Okay here is the April Challenge. Pick your level and intensity. We need to check in here at least every 2 days because accountability is important.

Pick a target level for how often & how long you plan to workout,

and we’ll be off… I’m shooting for Level 7~ Elite this month! Yeah I have to start it with a bang!

Feb’07 April Exercise Challenge

Level 1 ~ 3 days a week (14 days)

Level 2 ~ 4 days a week (18 days)

Level 3 ~ 5 days a week (23 days)

Level 4 ~ 6 days a week (27 days)

Level 5 ~ 7 days a week (31 days)

Beginner ~ 20 minutes a day

Moderate ~ 30 minutes a day

Intermediate ~ 45 minutes a day

Advanced ~ 60 minutes a day

Elite ~ 60+ minutes a day

SJ- I heart Taebo. And no I never thought I would be able to ride so much. In May of last year I got back on my bike for the first time in years and barely made it a mile. This June I am going on a week long bike trip averageing 50 miles per day. I still can't believe how much this band has helped me to change my life.

Ok, I got in 45 minutes yesterday.

I've been looking at Taebo videos, since I've never done it before, which one would you (SJ or BG) recommend for a beginner? And is it something I can do 30 minutes at a time?

TG definitely beginner until you get the hang of it. And yes your could do it for 30 minutes.

I did about 3 hours of yardwork today. UGH.

So I totally don't feel like functioning at all today... Which means I must force myself to do something good for me, right? That's the theory I try to live by these days anyhow. :redface: And that is why I'm posting now... before I even get the kiddies down to bed. I need to salvage this day which was both emotionally draining & diet-poor. (Basically I've eaten nothing but cookie dough...not good.) So please allow me to make myself accountable to y'all...

My goals for this evening include:

1] treadmilling for 30 mins

2] a shake (um, I mean Protein -- not a malted! :tongue:)

3] completing my re-admission application for college

(I'm 8 credits shy of my bachelors & it is time to get'er done! Oh joy.)

Zan

Level 1 ~ Moderate

5 of 14 30-min workouts

Zannie, you are an amazing and strong woman. You are going through things that would crumble a normal person. Despite all the crap you have been dealing with you are still out there, getting your working out done and losing the weight. Don't ever forget that. Even if you have a bad day, you can, will, and are doing this. And we are all here for you to fall back on for support.

Zannie,

I totally agree with BG. You are doing amazing things. Now get that college app completed.

TG,

I even had like a 7min taebo video that was great for a quick morning wkout, just to get the metabolism going.

Do any of you still take diet pills or OTC stuff for metabolism?

Awh, shucks, BG & SJ...thanks! :sad_smile: Happiness in life ebbs & flows like the tide. For everyone. Focusing on the bigger picture is what keeps me going, frankly. And there could be a whole hell of a lot worse happening right now than the crumbled state of my marriage & disillusionment of 16 years worth of dreams. Things were already tight financially for me/us when my DH moved out in Nov & are particularly so now with his not being able to work the 2nd job (due to breaking his foot while skateboarding) & his just having blown out his car's engine (which there is no $ for repairs) ... sounds bad, right? Whine-worthy at least, eh?!? Sometimes life sucks, but things could be much worse. I do have my moments of being completely overwhelmed :scared2:, but for the most part I try to focus on being very grateful for all that I am blessed with... Call me the eternal optimist! So I'm working on the things I can control, and at the moment that's on ME getting healthy to be an example for my kiddies (the extremely picky eater & his sweet-tooth prone sister!).

I just got off the treadmill & I'm gonna go make a mint-chocolate mochachino for my Protein shake. I plan to do the application while I cool off with my drink. Gotta have a plan, or so my Daddy always says. :laugh:

Zan

Level 1 ~ Moderate

6 of 14 30-min workouts

Do any of you still take diet pills or OTC stuff for metabolism?

Not I, but then I didn't before surgery either...

Do any of you still take diet pills or OTC stuff for metabolism?

Only coffee, which I adore. I have taken some but they don't really make a difference. So it is jsut me, my coffee and my chewable Centrum.

I do have my moments of being completely overwhelmed :sad_smile:, but for the most part I try to focus on being very grateful for all that I am blessed with... Call me the eternal optimist! :scared2:

I don't call it optimism I call it SMART. When you focus on the bad, all you can see is the bad. When you focus on the good, it makes you feel better about yourself. I am a firm believer that you need to put faith and gratefulness into the things that you do have, and you will get so much more out of life. If you can't change it, don't fret over it. Just let it go.

Okay, so my weekend is all off already... My kiddies were supposed to go to their dad today, but that's been pushed off until Sunday for a number of valid reasons. And though it's nothing new, it does mean that they're "under foot" for ME all day when I thought I had a day off coming! :biggrin: I had big plans to tackle the overwhelming clutter in my house on what was supposed to be (but isn't) a rainy Saturday. And I was planning to start the morning with a 1-hour jaunt on the treadmill after dropping the kids off. I've never done a solid hour, but any excuse to avoid housework will do! I'm so tempted to just "play all day" (Busch Gardens anyone?) instead of get cracking on the major overhaul necessary as my tendency for "sloth" has really taken over the house... But I'm pretty sure that is NOT the right choice! Hope y'all are having a good weekend wherever you are!

Zan

Level 1 ~ Moderate

6 of 14 30-min workouts

Y'all've (oooh - what a conjugation THAT is!) inspired me to make a "real" exercise ticker, TG & BG. Okay, so really -- I'm just avoiding housework. Shhh! :sneaky: I logged on in an obvious attempt to sidetrack myself, but everyone's left me in the lurch today! What? Do y'all have LIVES or something? :biggrin2::laugh:

Anyhow... Since I'm only getting the X box in the "preview" mode, kindly pardon my testing of the format here...

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Hey all. Sorrry it has been a few days since I checked in. I did compelte the 54 mile ride on saturday with OHJuli. It was very, very cold and 20-30mph winds but we managed to finish in 4 hours and 9 minutes. My butt is still a bit sore but I feel so good about finishing the ride.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend.

Wow, I can't believe I haven't checked in since Thursday! I did get in an hour on Thursday, Friday AND Saturday, and then I sat on my behind yesterday. Actually, I did some light housework and sat on my behind the rest of the time.

I noticed yesterday that SOMEONE moved my bicycle at some point Saturday night. I haven't ridden it, and it's been parked in front of my car in my (ENCLOSED ON 3 SIDES) carport. The tires are flat, or I wonder if said someone might have stolen it. DH said he didn't move it, and I certainly haven't touched it, and we don't have any kids, so there are no other usual suspects. It was sitting IN THE WAY beside my car yesterday when we went out to go to church.

Hey all. Sorrry it has been a few days since I checked in. I did compelte the 54 mile ride on saturday with OHJuli. It was very, very cold and 20-30mph winds but we managed to finish in 4 hours and 9 minutes. My butt is still a bit sore but I feel so good about finishing the ride.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend.

Holy CRAP! I am sort of dreading dusting off my bike (as long as no one steals the frigging thing, guess I'll have to buy some locking chains for them. Can't think of what those things are called, having a serious brain fart right now) just thinking about what that will do to my tender tushy....

BG, you're my hero!

Yea BG. 50 mi what an accomplishment. TG great job with the wkouts.

Saturday I did some major cleaning at home and some minor repairs. bodybugg showed for the day burned 2150 cal so feel good about that.

Today I did yoga for the first time for a hour and lifted weights for 15min. My legs were shaking in some of those stances. Broke a good sweat.

Zannie-that's what's it's about.. an attitude of gratitude.