Friday Favorites

TGIF!  I am looking forward to a mostly low key weekend - how about you?  I've got a facial scheduled, a family birthday party, and an Ikea trip lined up, but other than that, I'm looking forward to some down time.

Since Wednesday's post was all about Pregnancy and Fitness, I thought for Friday Favorites this week, I would highlight some of my favorite workout gear right now that is working for me as I'm around the 18 week mark.

tank | pants

Fitness & Pregnancy

Let's talk fitness today.  One of the things I am most nervous about this pregnancy is weight gain and staying active.  I already think about post-partum and how to lose the weight.  After losing 100 pounds, maintaining a healthy weight will always be at the forefront of my mind.

Splish Splash

I love to swim. I've always loved the water. Both sets of grandparents had pools when I was a baby so I was in the water right from the beginning. My gym has a pool and three mornings a week I swim laps. I don't know how many laps I do - I don't count. I just swim for about 30-40 minutes. At 5:45am, I'm usually the only one in the pool and the solitude is heavenly. No noise, just the sound of the water as I move through. It's kind of like running, you don't really have to think about it, you just go. That half hour gives me the chance to think about my day or plan ahead for stuff or really think about nothing whatsoever, I can just enjoy the quiet time. In the pilot episode of The West Wing, there is a scene with CJ Cregg at the gym and she's explaining to the guy next to her on the treadmill that her hour at the gym was her hour, her time, and then her pager goes off saying that the President had been in a bicycle accident and she falls off the treadmill. While my job and my life are not so high profile or as stressful as the fictional press secretary's, I feel that way about my time swimming laps. It's my time, my hour - no cats wanting breakfast, no laundry or cleaning to do, no phones ringing, no emails. Just me and the water.

6 weeks

I am six weeks in to my recommitment to Weight Watchers and I am down almost 10 pounds. 9.8 pounds to be exact. With my improved nutrition and Jillian's 30 Day Shred, I am starting to feel better too. I took a break from Jillian last night, but will be back to the shred tonight and tomorrow. It is 20 minutes of agony, but it feels good afterward. Seriously, it's the hardest 20 minutes of my day. Forget waterboarding, if they wanted detainees to talk, they should put in the 30 Day Shred on a continuous loop and have them partake in Jillian's circuit training.

I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks to check on my cholesterol and vitamin D levels. Having been on the statin now for almost 2 months, coupled with the niacin and fish oil, diet and exercise, I am so curious to see where I am at, especially the C-Reactive proteins. It would be awesome to see that number go down. If it is lower, maybe that means my metabolism will move from sluggish to at least moderately slow.

No Pain, No Gain, part II

So my Jillian Michael's DVD arrived yesterday. After I got home from work I popped it in the DVD player and followed along. My STARS. It was rough. I think it was the most difficult 20 minutes of my life. Yes, just 20 minutes. My quad muscles are screaming at me today and my shoulders aren't too pleased either. It felt good when I finished though. She moves you through three circuits with three sections to each circuit - 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs. As BooMama said, I was relieved when we got to the abs because I got to lay down on the floor for a minute. Wow. I have to work tonight, so I won't get to get back to it again until tomorrow, but even after the grueling 20 minutes from last night, I am looking forward to Thursday.

No Pain, No Gain

I watch the Biggest Loser every week. If I were on the show, hands down, I would want Jillian to be my trainer. She's my current girl-crush and I am always amazed at how she whips her trainees into shape and has no hesitation about getting in their face about anything. Well, I have no plans to be on the Biggest Loser, but I can try the next best thing. I ordered Jillian's "30 Day Shred" workout video. It is scheduled to arrive from the lovely folks at amazon.com tomorrow and I can't wait to try it out tomorrow night. For only $8.99 you can have Jillian Michaels harrass you in the comfort of your own home. I'll let you know how much pain I am in later in the week.