet go numb on my elliptical with anything past 35. I can push 40-45, but it gets agonizing! Any suggestions from anyone?
I bought different shoes which helped a lot. Before they would go numb in 10. I shift my feet around during. I alternate forwards/backwards.
I do have an old treadmill in our shop...it hasn't been used in prob about 8 years. I don't know if it can be saved but I'm thinking of bringing it out of hibernation.
I'm doing good with 30. I can't even think about 60 yet. Shoot, I almost died doing the 39 min. Firm workout last night.
P.S. You need to update the link to my blog in your blogroll. http://www.mom2dbmk.com
Wow good job on the desk! And good luck with the rest of the cleaning. At least you have warning! I didn't last time... eek.
And wow, 60 minutes 6 days a week. I do need to get more furious! hahaha. I tend to do 30-45 minutes 4-5 times a week. Maybe I should take on your challenge. Or at least work up to it! hahaha.
Good job!
Deb,
Dude yes I do 60-80 min cardio. Now when I was really losing I did this 6 days a week. Now I don't. I've been doing about 3-4 days and I can eat whatever the hell I want and I don't gain. But I'm going to go back just to stir things up and help motivate Heather and Robin in their challenge.
Amy,
interesting. Foot numbness I'm thinking is due to your shoes. I used to have that... and I'm trying to remember if that was more of a problem on the elliptical (might have been!!) in which case maybe it is because you don't actually move your feet enough on the elliptical.
I do the treadmill. I can only do this duration of cardio because I've got Tivo to watch while I do it.
Tina,
you are just starting don't push it. I wasn't doing 60 minutes until I was in better shape and ready to step it up.
And yeah I know, I know, I'll go update it right now!!
Cara (it's you right?)
I think even at 3-4 days a week if you bump up to 60 min (or longer) you will see much faster results. It is my belief that the fat burner really kicks in after 45 minutes so the longer you go the better. 80 mins makes me want to puke usually but I can easily do 70.
What kind of cardio do people do? Like walk/run on a treadmill? Would that count? Plus I go to Jazzercise classes--they are 60 minutes long. Does that count? I want to be small like Mrs F!!
Hahah Yea it Is Me, as the B2B person. I was signed into the wrong account and didn't realize it until too late. Oops. hahah.
I think you might have inspired me to do at least 2 days this week doing 1 hour. I do 1 hour on the weekends usually, but not at the gym. Once I can get it up to 2 days a week I am sure 3-4 and then 6 will come easy :-)
Thanks for the inspiration!
Julie,
jazzercise burns alot of calories that counts.
I should just go do a post about this. I will tomorrow because I have a lot of theories about it.
But I stay at a slower speed (I'm just walking) and do intervals with my incline. This isn't *easy* but if I weren't doing the incline I'd say the speed for me is moderate like what I could do on a walk outside(3.0 for the shorties in the house). The key is doing something for as long as possible. I change my incline every minute and a half or so and right now I'm doing 0% then 8% and repeat every interval. If I have to do a shorter workout I'm doing intervals with my high incline at 12%. When I started I used to go 0%,3%,6% and repeat that the whole time. Here is the thing you burn more calories with the incline than you do with speed. So I pick a slower speed I can maintain while alternating my incline. I also have a TV and watch my Tivo during this time so I'm never bored. And seriously the fat melted off my legs. If you go look at my progression shots the first one I took right before I started doing this and you can see how quickly this workout changed my body.
Cool, I can do that. I thought maybe it had to be hardcore running on the treadmill for an hour.
I just ate half of a box of some organic Lemon wafer cookies from Whole Foods. They were so good and since my kids did not like them, I had to get them out of the house. So I ate them. That said, I am in for the challenge.
Hardcore running on the treadmill????
I so know she's not talking about me!
I just got back from the gym-went in the daytime, there's a first. I did 31 minutes alternating walking and jogging at a 3:1 ratio. My walking is a 3-3.5 and my jogging is at a 4.5. For the last minute, I got insane and went to 5 for 30 seconds. Yeah, not something I can sustain right now.
And hey, not trying to harass about the link. I just didn't know if you had noticed it was still the old link. :)
Yeah Mrs. F. I'll be doing it too. But I hate challenges. But just know I'll be busting my butt too this week. I've been slacking off too lately. Usually I could just wake up early and catch a spin class or hit satan, but I've been struggling over the last couple of weeks without that option and have finally just decided to suck it up and run outside.
(i know this doesn't mean a whole lot, but my sis-in-law told me once she read that to lose weight, you really do need to do hardcore cardio for 45-60 minutes at LEAST 4 to 5 times a week. It stuck, I don't even know if it's true! The onlyother way I lost a lot of weight was after baby #1, I did a TON of strength training. I got a LOT smaller, but didn't lose a lot of pounds. It's kind of a tricky balance. I love feeling fit and strong, but don't want to sacrifice the cardio either. That's where my endorphin rush comes in; it takes some serious stress off my shoulders. Ok, there's my 2 cents...more like 10 cents.)
Is baby getting any better?
Julie,
I know those lemon cookies well ;)
Tina,
Oh I've been meaning to update that for a LONG time!
Katieo,
yes. After Kid all I did was pilates and Heather and I were talking about this. I was fit, I was strong... very strong.... BUT.... I weighed 15 pounds more than I do now and it wasn't 15 pounds of pure muscle I was definitely fatter. I do think it is a balance and I'm at a point where I do want to add my pilates (that's strenth training for me) back in (and am) but I do think the hardcore cardio is what melts the fat. You can tone and the added muscle will burn more fat than you were burning before... but I'm super confident that the reason I hit less plateaus is that I stuck to the crazy cardio during my weight loss portion...now I can strength train all I want. Of course I think if someone has LOTS of weight to lose they should find a way to do both. Obviously BL style they do more than this much cardio and strength on top. Whoa this is getting long... I didn't think it through first.... sorry!
okay I'm finally to my ultimate point:
long cardio blasts fat. period. Ultimately you need to do both and would get the best results doing both but I think if melting fat is your priority (not yours Katieo...in general) and you've only got an hour do cardio until you get to a point where you are willing to slow down your loss level. Does that make sense?
Katieo,
now I realize I just rewrote what I said in my post... duh... I guess it didn't need to be said agian (still a little tired)
but yes ENDORPHINS... that is really why it is hard for me to give up the cardio for the strength right now... I need the mood elevation I get from it. Need it!
I am going to join the challenge, but not 'til after your dad leaves...
All available time for me will be spent cleaning the basement this week.
Realistically, I think I can do 3, maybe 4 sessions. 6 will never happen, so I am not setting myself up. But 3-4 is 3-4 more than now!
#2 empty out "cubby of shame"
You better do it. I meant to tell you, Baby figured out how to open the cabinet...and nobody wants to deal with THAT. If you notice, I took the knob off this weekend.
Cleaning Challenge:
Guest room (aka my room)--I will carry everything downstairs, you just get the bins ready. I'd say I'll do the whole thing, but it has to happen during the day and I'm too stupid to figure out the baby clothes, so I can't.
Vacuum upstairs--also daytime task...
Kitchen stove/floors--I can do this.
Basement--All me.
Holy cats woman! You make me look like the essence of sloth. Its not that I don't do anything, but you do everything at like ten times the level I do! Slow down!
Also? Is the baby sleeping yet? Hope so!
Mr F,
why are you pretending to be nice to me?
Vanessa,
I probably won't do it all... but if I don't at least try to assign stuff to myself everyday I'll do NOTHING!
Baby is sleeping a little better. I'm still taking the Unisom which is helping with the insomnia I developed in response to having so little sleep (of course!). She isn't waking as frequently but did have one of those baffling awake things in the night (morning) for about an hour but then went back down. Soon, soon, it'll get back to normal (I hope).
Tina,
by the way... You are kicking ass! :)
Sorry about the cleaning! I hate that.
I am excited about the challenge. I did 75 minutes today (with one really long interval when I had to go downstairs to the child care center and change a poopy diaper.) I ran down and up the stairs, although I suppose I could have jogged in place while changing the diaper, hmmm. Anyway, I have endorphins coming out my ears! I need to remember this when I don't want to do it tomorrow. :)
Robin,
YAY!!!!!
YES... the long cardio is like smoking Crack... that's why I was able to make myself take so many post-workout photos for my After shots!!
3 days and counting. 60 minutes each day. Woke up at 6 and went to the gym. I'm so proud and off to the gym tomorrow am. I'm in for the 6 at 60 challenge. Chafing thighs and triple chins, you better watch out. And what's with your new use of the word dude?
Dude... I can't stop saying it. Kid even says "don't call me Dude!" I brought it into rotation a couple months ago and now it is in full rotation.
Anyway Way to GO!!! Good job. I'm heading down to the treadmill right now. :)
Awe, shucks. Thanks! Now if I can just keep it up!
ok Mrs F - I am going to have to work up to the 6 days a week, but I am definitely planning to test out your theory on the fat burning capability of long cardio sessions! I am horrified (horrified!) by my fat % as indicated by our new scale... also signed up for Weight Watchers online as I like the points tracking. 2008 is the year of weight loss, inspired by you and your readers!
And Mr F you are being awfully nice... :)
Emily
I meant to ask, when do you take your hour? When Mr F gets home?
Emily,
Yes. Mr F gets home at 6-6:15 we eat at 6:30 and I'm usually down there around 7:15. I do my hour+ then. Then I'm back up and get Baby to bed and then if that doesn't take 2 hours I come back down and have a little "me" time until she wakes up again (you know Baby... that is not long!!!)
Mr F is NEVER going to do all that just a little FYI ;)
And I started at 30, then did 45 and then moved up to 60-80. You'll be surprised how quickly you get in shape when you are doing it this often.
Good luck!
eat whatever the hell I want and don't gain
If you weren't so charming, I'd hate you.
Yay Robin! Yay Robin Yay Robin!
can you define cardio?
if you mean walking at 4.0 miles an hour for 60 minutes 6 times a week i could do it - but running... even for less time, no way!
Eurydice,
Okay I just made a cardio movie. I'll upload it in a minute and you can watch it over at my YouTube site.
But no I am not running. I walk at a moderate pace and do intervals with the incline from zero% for 1.5 minutes to a hard incline that I feel like I'm really working 8% for 1.5 minutes and alternate for an hour or more. I change the inclines around but you get the gist. You burn more calories with incline then speed... plus I think walking at a slightly slower speed keeps you in "fat burn" longer.
Mrs F,
I'm with you in spirit but I'm not up to 6 hours/week yet. However, I did 2 x 20 minute sessions last week, but I managed 30 minutes this morning and I'm gong to try for 4 more 30 mins.
moley,
good for you. You've got to start where you are.
In honor of your plan I did 45 minutes cardio today, tomorrow I plan for 60. I thought of you while getting my ass kicked by the stair climber. haha.
Just wanted to say thanks for the cardio video!!!
I did do 60 min with intervals tonight - and I have to say that the intervals make it go by much more quickly somehow. I would typically do 30ish, without intervals, and I swear this seemed shorter.
I am going to get season DVDs of some hour long show that I've been wanting to catch up on and only watch it while on the treadmill! I already feel more motivated. That and the hope of thinner thighs... :)
Emily
Emily,
Oh hooray! Mr F is a big fan of working out to movies.
tomorrow will be a repeat for you... I'm going to post that video... sorry!
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