My #5k Day!!

On Saturday, October 2nd I took a part in #5k day. #5k day is a challenge started by Stephanie over at Fit Mom in Training. She challenged everyone to share one day where we would participate in some type of activity for 3.1 miles. You could walk, run, bike, swim, crawl whatever you chose to do. The catch was she wanted everyone to share their experience with the blogging world.

I chose to participate in a 5k run/jog. I ran my 5k mid day on the treadmill. Here is how it went!

Yep, that's right I even made a racing bib and, timing chip ;)

My water stations are set up!

A self shot while I was running!

My post running glow!

I even got some great eats after my race with yes, (Gasp) a beer!

OK, all my joking aside. It went pretty good! I was very glad I participated! I hope that Stephanie has more Virtual days like this in the future!

Thanks Stephanie!!

Motivation Monday

Oh my goodness...It's already almost October, where did September go?

First off, I want to sincerely thank all of my favorite sista's from Mamavation for continuing to send me twitter dm's and tweets asking me how I was doing this past week. I am so amazed at how supportive this group really is.

Last week, I was extremely busy with stuff around the house and, a couple personal issues I needed to take care of and deal with. I was absent from Twitter and, I failed to post anything to my blog. To be honest with everyone I wasn't as active as I wanted to be. I was moving alot around the house cleaning and running errands but, I didn't sweat it out like I truly wanted.

Good news is, this week is a new week. I am officially starting fresh! I have promised myself to get on a schedule. A lifestyle schedule is what I would call this. I need to make time for Exercise, Mommy duties, Housewife duties, My blog, My extra activities. I really don't know how some of you mom's do it. Do you clean on certain days?  Do you write all your post on one day and, schedule it to post another day?Do you work out in the am or pm's? If you have any advice at all let me know, I will take all the advice I can get.

I am so excited this week is the start of the Mamavation mom auditions! I can't wait to see everyone videos and, to follow a new set of mom's through their bootcamp.

BIG congratulations to Joanna of @way2gomom for being the Sista of the Week!

This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Pete Cohen and his new nutritional program. Wow!! What a great prize to win. If you don't already know about Pete Cohen you seriously need to check him out. He is so inspirational! I am crossing my fingers for this prize as I need all the help I can get when it comes to what my body needs nutritionally.

I will leave you guys with a couple pics from yesterday. My son and, I participated in another running event. He ran the 1 mile fun run and, I ran the 5k! I was extremely proud of myself after this race. I managed to shave a minute off my last 5k time. Especially since this course was alot more harder with its many hills compared to the last event I ran which was mostly a flat course. I can't wait to continue getting faster and stronger!

Motivation Monday

Well once again my weight hasn't budged. Don't get me wrong I'm happy I haven't gained but, it's pretty frustrating to see all that I'm doing and nothing is happening.

As I sit here and go over my week, I can think of some things I do need to change and, hopefully once I change these the pounds will start to drop again.

*This week I haven't drank enough water. I have felt pretty tired and run down lately. I'm thinking a lot of it has to do with the fact I have not been pushing the water. I've been getting dehydrated which has left me sluggish.

*I have not been sticking to my meal plan. This has been I think my biggest downfall not only for healthy living but, financially as well. We are wasting a lot of money by not sticking to the meal plan. I also need to eat out less.

*Though I have been working out, I have to admit I haven't given it my all. I haven't been setting aside enough time to actually dedicate a good ole sweat session. It has been pretty half-assed. Since Big C started school my gym schedule has been non existent. I need to get back to going every morning I miss it and, I crave it. I need to get moving during the day as well. I feel like I haven't been as active as I had been when I was losing the weight.

So, this week I need to be back in the game. I need to challenge myself again. Step it up and get moving. As well as getting back in the groove, I will still be adding more running. My next 5k is coming up in 2 weeks. Yesterday, I ran a fun run with my son you can read about it here. Afterwards we watched the 5k run and, I was getting excited for my run. I want to do better than my last run. I WILL do better than my last run!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Stephanie Hamm of @fitmomtraining for being the Sista of the Week! AKA "Mama Guns" She is an amazing sister and, a new member of our leadership team. Steph is hosting the first of many new challenges Mamavation Sistahood has in store. It is a strength/weight training challenge. Find out more about the #MamaGuns challenge here. I hope you decide to join us. I am very excited to get my "Mama Guns" sexy for next summer's sun dresses and, spaghetti straps!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Chefs Requested. Yes, again. Chefs Requested is an official sponsor of the Mamavation campaign and sends their perfectly portioned steaks to the Mamavation Moms. They are sending product coupons for their 100 Calorie Portion Sized Steaks and plenty of discount coupons for any further enjoyment. There will be two winners of this blogging carnival.

As part of the #mamaguns challenge we need to post a pic of our "Mama Guns!" Here are mine!

Oh..What's that? You think I look a lot like Jamie Eason!! Gee..thanks! I would die to have those arms! How gorgeous is she!

Ok, for real here are mine!

Yes, I really am flexing!! Stop laughing! After this challenge, I'll be the one laughing! *Winks*

I will be becoming one with my Kettleworx program in the upcoming 8 weeks!

Mamavation Monday

Hope Everyone is having a super Labor Day weekend!

Things are going pretty good here in my world. We are finally getting used to our new schedule due to my oldest going off to Kindergarten.

I finished my week of Couch 2 5k. As I stated in my last blog, I feel I'm not challenging myself during my runs. So I've decided to move a couple weeks up on the couch 2 5k. Hopefully this will help some. I got a video gait analysis done and, got a new pair of running shoes. I can't wait till later today when I get to go try them out for a run. I haven't lost anymore weight this week but, that's ok. As long as I'm maintaining I'm ok with that. I figured I'd be plateauing here soon. I've lost alot in the past 9 weeks. I also think I need to switch up a bit of my training too maybe help with the plateau Ive hit for the past 2 weeks.

I am still doing good on getting in my water. I don't even think about caffeine anymore.

I've been toying the idea of opening an Open Sky shop on my blog so, for all of you that currently do it I'd love to hear how its going for you. I am also in the process of getting a couple reviews/giveaways ready for my readers to participate in. If you aren't a follower already you should definitely sign up to be one so you can get the 1st update on my giveaways. Not to mention you should do it because my site is awesome! ;)

This week I will be participating in another 5k race for our local YMCA. My son will be running his first race. (1 mile fun run) I am so proud of him. He has been running with me the past couple weeks to get ready. I think he's going to do awesome. Also, this week I am going to be trying to eat a little more cleaner to see if this will help my plateau a bit.

My goals for the week:

Get in some more running!!

Monday: Kickboxing, Kettlebell workout (Kettleworx)

Tuesday: Week 6 day 1 of C25k

Wednesday: Kickboxing, upper body strength training

Thursday: Week 6 day 2 of C25k

Friday: lower body strength training

Saturday: Week 6 day 3 of C25k

Sunday: 5k race My son's first 1 mile fun run!

Mamavation deets:

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV. This week on Mamavation Media TV we will be welcoming Allana Pratt @allanapratt she will be discussing unhealthy relationship with our body and if it helps or hinders weight loss. She will also be giving us some tips on how to build a stronger relationship with our body. As we all strive for health. Come join us!

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Greta @Gretablau for being the Sista of the Week! Greta is such a funny, inspirational woman. Go over to her blog Middle Aged Jock and see what she's up to. She's always busy being active!

NEW LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: Congrats to all the Mamavation sista's who received new leadership positions this week. The Hydrator is @Rachel_L , The Regulator @Notdiyheather, Movement Motivator @Rachelsteffen, Mama Guns @Fitmomtraining, Comment Warrior @Gretablau Veggie Contessa @Ljenator, Food Truth Diva @waytogomom and Lori @gutimom Coven Coordinator. Look for them on Twitter to help remind you of some important things to do during the week!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Chefs Requsted. Chefs Requested is an official sponsor of the Mamavation campaign and sends their perfectly portioned steaks to the Mamavation Moms. They are sending product coupons for their 100 Calorie Portion Sized Steaks and plenty of discount coupons for any further enjoyment. There will be two winners of this blogging carnival.

My last week and I hit a goal!!

I can't believe it's the last week of Mamavation mom and, the Move it and Lose it Campaign. Jenny and, Lisa have done so well. I can't wait to see their journey to running a 5k!

Well, as everyone who follows my blog knows I entered the Move it and Lose it Campaign 7 weeks ago. It seems to have went by rather quickly. I am very proud of what I have accomplished in the last 7 weeks. I've joined a gym, quit drinking soda, ran a 5k,  loss some weight, but overall I have seemed to accomplish what I thought I'd never be able to accomplish. I have gotten my family on board with wanting to live a healthy lifestyle. My children are eating healthier options and, being a lot more physically active. Next week my oldest son, Big C is going off to Kindergarten. We have already discussed the options he has for food at school. We have opted to pack a healthy lunch and, if he wants he will be allowed to purchase a school lunch every now and again. I now feel that I am ready for the choices ahead on what to pack him because, of what I've learned the past 7 weeks from all the Mamavation Sista's!

So, I know why most of you are here...How much has Shannon lost? This week Ive lost a total of 4.5lbs. I wasn't expecting to lose any this after last week's big loss but, hey I'm not complaining. This past week I completed week 1 of C25k. It went great. I want to also start incorporating a little more weightlifting into my workouts too. I feel I'm losing alot of the weight but I think I might be losing a little to fast. I don't want to lose muscle mass.

My goals for this week:

Finish week 2 of C25k

Work in lifting weights to my schedule

Drink 100oz of water

Help support my fellow Sista's on Twitter

Comment on all the Sista's blogs this week

Take my mind off losing weight (the numbers are starting to get to me) and, put more focus on being more active.

Here are my numbers and, pics this week as Move it and Lose it Challenge comes to an end! Thank you Leah at Mamavation for everything you have done and, continue to do for Mamavation. Since my application for Mamavation Mom I have lost a total of 30.5lbs Wowza!! I'm so happy! Here's to the next 20! :)

164.5

Before 07/9/2010 After 08/20/2010

Before 07/9/2010 After 08/20/2010

I have also learned from the above pictures those shorts were probably the worst thing to wear for these pictures. They dont lay flat and, bunch alot. Oh well.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Shawnee Halligan @ShawneeH for being the Sista of the Week! Thank you Shawnee for showing my blog some love and helping support me on Twitter. You Rock!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Earth Footwear. The Move it and Lose it Campaign would not be possible if it weren't for Earth Footwear. Thank you so much for being such a great sponsor to Mamavation. Their shoes are incredible and, cute too! Come back later this week to check out a review I did on the pair of Earth Footwear I received at the Twitter Party at the beginning of this campaign.

See everyone at Mamavation Tv!!

It's paying off!

This past week has been pretty awesome! I totally felt back in the swing of things.

My successes: I worked out for a total of 30 min everyday! I felt so much better this past week. I drank around 90-100oz everyday. I also managed to eat pretty good as well. I finished a 5k! (More to come about this later on another post!) I actually feel pretty high on life at the moment.

My failures: I can't really call this a failure for the week, it's really a failure from the past couple weeks. I'm not running. I kind of stopped running at some point during this journey to try to lose weight. I am still getting in my workouts but, I really need to get back into running. Another failure for me this week was there are a couple personal things in my life right now that have been bringing me a little down. I haven't been getting alot of sleep and, Ive been pretty stressed about this. I have a really bad ulcer that acts up when I am stressed or eat the wrong types of foods.

My goals for this week: Run!!! I am back to the drawing board. My weapon of choice, Couch 2 5k program. I have another 5k I have signed up to run in September so, I for sure want to beat my time. Another goal for me this week is to get to bed at a decent time. I have been dragging in the morning. Lastly, I still need to get my butt in gear on Twitter. I can't seem to make time to visit. My oldest is starting school next week so I think I'll have alot more time after that happens. Please know I support all my sistah's!!

A quick question I'd also like some input on. My oldest son (5 yrs.) went to the 5k with me this past weekend and now wants to run one with me. There were a bunch of children running and, I think this is why he got kinda bummed about not running and now wants to run one. Do you personally think 5 is too young to run 3.1 miles?

Now for the really great news!! My scale pic...I lost a whopping total of 8lbs this week. Holy Moly! I'm shocked!! I knew I did a pretty good job but had no clue this well! That is a total of 26lbs since my application for Mamavation mom a little less than 2 months ago!! I am super stoked!!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV

SISTA OF THE WEEK: A big congratulations to Kimberly @christlikemommy! Congrats girl you definitely deserve this, you are always there supporting everyone!

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesday's over Twitter.

See everyone on Mamavation Tv!!

Get my butt in Gear Monday!!

Happy Monday everyone!! This past week was a pretty good week for me. I reached a couple goals I wanted to reach. There were a couple I didn't quiet reach just yet but, will continue this week to make that happen.

So, this weekend is "The Weekend" I will be participating in my first 5k since last running one 10 yrs ago. I'm extremely nervous. I don't think I'm ready for what I want to accomplish. I think I set to high of standards for myself. I did not train as hard as I wanted to. After I get this race under my belt it will be full speed ahead to train for the next ones coming up in Sept and, Oct. I would love any and all advice to help me reach my goals on these next to races. I'm going to kind of use this race to give me a reminder of what I need to do to finish a 5k. I've ran some 5k's on the treadmill and a couple on the road but, they weren't outstanding. My goal is to finish this 5k with out stopping. Wish me luck!!

Last week I did pretty well with getting in my workouts at the gym and at home. As of this week I will be adding more running to my workouts!

My goals for this week:

Commit time to be more active on Twitter.

Commit time to comment on the sista's post's.

Drink more water. (I have skimped on this and have been feeling super dehydrated)

Add more running to my workout.

My Scale Pics:

I lost .5lb this week resulting in a total of 18lbs since my application to Mamavation Mom!! I'm so happy with my results so far!!

My Measurements:

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Julie Mansfield @jamnsfld76 for being the Sista of the Week!

 

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Lori @gutimom as an Avon Representative. Here is all the swag she is giving away:

Cherry Blossom Naturals Set - $32 full retail value

Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Body Spray, Cosmetic Bag

Haiku Fragrance and Body Set - $49 full retail value

Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Shimmering Body Powder, Roll On Antiperspirant, Perfume

Foot Works Hodge Podge - $33 full retail value

Watermelon Foot Scrub, Spray Gel, Cooling Lotion; Original Conditioning Foot Soak, Exfoliating Bar Soap; Green Tea & Mint Exfoliating Scrub

Advance Techniques Professional Hair Care 2-IN-1 Healthy Shine Shampoo and Conditioner (Daily Results) - $4.00 full retail value

Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus - Expedition Insect Repellent with SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray Pump with Vitamin E (Gentle Breeze) - $14 full retail value

Magix Face Perfecter with SPF 20 (Clear) - $10 full retail value

Spafinder Callous Remover - $10 full retail value

Spafinder Gel Eye Mask - $10 full retail value

These items will be divided up for the Blogging carnival winner AND a winner at Mamavation TV.

Wow!!! Thank you so much Lori! I love Avon item's. I actually used to be an Avon rep myself back in the day. I had to stop because I was buying more products than I was selling. Lol.

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over twitter.

Getting back on track!

 This week went somewhat better. My overall fitness and eating was alot better. However, I felt extremely lazy this week. Even today as I write this I didn't really want to sit down and write it. I didn't make time for alot of things this week and, totally regret it. I HAVE to make these things priority this week.

Get in more exercise

Eat more clean

Make time to post at least 2 times on my blog.

Make time to visit other Mamavation posts.

Make time to show my support to the other sisters on Twitter!!

The scale pic doesn't look to horrible but, considering I'm loosing the pounds I just gained the past week, I'm not completely happy with it. Total this week I lost 6lbs. These 6lbs make up the overall 17.5lbs lost since joining Mamavation. Not to shabby I'd say!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.
SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Rachel Steffen @RachelSteffen for being the Sista of the Week! Rachel has always been there for me!! She is such a kind person. She def deserved this title!! Congrats girl!
 
BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Gruve Solution. The Gruve is a handy little gadget that learns your body mechanics and then helps you burn more caloris throughout the day. Basically, it monitors how many calories you are burning and encourages you to burn more throughout the day by taking more steps, etc. And then it starts to vibrate on you when you are sitting too long. If you would like to be entered to win one please visit Mamavation's site and sign up to participate in this weeks Mamavation TV!
 
SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over twitter. (Or later if I get swamped) I can't thank the Sistahood enough for the kind support they have given me the past 3 months now!!
 

See everyone on Mamavation TV!

What a week..

This past week has been the worst pretty horrible. Yep, I'm admitting it. I am in fact human. Last week I didn't exercise like I had been, I didn't eat the best and, I definitely didn't feel the best.  My niece and nephew came to visit me and, this turned our world a little upside down. Going to the pool almost all day every day and, to the zoo made it hard for me to concentrate on eating as good as I was. Don't get me wrong I didn't veg out on a bunch of bad food it just wasn't nearly as good as it has been. I now know some weaknesses of mine and know I need to pack healthy snacks. I was beating myself up all weekend. I know what it is I have to do so, I'm over the pouting and downing myself. It's a new week.

Let me tell you though, I so know now that not exercising make me feel like crap. I felt slow and sluggish all week. I can't wait to get back to the gym and sweat!! It also didn't help I had almost no time to get on twitter. I missed my #mamavation ladies. I can't wait to catch up with everyone.

So here's to a better week this week!!

My Scale pic:

Yep, that's right as a result to my not so good eating and, not being as active I gained 5.5lbs. I knew I was either going to maintain this week or gain a bit but, wasn't expecting that much. Bye Bye 5.5 lbs I'm going to lose you this week!
 

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

Tonight we chat with special guest Carla Binberg, a.k.a. @Mizfitonline you can find her blog on my right sidebar! I am super excited to hear if she has any special tips on training to run a race. As you all know I will be running my first 5k in August!

We are also going to be chatting with Katy Bowman. Katy is a bio mechanical scientist and, the creator of the Aligned and Well DVD series providing simple, mechanical solutions to diseases commonly associated with aging. I hope to hear from her about ways to prevent injury while training to run 3 races by my goal date of  Dec. 5th.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: And a BIG congratulations to Rita @lovelyritaann for being the Sista of the Week! Yay!! I LOVE Rita!! She always takes the time to visit my blog and, give me some big words of motivation. Way to go Rita!! 

See everyone tonight!!

Sweating buckets and, Date night!

It's that time again... Mamavation Monday!!

This week, I felt went really good for me. I started off the week with a kickboxing class and, ended the week off with the Mamavation EA active lower body workout. Holy hell that workout is rough. I was sweating buckets.

As far as my food intake this week, I felt it was pretty on point as well. I did indulge in a piece of lemon blueberry cake at my in laws on Sunday but, nothing worth getting upset over. I had a date night Saturday  at Bone Fish which is one of my fav restaurants and, I actually did really well at choosing healthy options. I opted for the long fin tilapia plain with a side of veggies. The waiter asked me what kinds of sauce I wanted on the fish and, I asked if I could get it plain. He looked at me like I was the worst person ever but, I did not regret my decision. The fish was still fantastic.

I always weigh-in on Friday morning but, this week I was eager to see the scale earlier. See, I had been working out alot this week and last and, I was super excited to see if the pounds were melting off. I decided to jump on the scale Thursday morning and was SHOCKED at what I saw. I weighed in at 179!!! That is a 9 lb weightloss!! I have never lost that much weight in one week. I immediately got on twitter and DMed Leah. She told me to give her a call and, we chatted about weather or not I was eating enough. She assured me that I was eating enough that it was probably just due to all the extra sweat sessions I was putting in. She did warn me though that since it was such a drastic weight drop I might gain some weight next week or even gain some muscle weight. I am ok with that I need some muscle on this body! LOL. She did point out to me that I should probably start keeping track of my calorie intake. I am going to shoot to eat around 1600 calories. I will let everyone know how that goes. I ended up losing 1 more lb by the time I took my picture on Friday! 10 lb weightloss overall this week Wahoo!

I am super excited that something is actually working for a change. I feel in the groove and ready to get fit!!

Here's my scale pic and, a cute little "Biggest Loser" style scale I doodled up!

I hope all my Sista's have a fantastic week!

Now on to some Housekeeping!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: Congrats go to Lori @gutimom for being the Sista of the Week! Yay! She so deserves this!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Chiquita Banana. They are giving away a VIB (Very Important Blogger) Basket, stuffed with all sorts of goodies.

I usually eat a banana every morning on my drive to the gym. I don't like to workout on a lot of food so a banana is just great! Keeps me fueled for the workout but doesn't make me get an upset stomach. Both my boys LOVE banana's.We also love all the little snack packs of fruit they make. My fav is the pineapple bites! Yumm! So, if we win this basket it will be in good hands!

SISTAHOOD: If you are interested in pledging to the Mamavation Sistahood, Monday is the time to do it. Please go here for instructions. Invitations are done on Wednesdays over twitter.

 

Nervously..excited

Today is the day @bookieboo makes the final 5 choices for the Mamavation mom campaign 5. I am so nervous to read her decision yet, so excited to continue on in the Mamavation mom journey if chosen or to compete in the move it and loose it campaign.

This week I faced a couple challenges. First of all I ended up hurting my bicep muscle in my good ole Body Pump class and ended up having to take an extra rest day. Lesson learned though, make sure you take a rest day in between Body Pump classes or you will regret it. Secondly as you all know it's the 4th of July weekend. I didn't binge eat but, I didn't eat exceptionally healthy like I should have. Saturday and Sunday I had deserts after my meal and, I'm not even a big dessert eater. I did drink lots of water due to the extremely hot temps here in Maryland. Then to top of my week Sunday after lunch I started feeling sick to my stomach and getting a sharp pain around my chest. This lasted all night I'm pretty sure that it is my ulcer back in action. So I didn't eat any of my healthy snacks or even dinner last night. I did wake up at 4 am still feeling pains but, also hunger pains so I did eat a slice of wheat bread.

So even though my food consumption wasn't on par. My fitness was pretty good with the exception of an extra off day. I made sure to hit the gym 5 days out of the 6 planned.

My goals for next week are to get in 6 days of exercise and to continue to eat healthy.

As far as the campaign goes, I just wanted to wish all the ladies good luck. This group of ladies are the best and I give all the credit in the world to @bookieboo for having to make this decision. No matter who gets chosen I will continue in my goals as well as helping to support the ladies chosen!!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: Congrats to @MMScarlett for being the Sista of the Week!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by @BSkinz. BSkinz is a fitness line for women full of patterned and colorful compression wear. The winner of this week's blogging carnival will get a bottom and sports bra of their choosing. The value will be about $50. @BSkinz look extremely cute, I would love to win these to wear to my 1st 5k in August!

Now for my Weigh in!!

I LOST 3lbs!! Wahoo!

I'm hooked...

On Body Pump that is!! Today was my first time trying a class out at my new gym. The class of choice was Body Pump. Holy crap!! This was such an awesome workout. I was in lots of pain but, not bad pain it was that I can feel it working pain. I'm instantly hooked.

So what is a Body Pump class? Here's what their website has to say.

"BODYPUMP™ is the original barbell class that strengthens your entire body. This 60-minute workout challenges all your major muscle groups by using the best weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls. Great music, awesome instructors and your choice of weight inspire you to get the results you came for – and fast! Like all the LES MILLS™ programs, a new BODYPUMP™ class is released every three months with new music and choreography."

We did Body Pump 60 today. We did squats, cleans & presses, dips, triceps, biceps, lounges, shoulders, abs and, ending with a cool down of stretches. It was fantastic. The one thing I would suggest is if this is something you would like to do a couple times a week I would invest in some weight lifting gloves. The bar did hurt my hands a little. If anyone has any recommendations on weight lifting gloves let me know!

Here are a couple videos of what it was like. If you have the chance to try one of the Body Pump classes I would highly recommend it.

Today I went to my NEW gym to get a fitness evaluation. I sat down with the trainer and, went over what my goals were and struggles. First of all I want everyone to know on the questioner there was a question that asked me how motivated on a scale of 1-10 I was. Thanks to all my new friends I’ve made through the Sistahood I am happy to say I wrote down a 10. Better yet, after the trainer read my answers he asked me why I was so motivated. I told him I joined an online support and motivation group where moms get together through social media and motivate and inspire each other. I was so happy and excited to tell him my secret. He said WOW! I wish all moms had that to fall on. I told him I too felt the same way. I wish that I had found Mamavation sooner.

So we finished up the evaluation with a little cardio work on the treadmill, some kettle bell, balance testing, squats, lunges, pushup test and a couple flexibility test. I am happy to announce I did pretty good. My balance and strength were all in the average level. Something he felt I would benefit working on was my core strength and, my flexibility. I assured him I have always been horrible with flexibility. I remember in elementary and middle school doing the toe touch test and doing poorly. Lol. He than assured me this would change and, I had to have faith. I was overall very happy with my performance. I thought I was going to be intimidated and shy but, I overcame that and kept reminding myself why I was doing this.

I got a lot of support while I was at the gym. People I didn’t know stopped me asked if I was joining the training program and spoke very highly of the work the trainers did there. It seemed very friendly and homey feeling. I loved it!!

And, can you believe I’m saying this…I can’t wait to go back!!

Some notes from the Fitness Evaluation

Need to work on core strengthening.

Need to spend more time stretching after workout especially hamstrings & calves.

1 min assessment push ups: 22

Plank assessment 30 secs

I highly recommend everyone to get one of these assessments done if you are able to. It definitely showed me what I need to work on. I showed me that the goals I set are very reachable and not set out of reach to where I will be disappointed. So here is to reaching my goal of 145lbs!!

Sticky Notes and Scale Pics

Congrats to all the ladies who are applying to The Mamavation campaign #5. All the ladies got up on Camera tonight to tell everyone a little about themselves and to, tell everyone why they want to be the next Mamavation mom. Everyone did so well! I think all of us moms are here competing for the same reasons. We are all un-healthy and want to be role models for our children. We all want to show our families what its like to live a healthy lifestyle.

Leah said a couple fantastic things tonight. “Your weight is only temporary. It does NOT define who you are.” This is so very true!! I love this quote so much that tonight I wrote it up on a sticky and taped it to my bathroom mirror just to keep reminding myself. She also made it quiet clear she wants to see that you are already making a difference.

So today I finally signed up to a gym! I am very excited about this. I am especially excited to take the Body Pump class!! I meet with the trainer tomorrow so he can do their introductory speech with me and show me around. I’ll let everyone know how that goes.

Lastly but most importantly, I need to show everyone out there. How important winning Mamavation mom means to be. (As if my shy self getting on cam isn’t enough) lol. Also how much it means to me to be one of the top 2.

Here it is with out further Adieu!! The infamous toe pic and measurements!!

Oh, and this pic was so last moment so I promise next week the toe pic will be 100% better!!

This will be my official Mamavation starting weight: 193lbs.

My Measurements:
Right Leg: 25in
Left Leg: 26 in.
Right Arm: 12.5 in.
Left Arm: 12 in.
Waist: 36 in.
Hips: 44 in.
Bust: 40 in.

Failure and Goals

After writing out my last post I realized it was the first time I had ever told someone a goal I wanted to accomplish. I have always felt uncomfortable speaking of goals I had set for myself for fear of not meeting my goals and failing. Since I have joined Mamavation a lot has changed. I’m not afraid to tell my fellow sista’s my goals. I know I wont fail. I know that they will not let me fail. I know there are a lot of other moms out there who do not have a support system at home like myself. If you are reading this and you are not a part of the sistahood, please consider joining. The support you receive is phenomenal.

I want everyone to see my goals I have set for myself so that you can help me reach them!!

Overall Goals

10%: 19.5lbs loss

Halfway: 25lbs loss

Pre-pregnancy weight: 150lbs

Ultimate Goal: 145lbs

2010 Fitness Goals

Run 5k under 35min

Run 5k under 30 min

Run 3 Races

So there you go, I can’t run away from it now. I can’t wait to come back here and cross these bad boys off the list!!

If you would like to check out Mamavation, Monday's are a great time for you to do so!

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV

SISTA OF THE WEEK: Yay! Congratulations go out to Rachel Lacy @Rachel_L for being the Sista of the Week!! Rachel was one of the biggest reason's I joined Mamavation. Seeing Rachel and Kim's  videos and hearing them speak about the support they had was so inspirational!

This week Mamavation Tv is being sponsored yet again by @subwayfreshbuzz You can never go wrong with Subway! My fav at the momment is their new Orchard Chicken salad sub!! Yummy! Also, this week Shay Sorrells a contestant from Biggest Loser will be on Mamavation TV!! Shay will let all us moms in on how she handles working out, eating right and, living a healthy life all while being a mom!!(Oh did I mention she's also participating in the NYC Marathon, Wow! )I can't wait!! Come join me!

Help A Sista Out!!

Sitting down to write this blog I wanted so badly to be like a lot of the ladies and, shout out a weight loss. However, I realized today I never weighed myself at the start of Mamavation. So I really don’t know how much weight I have lost or if any. I will weigh myself, take my measurements and get those up for everyone.

I don’t know if this happens to you ladies or not but sometimes I get on the scale it says one number I get off the scale thinking "Really, do I really weigh that?" I will move the scale back down to the floor, get back on and, it says another number. I don’t know, maybe its time for a new scale!! Maybe I will use my Wii scale it’s pretty accurate right?

I think that my diet was pretty consistent this week. Stayed away from the sugars and, junk food. Late night snacking is pretty much gone from my life as of lately. If I do decide I need one I’ve been reaching for a handful of almonds..Yumm! I’ve been following my menu I made for the week and it went very well. Being prepared really helps. This time around though I think I’m going to do them 2 weeks at a time and make the grocery list a head of time. I think it will help me with seeing what we have extra of and, what were missing. The hot temps around here have made it very simple for me to drink all my water. I am downing it bottle after bottle. Lol. Even my oldest has been asking for it more and more.

If you notice on the left hand side I have added my google calendar to my blog. This is to help hold myself to a planned workout. It also emails me a reminder. So, If your not busy during the day after of course you've gotten in your workout visit my blog, look at my training calendar and please HELP A SISTA OUT send me a nice little message on twitter saying “Shannon have you ran your 3 miles today?” Or, “Shannon get your butt in gear get on that Wii fit and tackle those 30 minutes.” This would help out lots!!
Oh and, follow my blog...do it..right now...you know you want to!!

Wish I looked this good using the jogging Stroller!

We visited the park twice this week and took a walk as a family it was nice to chat and get some exercise in. I have a new found respect for all those jogging stroller mommas out there. Pushing 60lbs of children and, another 20 or so lbs of the stroller is a lot of work. I was hurting afterwards. If you read my previous post, you know my shins have been killing me. I’ve iced them like crazy and now am taking it slow cross training and walking. I’m going to attempt to run again this week starting a little slower to see how it goes.

Goals for this week:

Follow my training schedule

Continue to make better food choices

Attempt to run again

Buy a pedometer to track my steps

Buy a measuring tape to measure my inches

Find a fun run for Big C to enter

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

SISTA OF THE WEEK: Congrats to CJ @CJinKY for being the Sista of the Week! Thanks for all the support CJ your such a sweet person!!

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Flatout Bread. You NEED to check out their website if you haven’t already. It has so many great recipes and, their blog has some of the best fitness and safety tips out there!! At my house we LOVE the 5 Grain Flax Fold It’s for our Turkey Burgers!! Their only 100 cals and whopping 9g of PROTEIN!! I love my protein :) My favorite snack is to cut the Flatbread’s up and toast them a little in the oven to make them warm and crispy. I then dip them in my favorite hummus. Yumm!!
Flatout Bread is giving away 4 baskets with lots of goodies on Mamavation TV tonight! I hope I get a chance to win this basket and, try some of the products I haven’t tried yet!!