Day 5

It's such a gloomy day, it's hard to get motivated to do anything. I did push myself, however, to get the workout done, so now I just have to push myself to get my second paper written.

I did 20 reps of each, and I can feel strength coming into my obliques and the back of my legs, as they feel a little tighter whenever I use them. I haven't seen any improvement yet, but I also have this to keep in mind:

Days 3 & 4

Monday - I was going to work out, but wound up doing homework instead. Then I got to talking to a friend about planting potatoes, but I didn't know what to plant them in, as I'd like to do them in a container of sorts. She mentioned that she'd planted her strawberries in old tires, and it worked quite well. Since she owns and operates a dump truck company with her husband, she offered up their old tire pile. I went down and picked up 3 old Hoosier racing tires - literally, picked them up, put them in the truck, then removed them from the truck and carried them up our long drive and into the garage (my potatoes aren't ready to plant yet). In doing so, I tweaked my left bicep a bit, so I decided to forgo the exercise since I didn't want to hurt myself further, and I'd technically worked out a bit by carrying the tires.

Tuesday - Just did 20 of everything, with barely any rest in between. I got one of my papers written, too, so I not only worked out my body, I worked out my brain. And, with all this wind we're having (24 mph, according to the weather channel), I have also done some jogging today, as I had to catch and drag back our recycle bin, trash can, my neighbor's recycle bin, and my watering can. I think that counts for today, especially since the only treat I gave myself for my valiant efforts was a mini Milky Way candy bar.

I still need to get new batteries for the scale, as I haven't managed to do that yet. I also need to input what I've eaten today and last night's dinner into the MyFitnessPal app.

Day Two

I couldn't get the full 40 in yesterday, as was my goal, but I got 30 reps in of each before my knee gave out. Apparently, that was enough, as today I hurt. Not like can't get out of bed hurt, but I coughed when I tried to inhale and swallow my cereal at the same time a bit ago, and my obliques called my some not nice names.
My plan today is to do a modified version of yesterday - basically do the initial 10, then see how far I can push myself from there. If all else fails, I can do some planking or something instead, so I'm still getting the workout in, it just won't be as intense. I'm completely going against everything dad ever taught me, which was take a day to rest in between workout days. All of today's literature and experts say work through the pain, so we'll try it today, and if it doesn't work, then I'll start resting in between. I've got a year to do this, and working out every other day is more than what I was doing before, which was nothing.

OK - here we go...

Yep, one set will do it. I had to force myself into the last situp - gritted teeth and nothing but sheer willpower pushing me up and twisting left to really dig into that oblique. My legs aren't as sore as I thought they'd be, but I'm sure I'll work them out later. Friday is my hang out day with mom, and we usually wind up running errands and walking everywhere, so I can claim that. 

Day One

The intent of this blog is to keep me motivated, honest, and serious about the workout program I will be starting today. Each week, I will workout a total of five (5) times, weigh in once a week, and take a new photo every two weeks, all of which will be recorded here. I hope the progress will be shown in each week's postings, and maybe help to keep me going. If that doesn't work, the fact that I'll be paying close to $500 for boudoir photos next June should do the trick, as lingerie does nothing to hide flab. To start!

My workout is as follows:

Core – repeat 4-5 times a day	10 Lunges
	10 Push Ups
	10 Squats
	10 Sit Ups
	10 Jumping Jacks
Cardio (alternate)	Jogging
	Zumba

My weight is something that will have to be shared later, as the batteries in our scale are dead. When I went to the doctor in February, it said 123, so we'll go with that til I can get new batteries - hopefully later today. 

I am counting calories and keeping track of what I am eating via the MyFitnessPal app. 

The starting photo (please excuse the hair - I'll be showering after working out, not before):

Yeah, that's what nearly 4 years of married life gets you. OK, here we go!

*After workout - I modified the situps to act like a Russian Twist, twisting one side on one rep, then the other side on the next. I'm hoping this will work my obliques as well as the core. I made it 30 reps of each, almost fell on the last lunge (knee gave out), and decided to call it the modified version. I haven't worked out in months (obviously, from the photos), so 30 reps per is a heck of a lot more than I did yesterday, which was just random walking while sorting books at work. I'm also finding that music definitely helps, as I was able to push through the final situps by paying attention to the beat in Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". It also helps that I had the voice of a friend of mine in my head, saying "2 more! Give me 2 more!" Thank God for Lauren.