Box Jump

Before last fall, I had never seen The Biggest Loser. If things are really cool, I tend to stay away. Other examples you may be wondering?

Harry Potter
Twilight
Reality TV in general (I watched my first episode of American Idol about two weeks ago)

I thought the list was longer than that, but that's all I can think of right now.

Anyway, so when I was watching The Biggest Loser last season, there was this one episode where one of the contestants, Dina, couldn't jump onto this seemingly short box. Her teammate, Rudy, was yelling at her to get on the box and she just couldn't do it. I thought it was so lame at the time. I really felt like Dina could do it. And to prove that to myself, when I went to the gym in the days following, I looked for a similar box and went about hopping on it with both feet.




Yeah...turns out it wasn't that easy! As hard as I tried, I couldn't get my body to move. If I didn't know better, I would have believed my feet were glued to the floor. No matter how much my mind wanted them to, my feet wouldn't budge. I couldn't do it. And I realized how that happened to Dina on the show. I was lucky to not have Jillian Micheal screaming in my face. Or a friggin camera crew documenting my inability to conquer the box.

Fast forward a few months...

Today was a weight workout day. I'm entering week three of a six week plan. I glanced through the workout briefly before I went to the gym, but because it was mostly similar to previous workouts, I didn't look closely. So imagine my surprise when I completed my first set of glut ham raises and moved onto the next exercise and saw Box Jump - 2 Risers. Good lord. Really? I wasn't sure I was up for this. But I went after it and mastered it! It felt really good to not be afraid and to be able to do the exercise without breaking my neck. My HR got way up there and I was able to do all 4x10 sets!

My workout left me very very tired today. It didn't help that I followed it up with a 4-hour cleaning marathon. But tonight, as I sit on my sore ass, I'm happy to be watching movies and relaxing.

Two more days of this round of the game!

PS- I know this particular exercise, the box jump, looks insanely easy. But I dare you to try it the next time you're at the gym.

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Almost Three Miles!

Yes my friends, today at the gym, I ran for 2.76 miles without stopping! And it felt great! Early into my run, I wasn't sure I was feeling up for running even a mile. But I powered through and made it over two miles. Then I decided to see how much longer I could make it. It's hard to say what made me run so long.

Was it the kickass celeb sighting? Bradley Cooper is just as good looking in person as he is on the big screen. I can confirm that because as I was only minutes into my run, he was walking down the stairs to leave the gym and my are of focus was right where he was walking. It was easy for me to stare in his direction because, it was my focal point. But it wasn't all weird like "hey, I know you're famous and I'm staring at you." It was more, this is my focal point and you're in my way. It was hard to tell if I was staring at him (I was) or if I was staring through him.

Bradley Cooper or not, I ran almost three friggin' miles! I can't remember the last time I ran that much without stopping. I know for sure it was about 10 years ago.

Last week I quietly realized that I am no longer struggling with plantar fasciitis! This was something that sidelined me from yoga and made life a little more challenging and unpleasant for a long long time. It was a constant reminder that my weight was literally weighing on me too heavily and that it was preventing me from leading an active lifestyle. I don't know how long it's been since I felt pain in my feet upon waking in the morning- it's been a few weeks for sure. But it feels great and is another sign that all my hard work is paying off!

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Today's Workout- Weights

It's been a few days since I last did a weight training workout. And despite the fact that it was, yet again, really f'n busy at the gym after work, it was great to get in this workout.

Here's what I did.

Straight leg deadlifts- 3x10 (with 50lbs)


Cable overhead push- 3x10 (17.5 lbs)


Lateral pulldown- 3x10 (60 lbs)


Lateral chop- 3x10 (17.5 lbs) One of my favorite exercises!


Elliptical sprint- 3x60 seconds

Lateral lunge- 3x10


Lateral shuffle


Wide grip row- 3x10 (50 lbs)


Cable chest press- 3x10 (40 lbs)


Double leg lower- 3x10

(I was holding on to a bar behind me)

Split squat jump- 3x20

(Jumped onto a box)

Diagonal squat lifts- 3x10 (8 lb ball)


Medicine ball squat- 3x10 (10 lb ball)


I toyed with the idea of running after my weight training, but opted against it. My body was overworked in the past few days. Between Sunday - Tuesday, I managed to get in three workouts. And I took yesterday as a day off from any type of activity. My body was happy for the break. So I decided to not overdo it today. Weight training was more than enough.

And tomorrow morning, I'll go back in for some cardio!

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Week 3 Results- Game 5

Let's get right to it.

I didn't make my weight goal. Now, in order to actually make my weight goal, I needed to lose 2% (to make up for the fact that I didn't make weight last week). I lost 1.75%. Big bummer, especially considering how hard I worked the past three days especially to try and squeak through! Weights, hiking, running, workout classes, spin class, yoga.

As I mentioned yesterday though, I knew regardless of what the scale said, I would be okay. And yes, I'm a little bummed. I would have really been happy making goal. But on the other hand, I'm not unhappy because I didn't make goal. Which is a nice change of pace for me.

The reality of the situation is that I've lost 32lbs since August. Regardless of how I wish it was more, and the weight loss was moving along quicker, it's a fantastic testament to just how hard I've been working and is a great motivator to keep me working hard in the many months I have ahead of me.

I'm in better shape than I've been in as long as I can remember. I can take a spin class without dying. I can run two miles without stopping. I can easily put my own needs ahead of others and work. I can eat nutritiously without it feeling like a chore. I can identify what I need versus what I want. I can say no without feeling deprived. And almost more importantly, I can say yes without feeling guilty.

Maybe the scale will be better next week. But regardless, I'm along for this ride- for the long haul.

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Spin & Yoga

In my ongoing quest to make goal tomorrow morning, I packed in two workouts today. My day started with a 554am wake-up call. A 610am pick-up of the twin. And a 630am spin class at the gym. I've only taken spin class about three times. The last class I took was well over a year ago and my only goal at the time was to remain pedaling the entire time. I didn't care if I ever got out of the saddle (thanks to great advice from then spinning instructor, Mandy Ingber), but was very happy when I could get out of the saddle.

Today, my goal remained the same; pedal for the 50 minute class. And with the exception of about 10 seconds when I had to readjust for long-term comfort (and the ability to bear children in the future- what, too much information?), I was able to do just that. Right next to me, kicking my ass all the way up the "hills" was my twin who could have taken on Lance Armstrong- for reals. I burned nearly 500 calories and was sweating like a pig. And it was great to be done with my workout by 720am.

The rest of the day flew by and my next workout on tap was a "gentle yoga" class back at the gym. I picked up a friend and off we went for this 7pm class. I've taken yoga before, but only at YAS (Yoga & Spinning in Venice). I feared getting kicked out of the class because of the mandatory and drawn out "ohhhhhmmmmmmmmmmsssss" we were expected to exhale every now and again. It's just not my thing. And although it wasn't a workout which increased my heart rate or had my muscles burning, it was a great way to end this Game On week and a wonderful thank you to my body for all it has done for and with me this week.

I'll report back in the morning!

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3 Workouts in 1 Day

It's just past 8pm and I'm in bed. I'm impatiently awaiting the arrival of 9pm so I can eat my last meal of the day and go to sleep.

I stepped on the scale yesterday and was up a freaking pound from when I weighed in last Wednesday. Which was already a pound up from where I needed to be to make last week's 1% weight goal. Grrr. So I really stepped it up today and worked out three, yes three, times at the gym.

I kicked it off this morning with an attempt at a 2-mile run. Since that's what I've been doing lately, I figured I hop on the treadmill and get that out of the way. But I only made it about a mile and a half before stopping to walk. I walked a little bit and then finished running. In all, I logged in about 2 1/4 miles and had my heart rate elevated for pretty much the whole time. And burned about 300 calories.

Then tonight, Katie and I went to a class at the gym "500 Calorie Workout." I've never done a class at the gym before. For one, I'm intimidated by all the tiny, sculpted women in the perfect workout gear. I step inside those workout studios and automatically feel all lumpy and bad about myself. Also, I just don't tend to gravitate towards workout classes. I've doing the personal training and then worked out on my own on the cardio machines. And that's always been enough. But, because I have some pounds I'm looking to move off my body pronto, I figured I'd try something new. That Mark Twin quote kept popping in my head: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”

I tried to get Katie to agree to try a spinning class with me and we ended up bartering a bit. She agreed to go t a spin class with me tomorrow if I went to her workout class tonight.

Deal.

So off I went to the "500 Calorie Workout" class which was a combination of steps, weights, kettle belling and other random exercises. It was 50-minutes long and I actually burned 486 calories. Which was fine. I'm sure if I was able to do the class as the instructor did, I would have burned 500 calories or more. But I needed to take some breaks and I couldn't do everything. Let's face it, 486 calories is nothing to be bummed about! I liked the workout perfectly fine, but I wouldn't rush back to take the class.

Because I still felt like I could give a little more after the class, I decided to hop on the treadmill and run a mile. And there went another 100+ calories.

Tomorrow morning, before the sun is up, Katie and I will go to the gym and try and finagle a bike for a 630am spin class. I've only tried spinning a few times. And despite almost dying each time, I recognize that it's an amazing workout and burns a shitload of calories.

So here's hoping that tomorrow's go round with the scale takes all this hard work into consideration. And if that, I'll be mostly okay with that. I made my peace with the scale a while ago...sort of.

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Workout Report- 1/21/10

Just when I was finally able to start moving without looking like an 87-year old woman who barely gets up and walks around, I did another hard workout at the gym.

I psyched myself to get up in the middle of the insane rain and stormy weather we're currently experiencing in Los Angeles and leave my apartment during my lunch break to go to the gym. I did this for a couple of reasons. First, it's still insanely busy at my gym. I was hoping that all the New Year's resolutioners would have scurried back to their couches and resumed their inactive lifestyle. Unfortunately, that's not happening as quickly as I'd like. I wasn't a member of Equinox this time last year (I didn't join until April or May), so I have no way of knowing exactly how long this will last. Secondly, because of the rain, the gym is even MORE crowded, even WITH the New Year's resolutioners. So to avoid a massive, crowd, off I went on my lunch break.

Today's workout consisted of:

Squats (5x8- 85lbs!). I think this is the heaviest weight I've ever used to squat with and it was definitely a challenge.


Hamstring glute raises (5x8- 10lbs plate)


Squat jumps (4x10). Not the easiest or most fun exercise to do, especially if you're got a little extra jiggle to your body. But effective, for sure.


Overhead barbell push (5x8- 40lbs)


Assisted pull-ups/Lat pull-down (5x4- body weight)/(5x4- 50lbs). For this exercise, I start out doing assisted pull-ups. I try to do as many reps as I can...and this time around, could only do four of each rep. Therefore the other four needed to be done on the lat pull-down machine.




Hanging leg raise (5x8). Because this exercise killed me last time I did it, I modified it slightly and used a different machine. I did the same movement, but it definitely wasn't as challenging. I WILL go back to the other method, but I'm going to work my way up to it.


Bench press (5x8- 85lbs!). Again, I think this is the most weight that I've ever bench pressed with. I was only slightly wobbly.


Barbell bent row (5x8- 55lbs). Must work on my form for this one.


I finished this off with a 12-minute elliptical interval session, doing 1-minute easy and 1-minute sprint, trying to keep my HR around 155- 165. By the time I was done, I was feeling very tired, but happy to have gotten my workout done. It's nice to know that I have a workout day off soon too. I may take that tomorrow.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I DID make it to the gym last night! Around 830pm I once again forced myself to go out in the rain and did some cardio- elliptical for 30 minutes and then the stairs for 5 minutes (the stairs KILL me).

That's that.

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Week 2 Results- Game 5

What a week. I had mixed feelings when I went to step on the scale this morning. I just wasn't feeling "it" and was nervous for the outcome. However, I knew the fact that it was that time of the month, wasn't going to help matters. And quite frankly, it's always nice when there's a reason for a not so great week.

Well this wasn't a great week according to the scale. The little numbers on the scale said that I had actually gained about a pound from last week's weigh-in. Which yes it's frustrating given how hard I worked out this week, and how well I did (for the most part) with everything else, but like I said, it's nice that there's a real reason. And it makes next week's weigh-in that much more exciting.

Okay, maybe exciting isn't the right word. But, whatever, it'll be interesting regardless.

I've been staying up late watching Conan, entertaining guests, going to see shows (Pee Wee's Playhouse and Mary Poppins) and am finally feeling the effects of that tonight. It's just barely 8pm and I haven't worked out. I'm feeling low on energy and very sleepy.

Go to the gym or go to bed?

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An Open Letter to my Team

Dear Friends and Foes,

I wanted to tell you a little story before you find out about it on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

Today, after learning that there would be a rally outside Universal Studios in support of Conan O'Brien, my friend Lindsay and I decided we'd go and check it out. I'd just gotten back from the gym where I actually ran for two miles without STOPPING. I'd finished meal one. I could do this.

Sure, it was raining cats AND dogs. But I was wearing my rain boots, rain coat and carried my umbrella. This would be fine. I wasn't even all that convinced I'd get out of the car. I figured we'd drive by and then get something to eat.

After very carefully navigating the freeways of Los Angeles, Lindsay and I arrived at the rally site. Welcomed by huge I'm with COCO signs, orange ponchos, lots of creative homemade signs and tons of umbrellas, we realized the idea of just driving by was no longer an option. We parked illegally in the metro lot and walked across the street to join the crowd.

It was raining. A lot. We stood there for about 30 minutes and chanted with the crowd. Encouraged passerbys to honk their horn. Asked people with (basically) professional signs to pose with them. Watched insane people run across the street with their own Conan supporting signs. We were taunted by rumblings of Conan coming out to greet the crowd. One man walked by declaring, "Conan's coming." It was at this point that I realized I was on the verge of losing points. But what could I do?

Just as I was contemplating leaving, to get my next meal in for the day, La Bamba was driven by on the back of a truck in a glass case. He drove by waving just like a beauty pageant contestant. Next it was the Masturbating Bear. I looked down at my watch and knew I had a choice to make. Do I take a six point hit for a missed meal and miss the chance to see Conan? What to do?

Well ladies, to me, my choice was clear. I was soaked to the bone, and actually hungry, but I had invested about two hours of my time now and there was no turning back. I decided to forfeit six points at my chance to see Conan.

Luckily, it wasn't all for nothing. About 30 minutes after I missed the timeframe to get in my meal, Conan came out like the amazing maniac that he is jumped around, stormed the streets, shook MY HAND, and ran down the street for two blocks. Madness ensued. Umbrellas and people took over the very busy Lankershim Blvd. No one knew where they were going and no one seemed to care either. Before I knew it, two blocks later, we were all converged in front of Gate 2 with a few hundred people screaming for Conan. Again, we were not disappointed.

Andy, Conan and Max all come out on top of the building which appears to house the Tonight Show studio or at least the offices. It was fantastic, and well worth the points.

I came home drenched, cold and very satisfied. I'm bummed I missed six points- sorry team- but I'm very happy that the Conan experience was such a success.

So there you have it.

Sad but happy,
Molly

PS- Turns out Cheryl was there too! We didn't see one another but found out, via Facebook of course, that each was in attendance.

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Hoping I Can Move Tomorrow

I've long questioned my ability to push myself through a weight workout without someone there to push me. But lately I've been discovering that not only can I push myself through a really challenging workout, but I can push other people right along with me.

Here's the 500+ calorie workout Lindsay, Katie and I did this morning at the gym....

Split squat (3x20)


Hi to Lo Woodchop (3x20)


Upright Row (3x20)


Glute Bridge (3x20)


Swissball Hamstring Curl (3x20)


Single Arm Low to High Cable Row (3x20)

Incline Push-Ups (3x10)

Back Extensions (3x20)


Front Plank (3 x 1min)


Side Plank (3 x 30 seconds each side)


Bird Dog (3 x 30 seconds each side)


As difficult as this was, not only did it feel amazing, but it made me forget about the bad food I ate on my day off just yesterday!

Here's to hoping I can move tomorrow.

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Pee-Wee's Playhouse

I'll write more about this tomorrow but (in an effort not to lose points) I wanted to let you (my two regular readers) that Pee Wee's Playhouse was hysterical!

I don't know if I've ever seen an audience at a live show so happy and engaged before. It was so much fun- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Fun was the word of the day!

If you're in LA and you once watched Pee Wee's Playhouse, don't walk, RUN and get tickets. Regardless of what you've heard about Paul Reubens personally, he does such a great job bringing Pee Wee back and in the process, reigniting all these childhood memories you didn't know you cared so much about- or remembered!

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Flying Solo

Okay...In an effort to not drain my bank account, but to continue working out with weights, I asked for some help from my friend and trainer Britt. She had me come in last Thursday and then again on Monday to better assess where I was at. And then set me lose with two workouts she put together for me.

Wednesday was the first workout I did flying solo. And it was great. I skipped one exercise entirely- incline twists- because I didn't want to do them. It was that simple and since I didn't have anyone forcing me to do it, I didn't. But I did everything else. I pushed myself hard and it was a great workout. And a great feeling to know I can do a full workout with weights and everything without needing someone standing right next to me telling me what to do.

I'm not fooling myself, I know I wouldn't necessarily know what to do if Britt didn't tell me. But still.

So here's what I did:
Step-ups on exercise bench (3x15 with 10lbs weights in each hand)


Back machine (3x15- 40lbs)


Fly machine (3x15- 55lbs)


Incline crunches (3x15)


Lying ham curl (3x15- 50lbs)


Bench dips (3x15)


Hammer curl (3x15 with 10lb weights)


Bosu crunch (3x15)


Mountain climbers


The gym has, not surprisingly, been packed since the New Year. And because I did my workout on Wednesday after work, I had to wait for machines and ask to work in a set (yes, that's about as gym language-y as I can get). I don't like when the gym is that busy, but I figure in another month or so, it'll die down.

My day off from work today has been great. Very relaxing- watched Leap Year (which obviously wasn't that good, but it was mostly entertaining) and had a nice lunch with Katie Grant, did a little shopping and am now waiting for Lindsay to land. I'm having my meal off from the program tonight and am going to enjoy a burger from The Counter. I can't wait!

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4 Day Weekend!

I just shut my work computer off. It'll remain that way until Tuesday morning after I drop Lindsay off at the airport. I also just disabled work email from arriving on my phone. And in a little bit I will finally go to bed!

I'm very excited to have the next four days off from work. I took today as my exercise day off, choosing instead to go get a manicure and pedicure with a friend (Hi ERF!). And it felt good to make that decision. I feel confident that I will have no problem working out Friday - Tuesday.

I chose to take tomorrow off even though Lindsay doesn't get into town until 7pm. It was a conscious decision to take the day for me- something I rarely do. As of right now, my only plan for tomorrow (besides working out, obvs) is to go and see a movie with a friend in the middle of the day. There's something so indulgent on a work day at lunchtime.

I will also post a proper blog update since the last two have been seriously lacking. It was either that or lose points and I'm not about to do that!

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Week 1 Results- Game 5

This morning we had our first weigh-in for Game 5. I am happy to report that I lost 7.6lbs (or 3.08%) to be this week's "biggest loser." Which means I'm $50 richer! Now, I am very very happy with my results, but I also have to confess that I believe this is a much better examples of just how off the game I went and how much I over-indulged while I was on a break for the game for a week and a half. It doesn't take away how much harder I was working this past week, but that is a fact- I ate like an ahole during the week and a half between game 4 and 5. I still haven't mastered that part yet.

Anyway, a very short post, but there's today's good news! Go team go!

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Workout Sore = Good

Yesterday I did another great workout with Britt as she prepares to cut me lose on a series of workouts over the course of the next six weeks (or so). We had a heavy day of lifting, and added in a couple of different exercises from our previous session on Thursday. And the one exercise that was totally different, has completely kicked my ass.

Meaning, I'm sore in places I really don't think I've ever been sore before. Specifically, my freaking forearms. Here's the exercise that kicked my ass:



Now, I woke up this morning all proud and happy because I wasn't that sore. Which means progress, right? After just two sessions back at the gym with weights, I wasn't that sore. Rejoice!

Wrong.

As the day wore on, my soreness increased. And finally, when I hopped in my car tonight to meet a friend on the other side of town, I found that just gripping the steering wheel was actually a bit of a challenge. You know how when you first wake up in the morning and if you try to grasp something or to make a fist and it hurts a little?

Yeah, that's what was happening when I was just, oh, driving my car.

I like being sore though. I really do. It's a great feeling of accomplishment, so as much as it may seem that I'm complaining, I'm really not! I dig this feeling.

Tomorrow is the first weigh-in for this round of the game. I'm excited to see how the past week has gone and also happy that we're one week into it. In some ways this game has felt different.

It's been great to have new people involved and motivating me. I have loved the communication aspect of the game this time around. I'm playing with people who are really good at slinging shit and it makes me laugh. I also like the timing of this game. Starting right after the New Year has helped me set some boundaries I hope to incorporate all year long. I figure getting some of these habits started this early on will only make it easier to keep it up all year long.

But on the other hand, this game seems harder. I feel cravings more. I look forward to my meal and day off intensely. And I don't know if it's because I took so much time off between games (and ate like total shit and didn't work out at all), but the intensity of my cravings at times is, well, intense. So I don't like that part of the game this time around. Luckily I've been able to resist all temptations, but at the same time, I don't want to fulfill my cravings so much on my meals off that I ruin the work I've done all week. Here's hoping that passes- and quickly!

Until tomorrow...

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Ouch

Wow.

This morning, less than 12 hours before my last visit, I woke up (well, was nudged by Steve because I was sleeping soundly through my alarm) and went to the gym. I had a great workout with Britt that kicked. My. Ass.

Here's what we did:

Walking lunges


Squats with a 30lb bar (3x15)


Glute Ham Raise (3x12)


Quick Step-Ups


Overhead Press with 30 lbs (3x15)


Abs on the Exercise Ball (2x15)


Bench Press (3x15- 45 lbs and then 65 lbs)


Russian Twists


I realized I haven't worked out doing weights since before I went to Ireland or...roughly two months ago. Which is really crazy. As much as I know I'm going to be feeling this workout tomorrow, it felt even better to get back into the gym and lift. I missed it and am looking forward to seeing and feeling the benefits of working my body in that way.

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