The Heat is On...

I leave Saturday for Phoenix & my schedule is completely topsy turvy this week!

I did complete upper body & cardio sessions on my own Monday night. I’m pleased with the progress that I have made with the different workouts. I am able to increase the weights, time put in & calories burned. I am challenging myself more with each session & excited to see the final results at the end of the program.

Today, I’ll be doing a full body workout at Fitness Together. Although I know they’ll work me hard, I know it will be good & I always enjoy working out in the gym with the team. I thankful that they are working with me & my schedule so even though I will be away, my progress in the program will not delay.

Patti & I are planning to work out together on Thursday & I plan to use the workout facilities &/or pool that are available at the hotel in Phoenix. God is good & I’m so thankful for the many opportunities He has given me.

Many Blessings,

Jenn

Playin' Catch Up on Posts

From Saturday, July 23

So I’m a little behind on the blogging. Life has got super busy with work & working out.

Transitioning to doing most of the workouts on my own was definitely more of a challenge this week. I’ve been getting so busy preparing for Phoenix that it’s harder to get everything in as the countdown continues. The stress has also made it harder to eat as well as I should.

I really enjoyed the nutrition session information that I received. I know I will be able to put it to good use. I also really enjoyed our first group workout together. I was definitely sweating after the upper body session & then we had a lower body session. So by the end of our workout, I was definitely worn out. I felt great though & I’m looking forward to the future group workout sessions. However, I will be missing the next two sessions since I will be in Phoenix. I know the long hours & heat will be a workout in itself so I’m pretty sure that I’ll be a few more pounds down when I return in August.

Today I also enjoyed spending some time getting to know Patti during a window shopping trip to Macy’s & lunch at HuHot. We had a wonderful time talking about the challenge & I learned about another great, healthy restaurant. We’re also going to work out together this week & I’m really looking forward to it.

What a blessing it is to be a part of such a great program where I’m learning how to live a healthier life & making great friends at the same time. Thanks, God!

Many Blessings,

Jenn

Mixing Up Week 6

Week 6 has been a wacky one. To make sure we are not getting too set into our routines with the Better U Challenge, our workouts were changed up this week & we also took mid-way assessments.

My assessment took place Thursday and I was extremely excited with the results. The majority of my tests and measurements improved. Since this is a heart healthy makeover, I'm glad to report that my resting heart rate improved from 80 to 72 while my beats per minute decreased from 150 to 114 after the 3-minute step test. Weight was officially down 6 lbs. on Thursday; however, it was down 10 lbs. today. Even more exciting, my body fat percentage was down 10.4 percent, lean weight has increased 14 percent and fat weight has lowered 28 percent. My waistline was down almost 2 inches. Amazing results and an amazing blessing! So with these results, I am looking forward to the final assessment.

Workouts this week were switched up. As previously stated, Monday was my full body workout at Fitness Together, then we were supposed to do cardio, upper and lower body workouts on our own. I did cardio on Wednesday, Friday and today. The lower body workout was Friday and upper body was today. I know the switch up was good because I was sore sooner and possibly sweat more.

Although I wasn't able to wrap everything until today I'm very pleased since I had such a busy week outside of the Better U Challenge. Week 7 will also be a change as we will not have a workout with FT until Saturday and that will be a group training/workout session. Looking forward to seeing what's in store and how I am able to begin managing the workouts and routines on my own. I know it will be very beneficial to me keeping up the pace after the program ends.

Thank you all for your encouragement, prayer and support. You're very much appreciated!

Many Blessings,

Jenn

Burnin' Up & Burnin' Calories

We've reached the mid-way mark in the Better U Challenge & I am so excited!

I did a great full body workout including push-ups, pull-downs, t-steps, wall sits, knee ups & more. So I was definitely sweating from the heat & the workout & it felt good! Even though it came with a horrible burn, I completed the 45-second wall sits while lifting weights & it was definitely a greater challenge than just the normal 30-second sit. It's so exciting to see the improvement & Thursday I will definitely find out the results of my healthy eating & workouts.

Thursday will be my mid-program assessments. So I will be doing all of the fitness tests again & I can't wait to see how many inches I've lost. I've never been so excited to do physical fitness tests in my life! So thankful for the wonderful team of trainers at Fitness Together.

Hoping to also see the numbers go down on the "official scale" on Thursday. With the added snacks & heat, I've noticed the numbers going down again on the scale. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the "official report" says. It's been fluctuating this month; however, I know it's been thanks to the adjusting of the eating & muscle building. So it's all good.

Last but certainly not least, I want to wish my best friend from high school, Heather, a very Happy Birthday!!! She's a huge encouragement to me & I'm so looking forward to participating in a 5K with her in the near future! Love you, girl!

Have a blessed mid-week, friends & family!

Many Blessings,
Jenn

Goin' 90 to nothin'

I survived the crazy, awesome holiday week!

Got home about an hour ago from spending the weekend with family in St. Louis! We had a great time & I was able to stick to my guns & eat healthy, even at the ballpark! We took healthy snacks to eat on the road & at the park thanks to my wonderful Momma. She prepared grapes, cantaloupe, marshmallows, popcorn, and a trail mix for us. Thanks, Momma! Loved, loved, loved seeing the family & enjoying the game together. Stayed overnight & was able to visit today. We were even treated with a call from the cousins in Florida. So we had a fantastic time!

The trip was definitely the reward for a great, short holiday week. I completed all my workouts, including my hardest workout on Thursday at FT. I was worn out Thursday but felt great. I completed the circuit that included ball squats, high steps, dead lifts, planks, and more. The first round was good & each round definitely got harder! I began sweating heavily after the completion of the second round & it took me a little while to catch my breath after the third & final round. Even though I was truly tested & worn out, I was thrilled to know that I could do it. 

The full body & cardio were done Friday night & then I attended the nutrition class on Saturday morning. I'm really enjoying the classes. We're getting very valuable, applicable information. Suggestions for meals & snacks were given this week along with comparisons of the healthy & not-so-healthy choices. Lots of great information was received & I'm looking forward to putting it to good use. Glad to be able to spend time with my fellow Better U ladies, getting to know them & encouraging each other along the way.

So I'm very thankful for a wonderful week & looking forward to the week ahead! We're changing things up this week with the program. We'll be doing a full body workout tomorrow, then taking mid-program assessments for the second session. I'm really looking forward to seeing my progress! On my own this week, I will doing the upper & lower body workouts, as well as the 360 cardio sessions.

Have a happy, healthy week!

Many Blessings,

Jenn

A Happy, Healthy Fourth with the Family

Week 5 of the challenge is underway and is going to be a little bit harder just with the holiday in the mix. I'm so amazed by the progress of this program in such a short time. I've got a few photos of my change through the last 17 months on Facebook in the "Jenn's Weight Loss Journey" album; however, I'm looking forward to seeing what God has for me through the rest of the challenge and following. Hope to post some new shots again soon before I leave for PHX. I'm so thankful for the blessings that God has given me through this journey. It's truly amazing. I know it's almost like a broken record that I "sing" every post; however, I really can't thank Him enough!

Last week, after blogging I finished up my weekly workouts with the full body and cardio workouts. I'm just in awe at the new energy God has given me. I definitely feel healthier and almost younger if that's possible. I know I certainly feel better than when I was younger and I haven't felt this good in about seven years. God is good and He has a time and place for everything. He hasn't let me down nor is He ever going to let me down. He's led my family through so many trials and He's going to lead us through more mountains and valleys, and now I have even more strength to endure the climb.

I enjoyed spending time with my family so much yesterday. I think we spent about five hours around my Great  Aunt's kitchen table telling stories and "catching up." I was pretty good at eating yesterday but I know also that I have to live and there's always going to be holidays; I just have to know when to stop. However, as sweet as those times are, there's always a bittersweet sadness in the air as we share the stories and think of all our loved ones who have gone before us. I definitely had a few moments yesterday thinking of the many holidays that I spent similarly around the table at my Nanny's (Dad's mom) in Granby. We could sit for hours there too. We would tell stories and play games of Liverpool Rummy and Backup on the board that my Pop made with his own drill. Yesterday also the fourth month since my Uncle Greg passed. Since March, my Grandma has had both of her boys with her in Heaven. 

The memories I have of my family, the great times I share with my family today and the hopes of having my own family someday are definitely a great motivation for me to keep going in this journey. It's hard to believe that we've already completed a month of the challenge but it's been wonderful and I'm looking forward to finishing strong. Today I completed my first two workouts of the week. I did upper body exercises including the bar push-ups, bench press weights, overhead weights, and even those crazy jumping jacks. I don't know how long it's been since I've done jumping jacks but I did today, and of course I was thrilled to be able to box today. Then, I also completed the 30-minute cardio. Didn't want to add too much today thanks to the heat and the need to get stuff to done. Because of the holiday and the fact that we're seeing family this weekend also, it's definitely going to be more of a challenge this week to get in all six of the workouts. 

It's going to be worth the extra work though to have more energy to run around with my not-so-little cousins and walk around the ballpark with my Mom, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. I'm hoping to get in another cardio session tomorrow evening. Then do my lower body workout on Thursday and complete the full body and cardio workouts on Friday night. My expectations are high and my inspirations are even higher.

Hope you all enjoyed your time with family and friends.

Many Blessings,

Jenn

Energized

It's been a great but busy week and it's just going to get busier. I'm going full speed ahead with the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Better U Challenge along with working full-time, and trying to fit in all of my other normal activities. It's a jam-packed summer and I'm loving it! To cap it off, my wonderful co-workers & I will be leaving for Phoenix in less than a month. I can't wait to see what God has in store for PHX!

After completing the first nutrition class last Saturday, it's been a full week of trying to incorporate nutrition, training & cardio. I've been encouraged to keep track of what I've been eating. It's not the simplest thing but I've been doing pretty good on plugging the info into my phone. It's definitely harder to add more, healthier calories. However, I've been working on my nutrition for a while and within time, I know I will be able to make the necessary changes to have the complete heart healthy fitness package.

I've completed 2 training & 2 cardio workouts this week. The workouts are definitely becoming more intense and I think I am keeping up the pace. Thursday was full of lower body and abdominal exercises, including lots of squats, lunges, wall sits & more. During the post-workout stretch I got to do some boxing again & I love boxing! It's so much fun! I also completed 3.25 miles during my cardio session last night. The workout took less than 70 minutes & I was very encouraged. In March, I participated in the Walk for MS with my friend, Jess, & we completed 3 miles in 70 minutes. So the fact that I was able to do the 3.25 in less than 70 minutes is definitely a great improvement. I'm so excited!

Equally as exciting is the report that I had on the scales this morning! According to my scale, which is not as accurate as Fitness Together's, I am officially down 110 lbs. since February 2010! I could not be more excited, energized & so thankful for this amazing opportunity that God has placed in my life! This is going to sound so corny but I feel like I have enough excitement and energy to burst like a firecracker, & it's all thanks to God! He has given me this amazing desire & strength to conquer this struggle. I have never been more encouraged & determined to make a change in my life & God has completely given me more than I could even think of, ask for, or imagine & it's not over yet! (Sorry for all the exclamation points, I'm just a little excited. :) )

Thank you all for your tremendous support; I appreciate it more than I could ever express. Love you all & hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend with your family & friends!

Many Blessings,
Jenn