Fitness Friday

Hey check that out! I kinda have some muscles! I've been noticing more definition lately and that puts me in a pretty good mood. You know what else puts me in a good mood? The rest of the results that I'm seeing.

I joined a DietBet game, which offers a monetary incentive to lose 4% of your body weight. Earlier in the week was tricky for me, though. I felt like I hit a plateau and wasn't going to be able to push through enough in time for my final weigh in next Wednesday. Luckily, and I say "luckily" due to a night of beer and another night of wine, I pushed through! I'm back on track and only have to lose about a pound by Thursday in order to split the pot with all the folks that hit their goal. So far, since starting the game on February 13th, I've lost 5 pounds!

I credit my recent success to two things. First, my healthy eating. While my alcohol intake hasn't drastically improved, I've been pretty strict with my diet. There's a saying, "Abs are made in the kitchen" and it's totally true. While I'm far from having visible abdominal muscles, I'm seeing a difference in how my body looks and feels since really cracking down on my diet. Second, changing up my work outs.

A week and a half ago, sitting on the couch after dinner, I decided to check my work email. I had a new project sent to me by my boss. Do you guys even know what I do? Have I shared that here before? Anyway, I work as a designer for a custom rhinestone apparel company. I'm fortunate enough that I can work a flexible schedule at home, which I love. Anyway, I got this project and it was for the logo of a new fitness studio that had just opened about 10 minutes away. Do you guys watch Real Housewives of Orange County? Welp, it's Tamra and Eddie's new studio, CUT Fitness. I found their website and saw that they were offering a fantastic special: your first five classes are free, with no monetary commitment. I signed up that night and went to my first class the next morning.

The class I took was 30 minutes of spin and 30 minutes of Body Pump. (RHOC fans, it was taught by Eddie.) Body Pump, being mostly a barbell class, was something completely new to me. Between that and the different style of spin, it was a really great kick in the pants that I definitely needed. I've gone back twice since to help supplement my 4 days a week at the Pilates studio and still have two more free days left that I'll use on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I definitely accredit the following numbers to adding those new workouts to my schedule.

March 8th, 2013 (-since 3/1/13, -since 1/4/13)

• Weight - 147.6 (-1.2, -6.4)
• Calf - 13.5" (-0.25, -0.25)
• Knee - 15" (-0.25, -0.25)
• Thigh - 23.75" (-0, -0.25)
• Hips/Butt - 41" (-0.5, -0.5)
• Belly - 38.75" (-0.25, -0.75)
• Waist - 30.25" (-0.25, -1.25)
• Bust - 36.25" (-0.5, -1.75)
• Arms - 11.75" (-0.25, -0.5)

Check that out! This week I've lost 1.2 pounds and 2.25 inches! I'd say that's better than last week's 2 pounds and 1.5 inches in SIX weeks. 

Now, I know my DietBet isn't over yet, but I wanted to continue to challenge myself. Lucky for me, I happened to get an invitation this morning from Lauren at Pink on the Cheek to join another DietBet! The buy in for this one is only $10 (the one I'm currently in was $20) but I think it's still enough to keep me motivated. This new one officially starts on Sunday the 10th, which means it will put my final week the same week that my family is here visiting. This will definitely be a challenge!