Week in Review: Fitness Totals

Ok kids, it's been seven months since I started losing weight, 2 months since I joined the gym, and one week since I started ChaLEAN Extreme.

Above and beyond starting the ChaLEAN program this week, I made some other changes as well. I signed up for the Biggest Loser Walking challenge at Operation Fat Blaster which GREATLY increased the amount of walking I got in this week.

My weekly totals:

Weight lifting (at gym) -- 30 minutes

Walking aound my hilly-ass neighborhood -- 3 hours and 14 minutes

Weight Training with ChaLEAN -- 2 hours

Cardio -- 55-minutes

My total fitness time for the week is 6 hours and 39 minutes.

As you can see, I spent less time at the gym this past week. My time at home with the ChaLEAN program really kicks my ass. But I DO enjoy going to the gym with my DH so I will go when I have the energy to do some extra work on my legs and abs or to use the cardio equipment there.

The ChaLEAN program is AWESOME. After one week, I just know, I just feel it in my gut (OW, I made a funny, ha, ha, ouch) that I'm going to have awesome results from this program. (More on that in a minute).

Another thing is, although it is weight training, there's not really any rest between sets, so there's a real aerobic quality to the work outs. When I'm done, my head is bathed in sweat and I am out of breath. I always, at the end, have that feeling you get when you give it your all and have nothing left.

That's why I also cut back on those strictly cardio workouts that I had been doing. The ChaLEAN program is VERY aerobic for me as it is, and with the walking that I've added I don't feel the need to ALSO do a cardio workout 3-4 times a week. Once or twice seems sufficient right now. If ChaLEAN's cardio effect on me lessens over time, I'll have to tweak my program. But for now, it looks like the way this week went will be "typical" of my schedule for the next few months.

From now on, what I list as time spent on "cardio" will mean an activity that is strictly cardio, in which I am not holding weights. But for the record, my time spent on the ChaLEAN program is both cardio and weight training at the same time. My walks, also, are very aerobic because of the hills in my neighborhood and the excess weight that I carry.

Now let's talk turkey about my RESULTS. For the hell of it, I measured my problem areas even though I just took my measurements a week ago for my monthly progress report. One week with ChaLEAN and some extra walking and I lost one inch from my waist, one inch from my hips, and 1/4 inch off my upper arms.

When I look at my face, I see an OBVIOUS difference in it and also my neck. My butt and the back of my legs feel tighter and (the best part) underneath the flab of my gut I can "feel" strength developing there and my body trying to uplift that area.

The gut doesn't "look" smaller to me yet, but when I am doing squats and lunges I can feel the power developing and improving inside my body, I can almost feel the calories burning --LOL I NEVER exercised or lifted weights like this-- even when I was younger. I honestly believe that if I continue, I will become stronger and fitter and possibly even LOOK better than I did 20 years ago. I am NOT the sort of person to make comments like that and not really mean it.

I know that I'm on to something here and I am going to ride it for all its worth.

Anyway, it's a new week and I kicked it off with a morning walk through my neighborhood this morning. Be good to yourself!