After 132 days away from my WiiFit, I finally got back on the balance board on Wednesday. I’m a bit sore but I’m loving the results. And I was rather shocked to see that I’ve dropped even more weight despite eating often. One of the great perks of breastfeeding. I’m now at about 125 pounds (57 kilos), which is considered underweight BMI since I’m about 5’11″. I was about 140 after giving birth to Mack 8 months ago and it’s just been dropping like crazy since then. The Wii is telling me I need to gain about 12 pounds of muscle to get back to average BMI…so I have my work cut out for me. I’m not sure that just using the Wii will get me toned and fit all over, but it’s all I can commit to besides walks with the dog (which I really don’t get any option about since Ayla goes crazy without them) so that’s that.

I could also be eating a bit more regularly and healthy during the day instead of drinking a couple cups of coffee, but I am at least trying to get a liter or two of water in me even when I’m not eating all I should. It’s not that I’m trying to starve myself and I heat like a horse usually…I’m just on the go a lot doing stuff around here and working n various projects so I just don’t find the time to eat. But since I do feed Mackenzie real food rarely regularly, I am trying to eat with her. Don’t need to start setting bad habits for her already!

So here’s a little recap of my workouts. On Wednesday I set a new Rythm Boxing Record in the 3 minute workout of 371. I’ve never managed to score above 360 before so I guess the absence was good for me. I also did a rep of 30 Jacknife exercises for the abs. They are sore but in a good way. It’s been really motivating to get back into the schedule of working out again. I haven’t figured out exactly when to do it yet and still had less than 30 minutes of exercise but I figure with the hour or so I spend each day walking the dog, this movement is pretty good. And since I can really feel it all over, I know it’s working.

I’m really hoping to keep up the momentum this time and continue to make time for exercising. My body seems to appreciate it so much when I do, even if it does make me groan a bit to move. The pain and stiffness just keep me going.

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I think one of the biggest things that holds people back from working out is a lack of time. But if you go by the standard that just 15 minutes a day is enough to make an impact, don’t you think you should be able to work that little block of time in somewhere? Believe me – I have been slacking the last two and a half weeks and I’m not proud of it. I felt guilty every time I would look at my TV (which is OFTEN although it’s usually not on – I just happen to work from my couch these days) and even thought about turning on the Wii over the last weekend. But whatever happened and I forgot – and so instead of getting Monday off to a running start, I didn’t break the cycle until Wednesday. But at least I’ve broken it now…and already feel so much better.

Wednesday: Got 697 points on rhythm boxing – new high score for me. Still only 3 of 4 stars so apparently I have to keep working on my timing to get 2 point hits every time. Tried running also and found it surprisingly enjoyable. Just did 22 today – needed to ease myself back in a bit and didn’t want to waste time playing games. But I upped myself to 10 Press-up & Side Stands today and I was shaking a little as I typed this.

Thursday: Only got about 10 minutes in before Stefan came home but I tried to make it count anyway.

Friday: Spent several hours carrying boxes all over the farm and doing a bit of organizing in our storage buildings.

Not one of my most satisfying weeks of exercise but at least not a complete wash like the last two weeks. Lots of gardening digging to be done tomorrow and the weather is supposed to be fantastic so maybe I can make up for the two missed days then!

You may have noticed I didn’t post last week. That’s because I have been neglecting my Wii. Such a sad story but I just haven’t made the time. I have been busy working on things around the house, barely even making time to blog – it just seems like there is always 1,000,003 things to be taken care of. But I’m trying to keep it all going.

I have not used the Wii Fit in two weeks and I feel it. My back is more tense, I’m not as focused – I’m just not feeling as on top of my game as I was when I was working out and I’m sure it’s affecting my diet, too. Obviously that’s a screaming testimony that I need to turn that sucker back on and hop up on the Balance Board. Maybe I will do it today when Mack goes down for her longer afternoon nap. Not possible while she’s sleeping in the room – especially the Rhythm Boxing which makes all the noises in the remote. I also wanted to start running with the Wii but that didn’t happen either…Time to stop making excuses and just get back on there. Something is always better than nothing at all, especially when it comes to exercise.

I do still go out walking with the dog for an hour a day. I usually wear Mackenzie in the Bjoern and have a pretty good pace. It’s not boxing but I’m getting my heart rate up a little. Last weekend I did lots of digging with a hand spade in the garden which I felt in my arms the next day. Monday I ran around like a crazy person doing chores and putting the house back together after the weekend.

It just feels like I might need to start putting a bit more structure and planning into my days so I can fit everything in. What do you do to keep your family, home, life, job, etc. going?

Did I mention that I can fit in my sexy jeans again? The ones I loved before I was pregnant? Go ahead, hate me all you want. I can certainly handle it.

I’ve decided to give my exercises reports with little daily updates which I write when I’m done so I can remember what is happening. If we don’t over work ourselves outside this weekend, I may challenge Stefan to some Wii Sports…that game is just way more fun than should be allowed!

Fitness tip of the week: Use honey to sweeten tea or coffee instead of sugar. I’ve been trying it in my hot teas and I really like the flavor it adds. I even put it in coffee and found the flavor it added really nice. It’s a woody, natural sort of taste. Strangely enough, I never really liked that taste before pregnancy. Or maybe it’s just the fact that we hope to have our own bees some day and I know I better start liking honey or we can forget the bees. Honey is fat free, sodium free and contains antioxidants and lots of other vitamins that are great for you.

My Personal Goal: Tone up body after having a baby November 2008. Maintain weight of 135-140 pounds but get all the flab off. Get in shape to start running in the spring and for rock climbing as we find time.

Monday – Full 30 minutes on the Wii. Scored 100 points on the Warrior yoga pose for the first time. I have to admit it’s one of my favorites. Then I went and tortured my thighs with Lunges. I upped it to 20 on each leg. That was a mistake I think. I scored a perfect 100 points (although I could have been dipping lower) but I could barely finish anything else afterward that involved standing. Walking the stairs with Mack was also not so easy. But it always surprises me how quickly you can work up a sweat using the Wii.  I finally tried the Arm & Leg Lift to go along with the Shoulderstand pose. A found it a bit complicated to hold the remote while you’re constantly putting your hand down but I’ll get the hang of it I guess. And you have to be extremely careful about how you’re holding the remote – make sure it’s flat just like on the screen or your points will suffer.

Tuesday – Started with yoga to warm up then did a bit of muscle training. My thighs were still a bit tired and shaky from the punishment on Monday. Then I jumped over to Rhythm Boxing where I got 620 for the second time. I have some real issues with the weave step…and I seem to be holding the remote wrong from time to time which skips points. But the important thing is that I’m breaking a sweat. No doubt about that. I have yet to get over 632, usually because I miss a step along the way. Since I was a bit exhausted after all that, I gave 4 minutes to the Balance Bubble. Made it 1069m one of the times but still haven’t finished it. There must be at least another 200m to go because Stefan has completed 1130m. Anyone ever finish this thing and can tell me just how far you have to go?? I scored 88 on the penguin balance game today…unfortunately I still always miss at least one red fish.

Wednesday – My thighs were STILL sore and I wasn’t feeling like doing much of anything, but I got started anyway. I only got 602 on the 6 min Rhythm Boxing despite actually getting all the moves right for a change. I guess I wasn’t punching with all my might or something. I was even doing the little bounce for optimal point gaining (or so I thought.) After 30 minutes with Fit, I decided to remind myself how fun Sports is and did some training on it for 10-15 minutes. I definitely think I’m going to start mixing in more from Sports just so I don’t get bored and unmotivated. I do need to stay away from Tennis though because I did something wrong to my left arm while playing for just a few minutes and it hurt all evening.

Thursday – I did my hour of dog walking and wrestled with the cover on the sofa for about 20 minutes (I’m telling you, that was almost as good as boxing to get my blood going). Otherwise I didn’t find the time to workout and I guess I wasn’t really feeling it or I would have made the time. At least my tennis elbow was gone – but my thighs were still a little bit sore.

Friday – Played baseball and did some bowling training in Wii Sports…about 30 minutes worth. Then I went and did the advanced boxing plus one basic (which seems insanely easy and boring now) to get the heart pumping. I did the basic one mostly because I was trying to perfect my timing a bit so I could get double points and finally beat my score of 632 in the advanced one. Haven’t made it yet but now I understand the trick so maybe I can kick it up to the next level soon.

I have just had my eyes opened to a couple new games for the Wii…and I am dying to try them out!

One is Active Life Outdoor Challenge. You get a little mat for your Wii and interact all over it. The video says it better than I can…

And then I found a little something called We Cheer on their website. Yes, that’s right, you can become a cheerleader, build your own squad and go to competitions. And although I know it’s meant for teenage girls who probably have no chance in hell of making the squad, I TOTALLY want to try it out. My inner cheerleader is just screaming to come out. I tried out for the squad a few times in my life but never made it – mostly because cheerleading often involves a lot of small town politics. No, no – I’m not bitter. But with We Cheer, it just won’t matter anymore. Check out this guy shaking it up and putting the smack down on this game.

Yes, I am indeed addicted to my Wii. The games are just so cool…and I can actually play them which is the best part. Not to mention you can move around like an idiot in so many of them which is hella fun and often gets you in shape too. Where do I sign up for the support group?

As I look out the window from the couch where I am typing this, I’m watching huge snow flakes fall by the window. It’s been snowing for at least 30 minutes now, but it’s all melting as soon as it hits the ground. Quite unfortunate really. The one year where we’re actually getting snow in Frankfurt but it’s too warm to stick. Guess I’m just wishing for snow days like I used to have in high school. Apparently they still have lots of them in Virginia and people even get to go from work because of the snow chaos. In Miami it was just hurricane days which were nearly as good but with a lot more thrill. You also got a bit of warning with the hurricanes which is why parties always occurred.Just a really good excuse tosty home and do nothing…those awesome little freebie days.

But yet, all that has nothing to do with my progress this week. I’ve decided to only do workouts Monday thru Friday from here on out. I’d rather spend the extra 45 minutes with my family and not staring at the TV. Plus I’m expecting lots of physical labor in our future during weekends so there’s no need to overdo things. A girl has to take a break from time to time.

I missed a workout this week and have felt guilty about it for days…but not guilty enough to double up on my exercise time or push myself really hard. Just a little nagging guilt telling me I can do better. I could have pushed myself more in my exercises altogether this week…but I’m still feeling the little bit I am doing in my body, so that has to be worth something.

I’m loving the boxing. I’ve been doing the 6 minute advanced sessions as a starter. I’m still trying to get a few of the steps down and you really need to pay attention to what is coming up next. Going to be a while before I step up to the next level on that one. I also tried out the longer step aerobics and was pretty thrown off by the sideways turns and all that. But it’s actually kinda fun when you get going.

I’ve unlocked all the yoga poses and have done all of them accept the King of Trees or something like that. You stand on one leg and pull your other leg up with your hand…just not coordinated enough yet for it. Really like the cobra though…and the shoulder stand. I always knew I wanted to be a yoga goddess.

Since I started my Wii Fit program on January 30th, I’m happy to report that I have put in at least 30 minutes of activity a day, not including the hour I spend out walking with the dog. Actually, I only logged 22 minutes of workout on the Wii yesterday afternoon but since I was running around the house most of the day, cleaning things up, I’m hoping it balanced out.

I’m really a bit surprised still at how motivated I feel to keep up with this. Usually I’ve had to really kick myself in the arse to keep at it. Yesterday I actually felt guilty all evening for not finishing the last 8 minutes…but my body was already so tired from the yoga and weight training that it’s probably good I didn’t go on. I might not be able to move otherwise.

For every strength training exercise I do, I match it with the corresponding yoga stretch. I spend the majority of my workout on these, then do a boxing session and a couple minutes of balance games just to cool down a bit.  I generally alternate the strength exercises each day, doing arms and abs one day, thighs and back the next.

Some of the exercises I love to punish myself with are:

• Jackknife – I’m holding on 20 reps of these for a little while longer. My abs can only take so much torture at once.
• Lunges – 15 reps her leg. The really tough thing about these is you keep your thigh tight the whole time, never returning to a rocked back state or putting your heel down on the ground. Intense just barely begins to describe it. Legs were starting to feel like jello yesterday evening.
• Press-up & Side Stand – I’m sticking with 6 reps of these until I can get my body most of the way down…and until my heart isn’t racing afterwards lol

Don’t worry, I’m getting all the other ones in there as well…these are just the ones I feel are really challenging. I really love the boxing for aerobic training. My arms are dead afterwards. Hula hooping is fun but I just can’t see myself doing it for really long periods of time. Balance games I am getting decent at include the Ski Jump and Penguin Slide. The Balance Bubble is still a challenge neither of us has successfully finished. But I’m starting to wonder already if I won’t be bored with this at some point when I run out of new things to try…I guess only time will tell!

I finally hooked the Wii back up to the TV on Friday night and pulled out my Wii Fit balance board. I don’t know why I was dreading it. Although the Wii was trying to hold me back and didn’t want to take in the disc (apparently dirt and dog fur is NOT good for it). I eventually won the battle, coaxing the disc in so I could get moving.

After three days of 30-minute workouts with yoga, weight training, aerobics and balance games I’m feeling fantastic. My back is less sore and I’m happier and more alert. Granted it’s not the most intense workout I’ve ever had in my life. We did an insane program a few years ago when we were training for Body for Life and my muscles have never hurt more than the day after each of those exercise sessions. But there is a faint soreness in my abs, back and arms that can only be soothed by more workouts. And I do break a sweat. You try 3 minutes straight of hola hooping and see if your blood isn’t pumping. But the best thing about working out with the Wii is that you feel like you’re playing video games. You can actually enjoy what you’re doing and have some fun. And each workout is scalable since you can go all weight training or just yoga, picking and choosing your favorite exercises as you go. Feeling to tired to carry on? Just stop.

Stefan has gotten in on the action as well. We’ve been competing against each other in just about everything. I’m sometimes surprised at the things he scores higher on. But sometimes we get quite a laugh from watching each other. He might kill me for writing this, but I almost died laughing today when he was doing the hola hoop. That is just not his “sport.”

Ayla doesn’t really understand what we’ve been up to. She thinks I’m ready to play when I start the Jackknife action. You lay on the floor with your arms extended back and your heels on the balance board. Bring your body together in a V formation and then return arms and legs slowly to the ground. Quite tough on the abs. Unfortunately the Wii doesn’t have a “stop because my dog is licking my face” button.

You can look forward to updates about my progress every Friday. The good, the bad and the skipped workouts. There might even be pictures. I’m not trying to lose weight. I’ve lost almost everything I gained during the pregnancy and weighing about 138 pounds (63 kilos) again. I gained about 30 pounds (13 kilos) during the pregnancy. Now I just want to firm everything up, get my muscles ready for a lot of digging and work around here, and feel more relaxed. I’m also planning to start running when the weather gets a bit better. We might even manage to work rock climbing back into our routine. Oh how I would love that. Guess we just have to get moving on building the climbing wall so we never have to leave the farm again!