Back to the start!

It's been about four and a half months of no Tracy. I went through some big changes, moved into a new apartment, started walking the 30 minutes home from work or my best friend's apartment as often as possible, somehow managed to lose about 15 lbs. Got a three-month gym membership, went once and realized that if I have to commute to do my workout, it's not going to get done. ("Staying home is the new going out in fitness," right?)

Last night, I was talking to my roommate about Tracy and she wanted to try it, so this afternoon, we threw our yoga mats down and did the MS for Level 1...

All of my love/hate came roaring back. I sweat so much that the hair at the nape of my neck was wet, my face was dripping, and I LOVED IT. I loved doing these moves that I had missed. I loved realizing that my body is stronger than I think. I loved waking up muscles that I had forgotten about, remembering the changes that I saw in my body when I started. I loved seeing my roommate struggling - okay, I know that sounds like an awful thing to say, but what I mean is that it reminded me of my own struggle when I first started, and it showed me that I HAVE come a way from where I was, and that I'll continue to move forward.

But I hated (in a love way) the torture of the workout, the knowledge that each level is going to get progressively harder - even though I look forward to it, suddenly.

I'd really like to start running, but I'll have to start small since I don't have the endurance to do much and I know my feet and legs always hurt a lot because my ankles overpronate and I don't have good shoes.

So I think my goal will be to do Tracy's MS 2-3x a week working up to 5-6x a week, and to start jogging (maybe with the Couch to 5K app) for 20-30 minutes 2-3x a week. I want to start small and build from there because I want to set myself up for success.

And now, to go catch up on all of your lovely blogs!

(I'll try to get measurements done soon, so I can have a point of reference for this new journey!)

Metamorphosis, day 10!!!!

I made it to day 10!!!! And it only took me 18 days, hahahaha. But still, I'm proud of myself, especially because I almost didn't do my day 10 workout today - I didn't sleep very much or very well last night, because one of the boys I was babysitting for the slumber party kept talking/yelling in his sleep and waking me up, and I was so exhausted today. I ended up taking a three-hour nap and got my workout in this evening, which was different for me, since I usually work out in the morning or late afternoon. But I'm glad I did it.

I don't know if I'll be able to start level 2 tomorrow, since I'm working an 8-hour shift instead of my usual 4 - but we'll see if I feel up to working out when I get home. I do have Tuesday - Friday off, though, so I think that'll give me a great start on level 2, with no interruptions. I haven't previewed level 2 yet, I'm kind of nervous but excited as well.

And speaking of excitement, let me share my new measurements with you! I added some new ones (taking both thighs and arms instead of just on the left side, and the ever-confusing left bikini, right bikini).

Measurements, day 10:

weight: 199.2 (-1.8 lbs)

bust (cup): 41" (no change)

bust (band): 32" (-.75")

arm (L): 12 (-1")

arm (R): 13"

waist (smallest part): 32" (no change)

stomach (belly button) 41.5" (+.5")

hips: 44.5" (-.5")

thigh (L): 23" (no change)

thigh (R): 23"

bikini (L): 26"

bikini (R) 26.5"

Considering how long it took me to get through level 1, and the fact that I'm not following a food plan, and that I took so many rest days, I'm pretty pleased with those results! Of course, I want to beat them for level 2, so I'll have to push myself harder and make it happen, but we're off to a good start, I think.

Metamorphosis, day 9.

I actually did my workout today - kinda. I must confess that I dragged through (most of) the MS, and then did a measly 8 minutes of cardio before giving up. I'm certain that I'm coming down with a cold, I even had to stop between my leg sets so that I could go make some fresh cantaloupe-orange juice to take my grapefruit seed extract with, because I felt sure that if I didn't take it RIGHT THEN, I was going to die. (Have I mentioned that I'm even more dramatic than usual thanks to PMS?)

However, I did walk a good hour at least, today, since I packed a whole bunch of errands into my afternoon. Well, not so much errands, more like picking up my pay cheque, getting my eyebrows done, a visit to my hairdresser's, and an Adam Cohen show to cap off my evening (it was fantastic, I even allowed myself a glass of white wine because I was feeling so fancy and grown up). Walking's not exactly the same pace for cardio, but hey, it's better than nothing, right?

My next workout will be DAY 10, the end of level one (!!!) and, unfortunately, I think it's going to have to wait until Sunday. I'm working tomorrow, and after my shift at work, I'm babysitting a slumber party, which means that I'll be sleeping over at the family's house, too. And I really want to get in a good, solid, day 10 workout, not half-ass it, so I think I'll wait until I get home on Sunday so I can power through it and then do measurements. But I'm making it my mission to get through level two more quickly than I made it through level one, at least!

Metamorphosis, day 8.

Took ANOTHER rest day yesterday because I was just completely wiped, I was in bed around 8:30 PM (even though I did stay up reading Harry Potter for an hour or two). This morning, I hopped back on the wagon - but it was definitely one of those days where I kept thinking how much I HATE Tracy! Which isn't even a little bit true, for the record. I'm just grumpy.

I'm already feeling the burn in my butt from today's workout, which is fantastic, even if I was hardly able to get through MS and only did 15 minutes of cardio today. I'm also kind of amazed at the muscles I feel in my arm already - I've been working with 1 lb. weights, but my goal is to move up to 3 lbs. when I get to level 2.

I'm going to keep this a short post because I still haven't eaten yet... but I do want to mention that I'm thinking of trading in my BlackBerry, with its cracked screen, for an iPhone 4S soon - it would be great to be able to take and share pictures easily here - do any of you have an iPhone? What are your thoughts?

Metamorphosis, day 7.

My unexpected days off seem to have a habit of snowballing - fortunately, I stopped the cycle and actually DID my workout today, even though I'm PMSing and I think I'm coming down with a cold. But I realized that, you know what, it's not always going to be easy to get my workout in. In fact, more often than not, it's hard as hell. There are obstacles, I'll have time management issues, things will come up, I won't feel good or I just won't want to - but I have to remember that I'm doing this for ME. I don't want to be at this same place this time next year, thinking "Man, if I'd kept with it a year ago, I'd be so much closer to my goal by now (or maybe even reached it)!"

That said, getting back on the Tracy train was haaaard today. I split up my cardio but I still only managed about twenty minutes, because I kept having to stop and start. And where I was starting to feel like the 1 lb. weight I was using for arms wasn't enough, I definitely felt the weight of it again today. Everything was harder than it was where I left off, which, I guess, is totally normal, considering I took FOUR DAYS off (oops!)

Still, it's kind of amazing that today marks one week of workouts. Only three more days on level one, and then I'm movin' on up, which is totally exciting! I'll do measurements and everything on day 10, but I'm not expecting much considering how this first level went. Still, it feels good to look forward to getting through the first ten days and making more of a commitment.

Metamorphosis, day 6.

Took another unscheduled rest day yesterday, because I got home from work and running errands around 5:30 and decided that I was going to take a nap for an hour or so, since I'd only slept maybe five or six hours the night before - but I slept through my alarm and woke up at 9:30 PM! I read a little Harry Potter and went back to bed, and I ended up sleeping a looooong-ass time. My body must have been really worn out.

That said, I think I'll just take yesterday as my "official" rest day, since it was supposed to be tomorrow. I don't mind giving myself two rest days a week instead of just one, if I need it, especially this early in the game.

Just finished my workout - did 15 minutes of cardio before my MS, then pulled through the MS - abs on the floor made me really dizzy so I took it easy there, but I actually managed to do that one leg exercise that I can never get through! Only 15 reps, but still, that's a major improvement from 1 or 2, haha. And then I did another, er, 13 minutes of cardio after MS. I really think this splitting my cardio up before and after thing is helping a lot, even though it was definitely harder to get through post-MS this time around.

It's also so weird to think that tomorrow, I'll be one week into my method workouts, and then only a few more days until I'm finished level one and onto level two... it's scary, but exciting at the same time!

Metamorphosis, day 5.

Took an unscheduled rest day yesterday, because I worked a longer shift and then spent a few hours with my best friend. I had the day off today, and I was thinking it might be another unscheduled rest day, but I changed into my workout clothes when I got out of bed and after a few hours, I FINALLY got off my lazy butt and did it.

I started with cardio on my rebounder (I usually do MS first), thinking that switching them up might make it easier to get through half an hour, but nope, I still only managed 15 minutes. Then I decided I was going to try to learn Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease routine (ha ha ha), so I did the warm up for that and was just about to start the actual routine when my brother got home. I was thoroughly bored by that time (granted, it WAS just the warm up, so it was meant to be slow), so I popped in my Tracy and did my MS - actually managed 25 reps on most of the leg moves, and 30 REPS on the last two, yay! And I even managed to get through one of the leg moves that was really, really hard for me before (the one where you pull your knee to your side and then straighten and pulse twice), which made me feel really good about myself - but the move after that (the leg straight out to the side with a bounce and then pull your knee back in) still killed me, I actually skipped it today, oops.

AND THEN. I did ANOTHER 15 minutes of cardio on my rebounder! WHAT?! Yes, that's right, I actually did a full 30 minutes total, WHICH WAS AMAZING. I sweat so much more than usual and I felt GREAT about it. I think I might try splitting my cardio in two, before and after MS, until I can do the full 30 minutes at once.

So all in all, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for today's workout, and actually HOPING I feel the burn tomorrow - I'm starting to miss it!

Metamorphosis, day 4.

So today was another "maybe I should take an extra rest day" day. I dragged through arms and most of abs, then said fuck it and skipped legs on the condition that I banged out 15 minutes of cardio.

I think my low energy is partly a mental roadblock, partly the regular slump after starting a new exercise routine, and partly because I haven't exactly been feeding myself very well. My fridge is practically empty, so I've been eating a lot of oven-roasted potatoes, and I made brownies today in honor of my best friend coming over. Definitely going to have to pick up some groceries soon and start following Tracy's meal plan - or, at the very least, forcing myself to eat better! I can't quit so soon - or at all!

I think I might pull out the old "vision scrapbook" that I'd started and try to paste a few more fitspirational pictures and words in there... maybe that'll remind me why I'm doing this. (For ME! For my health and fitness! Because I've put it off long enough, damnit!)

Metamorphosis, day 3.

I had to get up early for work today, so I didn't get my workout in this morning, which made me realize - if I don't do my workout in the morning, chances are it's not going to get done. By the time I got home, I had pretty much made up my mind that I wasn't going to do my workout, that I was going to skip it for today. But I thought of my best friend, living halfway across the world in Sweden, who told me yesterday that she had bookmarked my blog so I better update every day! and I thought to myself how sad it would be to take an undeserved rest day after only two days.

Then I got dressed and did my stupid workout. (Well, mostly.)

I did the MS, with some half-assing a few leg moves, and then I did... dun-dun-dun... only about ten minutes of cardio before I really couldn't drag myself through it anymore. I just didn't have the energy. So for that, I did give myself a break, went upstairs and took a quick bath with some Epsom salts, and resolved to put in a much better workout tomorrow morning, when I actually have the day off!

Metamorphosis, day 2.

This morning, I was so sore, especially in the ass, that I could hardly get out of bed. I love that kind of achy feeling, the kind that tells you you're really working hard, and I'm always amazed that it could feel so strongly after only one workout.

That said, I wasn't too keen on continuing the trend today, but I dragged myself out of bed and did my MS (20 reps of almost everything... the two leg exercises in the middle had me scraping by with 15 - but I did use one-pound weights for my arms this time!), and then I did 15 minutes of cardio on my rebounder while watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians (a habit I picked up after reading Mindy Kaling's Book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?). Unfortunately, I ended up watching the episode about the anniversary of the Kardashians' father's death, which wasn't too motivating. My new goal is to make it through an entire episode (22 minutes!).

Food-wise, I'm not following Tracy's plan yet, but I think I probably will as soon as I can get to a grocery store. I've been doing much better in that department in the past few weeks, eating healthily and not too much, but something about starting a new exercise program must have sent me reeling because I worked late last night and on my way home, I stopped at the grocery store and bought some total crap (cheesecake and brownie bites, oh my god). I did walk home from the grocery store, about a 20-minute walk, and I slipped and fell right on my side in the parking lot. Stupid ice, stupid winter. Anyway, I'll try to be reasonable about the desserts - oh, who am I kidding - honestly and realistically, I'll probably end up finishing the cheesecake tonight (under my usual excuse of "but at least then it'll be over and done with!") but maybe toss the brownie bites in the freezer and focus on eating healthy whole foods again. We'll see how that goes.

Metamorphosis, day 1, and an introduction.

So I finally decided to move my blog over here from Tumblr (http://hourglasspersonality.tumblr.com) , mainly because on Tumblr, I felt like I had to keep posting constantly to keep my followers, so I ended up posting and reblogging a lot of "fitspiration" pictures, which is fine, except that I wasn't focusing on my own fitness journey.

I ordered Tracy's Metamorphosis program for Christmas, but it's taken me about a month to finally get up the courage to start - and I have to admit that thinking about the next 90 days (and onward!) is a little stressful and panic-causing. But I keep reminding myself to just take it one day at a time. I'm not an athletic person AT ALL, so I don't find joy in working out (yet). I'm kind of looking at my workouts kind of like brushing my teeth - I don't have to like it, I just have to do it. That said, it did feel pretty good to work out this morning, and I'm kind of loving the ache in my arms and legs and butt (oh, how I missed you, Tracy ache).

I wanted to use this blog as a place to track my measurements and progress, and to try and hold myself accountable. So, we'll start with measurements, which I'll take every time I start a new level, so every 10 days.

Measurements, day 1:
weight: 201 lbs
bust (cup): 41"
bust (band): 32.75"
arm (L): 13"
waist (smallest part): 32"
stomach (belly button): 41"
hips: 45"
thigh (L): 23"

I feel pretty gross sharing those numbers, but I'm trying to use it as motivation to move forward! And speaking of motivation, I also wanted to share some of my goals.

My long-term fitness goal is to get down to 120-140 lbs, and a size 4-8, depending on how I look and feel when I get there. Short-term, I'm aiming to lose 10 lbs/month, but I won't beat myself up if it goes slower than that, as long as I'm doing my workouts and really pushing myself.

By the end of my first 90 days, I'd like to fit comfortably into a pair of black jeans that I have - I don't know what size they are, but I'm also trying to measure by how my clothes feel, so that will be one indication.

My birthday is at the end of August (the 24th!), and I'd really like to be at the top of my goal weight by then, so that gives me seven months to lose 60 lbs - which fits into my 10 lbs/month goal, with a little leeway.

I really want to watch myself grow stronger (especially in the arms!), not just physically but emotionally as well. I want to feel good about myself, I want to be able to take pride in taking care of myself and building a better body. I don't want to be super-skinny, just fit and toned and healthy and strong - but still curvy and with a well-defined waist - somewhere between Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Vanessa Ferlito in Death-Proof.

Now, with all of that said, let me finish on this note: I barely managed to scrape through the MS portion of today's workout. Arms were amazing, I could feel it almost right away (and I didn't even use weights at all today!), standing abs were amazingly HARD because I have no idea how to move my abs that way for some of the moves she does, but I'm learning - and legs, as usual, were the hardest for me. I could hardly get through them all, and I definitely didn't get 40 reps in on either side, more like 15 or 20 for some of those moves. But I won't give up, and I'll keep working my way up to 40 every day. As for cardio, I did 15 minutes on my rebounder and that ended in near-tears, haha. But I'm determined that even if I have to start small, my focus is just to keep building. As long as I don't quit, I can only go up from here.