Trick or Treat

The forecast for trick-or-treating is frightful with rain and possible snow flurries!  I am going to freeze in my costume :/

I weighed in Tuesday night up 1.2 lbs because of TOM.  Over this journey I've often had a gain during this week so I don't expect a loss.  I don't believe that I eat more or differently but I think I have water weight almost every time.  So in a way my body tricks me every month.

Since I don't have the heavy weights like you're supposed to be using with NROLFW I'm looking for another program once these 6 weeks of Stage 1 are up.  So I'll be ready for something new to start November 17th.  It was recommended that I check out Jen Sinkler, ZuzukaLight, & Neghar Fonooni on YouTube because of my limited equipment.  Are there any others I should be checking out?

When you file a complaint about a neighbor's dog barking (see my post from two weeks ago) this is the letter you receive.  Finding 3 witnesses will be tough.  With the layout of the neighborhood I don't know that anyone else hears the barking when they're inside.  We purchased one of those anti-barking devices on Amazon and put it in our bedroom window since the dog's often at that corner barking but so far it hasn't had any effect.

Week of Workout Treats

Friday was NROLFW Stage 1 Workout A.  I completed 60 squats, pushups, rows, & reverse crunches, along with 48 lunges.

Saturday I completed the Total Body Yoga workout with Tim Senesi.  It was the annual Halloween festival in Irvington so we had to park about a half mile away from the library and walk.  I turned on the walking apps but silly me forgot to turn them off when I got into the car.  I got my fastest speed that day! LOL

Monday was NROLFW Stage 1 Workout B.  I threw in another set, completing 75 deadlifts, pullovers, shoulder presses, & crunches, along with 48 lunges.

Tuesday I wanted to do a kickboxing DVD but woke up with an upset stomach.  So I did the 21 Day Fix Pilates workout instead.

(Ha! I just realized while writing this post I did the wrong workout yesterday LOL)  Yesterday I used the 8 lb dumbbells for the whole NROLFW Stage 1 Workout B.  Because of the weight I could only pull off 47 shoulder presses (15-12-10-10).  I still was able to complete 60 deadlifts, pullovers, & crunches, along with 46 lunges.

Yesterday afternoon I took my final trip to the farmer's market for the season.  I picked up 4 bunches of Swiss chard for $2 and thanked the ladies, telling them about my weight loss.  I don't know what I'm going to do until the market reopens in May.  Without a destination to visit along the way the walk just doesn't seem interesting to me.

This morning I did Kelly Coffey-Meyer's 30 Minutes to Fitness Kickboxing Workout 1.  The DVD kept pausing and skipping to the next section so I missed some of the workout.  Kelly was a little too fast for me with the moves, especially since some were different than what I've done with Les Mills Combat and Jillian Michaels.

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Discovering Cassi

I've started reading Jillian Michaels' Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life as a part of my personal development.  There are series of questions to answer and reflect upon with each chapter - "Working it Out".  You can download a PDF copy of the questions if you prefer or record your answers electronically like I do with this blog.

The first set of questions are designed to discover who you are.  You're supposed to use your heart, not your head, to answer the questions.  Be honest with yourself; don't just write what should be.  So who am I?

Professionally I prefer a more casual work environment.  The politics of a small business can be bad but it can be horrendous in a corporate environment.  As an example, when I was a contractor at HP our role as Inside Sales Associates was a joke.  We were treated like stepchildren in the attic.  Our hands were constantly being tied, preventing us from truly supporting our sales teams.

A start-up could only be adventurous as a side job for me, nothing that I would be in 100%.  I have to have the stability of something more established.  My main job must be something that can support my family from day one.

Image Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In the past I have enjoyed giving back to the community in various ways - being a Child Advocate, volunteering at various events in Indianapolis, participating in various outreaches through church, etc.  My most recent was volunteering at Austin's elementary school, serving on the Parent Teacher Connection (their equivalent of PTO/PTA).  Since Austin moved on to middle school I haven't done any volunteering.  In some ways I miss it but other ways I don't.  I would like to start doing something again but I don't know what.  Benny still doesn't understand the concept of volunteering.

Over the years I've had many hobbies and interests that I'm no longer doing, mostly with arts and crafts.  I have paint that's dried up or separated sitting in a drawer.  My scrapbooking supplies are sitting in a backpack in the front room (along with a ton of other things for which we don't have a place).  I just haven't felt consistently creative or artistic in several years.

On an ideal day I'd wake up after the sunrise so the sunlight bathes me while exercising.  I'd eat a nice breakfast or brunch before taking on the day.  Everything that needed to be accomplished would be taken care of.  We'd have a family outing or something enjoyable together and come home for dinner and movie (unless that was part of the outing).  My sleep would be restorative.  Stress would be kept at a minimum.

Image Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes I prefer the independence of working alone and other times I prefer working as a part of a team.  It would depend on the project as well as the people.  I've been burned too many times in the past where team members failed to do their part so I ended up having to scramble and do everything last minute alone or maybe with one other person.  Event planning is definitely something better suited for a team environment.  I never had problems with the core team we built for planning the winter carnival at Austin's elementary school.  I think that was the best team experience I ever had.

I've been wondering aimlessly for so long that I wasn't really passionate about anything specific.  I had always known I was meant to help people but nothing beyond that.  My volunteer work was widespread, never focused on any one type of event, organization, or anything.  Until I started eating healthier and exercising I really had nothing to work with.  This new-found passion to help those 40+ to improve their overall health and wellness has been a great wake up call for me. 

I have NEVER wanted to try skydiving, hang gliding, or something else crazy.  Hills in the car bother me.  I can't do the teacup ride at the fair either.  Both make me nauseous with a headache!  I must stay grounded.

All my schooling has been business or language oriented.  So, to go along with this new-found passion, I would like to get my group exercise and wellness coaching certification from NETAfit as recommended by Sheila at The Frugal Exerciser.

Now that this first chapter is done it's time to move on to chapter two and working on what it means to master the dream.

Would you like to join me in building an exceptional life?  Pick up a copy of Unlimited at your library or on Amazon (available as paperback or hardcover as well as for the Kindle).

Workouts & Halloween

Tuesday I weighed in down a whole 2 lbs!  I figured that I would just have another small loss at this point.  So I must be doing something right with NROLFW even though I'm not using heavy weights.  Ladies on the Weight Watchers message boards say that this program was designed for women to lift heavy.  Unless the lady that wanted me to be her "personal trainer" figures out a schedule I won't be going heavy.  I told Benny the other day that I needed heavier weights and he looked at me as if I was crazy.  We just got the 8 lb dumbbells for my birthday!  I told him I may be nearing the time to switch to use the 8 lbs for the upward exercises and would need the heavier ones for the lower exercises.  He just walked away LOL

Week of Workouts

Friday was NROLFW Stage 1 Workout B.  I did 4 sets of everything - 60 deadlifts, shoulder presses, pullovers, and crunches with 46 lunges (12-12-12-10).

Saturday I found a yoga video on YouTube (actually I'd spotted it on Grokker first but went to the YouTube app on my bluray so I could see it full screen LOL) - Yoga for Weight Loss: Strengthen & Lengthen.

Monday was NROLFW Stage 1 Workout A.  I did 5 sets of squats, pushups, and rows (75 reps of each) along with 4 sets of lunges (48 each leg) & reverse crunches (60).

Tuesday I tried to find another YouTube video but gave up and just did the 21 Day Fix Cardio Fix workout.

Yesterday morning was NROLFW Stage 1 Workout B.  My HRM went funky before I even started the warm up reflecting my heart rate at 213!  I did 5 sets of deadlifts (75 reps) with 4 sets of everything else (60 shoulder presses, pullovers, & crunches; 48 lunges).

In the afternoon I did my regular walk.  I picked up lettuce, radishes, and tomatoes at the farmer's market.  Next week is the last opportunity for the market this year; I don't know what I'm going to do until May!  The ladies at my regular booth said they're dressing up in Halloween costumes next week; I plan to take pictures of whatever they do.

Halloween

Austin is dressing up as death so what am I doing?  My theme is something along the lines of exercising to run away from death.  So I'm going with an 80s workout outfit.  My aunt sent me a leotard and tights to borrow.  I'll wear my Victoria's Secret footless tights over her tights (but under the leotard) for added warmth.  I won an ivory colored headband from Listia that I'll wear.  I won a Victoria's Secret sweatshirt on eBay to wear over the leotard; I'm trying to decide if I'll cut it up to make it a crop top or not.  All I need now are the leg warmers!  I saw some off white ones at Dollar General for $4 the other day so I might just get those (unless I see red ones that'll bring out the red stripes in the leotard).

What are you and your kids dressing up as for Halloween?

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iGotTech Car Mount Review

In my new car there's not really any good place to put my cell phone if I don't have pockets or if my phone keeps popping out of my pocket.  Austin had me put it in the cup holder but my arm often bumps my phone.  So when I saw the opportunity I jumped on it and requested iGotTech's car mount to review.  Once I find a car charger that works for my phone we can keep this up for when we go to visit my family for the holidays.  I think it would make things easier viewing the maps when we travel between both sides of the family or if we make a side trip to some place like German Village.

iGotTech is so confident you're going to love the Sticky Suction Stand that they are offering it with a ridiculous double guarantee. If you have ANY problems with your Sticky Suction Stand for 2 years simply let them know and they will refund every penny of your purchase AND send you a brand new unit free of charge.

The little instruction guide that came with the car mount said that the suction cup would stick to any smooth surface.  I didn't want to have anything on my window to block my view of traffic.   I tried to get the suction to work on my dash board since there is plenty of room.  I kept trying and trying but it didn't work.  So I put Austin to the task of trying.  Neither of us could get it to stick but we're not really sure why.  Perhaps a car's interior isn't smooth enough.  I was bummed my only option was to stick the car mount on my window.

Where I wanted the car mount to go on the dash board.

Where I had to put the car mount - right under my rear view mirror.

It took me a couple of times to figure out how hard I needed to push my phone onto the sticky pad.  I was surprised at how easily my phone stuck.  I barely touched it to the pad and it was stuck, or so I thought.  Within a couple of minutes it fell off while I was driving.  (At least it fell into the passenger seat floor instead of under my feet!)  When I got to the next stoplight I picked my phone back up and pushed a little harder that time to attach my phone.  That worked just fine and dandy!

If the sticky part loses stickiness, just use water to wash it and it will recover its adherent property like new.

I haven't had the car mount long enough for the sticky pad to lose its stickiness.  Clean up sounds easy enough so I plan to try rinsing it off whenever I start to have trouble attaching my phone.

This car mount would make a great Christmas gift for yourself, friends, or family.  The iGotTech Car Mount is found exclusively on Amazon.


If you manage to get your car mount to stick to your dash board please leave me a comment or send me a message to let me know your secret!

Follow iGotTech

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Weigh In Thursday

Tuesday I weighed in down .6 lbs, breaking the 105 lb lost barrier!  That means in 5 lbs more I'll be speaking with the Weight Watchers leader about whether or not to keep my goal weight at 130 lbs or not so we'll know where I need to stay.

Week of Workouts

Thursday I did two Grokker videos from Maggie Lane, one of the 21 Day Fix cast members - Basic Daily Exercise & Fat Blasting Abs.

Friday was NROLFW Workout A.  I managed to get in 4 sets of everything - 60 squats, 60 T-pushups on my knees, 60 bent over rows, 44 lunges (each leg), and 60 reverse crunches.

Saturday I was a yogi for more than an hour, completing another pair of Grokker videos - New Power: Yoga Butt & Yoga for the Neck & Shoulders.  I took a well deserved rest day on Sunday.

Monday was NROLFW Workout B.  I managed to get in 4 sets of everything but the crunches - 60 deadlifts, 60 dumbbell shoulder press, 60 dumbbell pullovers, 44 lunges (each leg), and 45 crunches.

Tuesday I did my final Grokker video (before my free Premium subscription expired) - Cardio Fusion Workout.  I don't have kettlebells so I had to figure out how to do the moves with my dumbbells.

Image Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yesterday I was rudely woken up by the neighbor's barking dog at 4:10 AM.  Benny said one or both of the dogs kept barking off and on until about 9 AM!  Nevertheless I still managed to do NROLFW Workout A sluggishly - 60 squats, 60 pushups on my knees, 60 bent over rows, 36 lunges (each leg), and 45 reverse crunches.

When I went for my walk in the afternoon my inner thighs were a little achy.  By the time I got back my whole thighs ached....for the rest of the day.  I picked up some Swiss chard and tomatoes at the farmer's market.  They gave me a couple of radishes for free.

Because of my achy thighs yesterday I knew I needed some kind of stretching today so I did the 21 Day Fix Pilates Fix workout this morning.

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New Action Camera

Best Buy always seems to have the latest cameras and camcorders, including the full line of new GoPro cameras and accessories. GoPro cameras make perfect holiday gifts for everyone (HINT HINT). GoPro’s new line of cameras allow you to capture and share your experiences as they are happening.

GoPro HERO4 Black

GoPro HERO4 Black is the most advanced GoPro ever, featuring improved image quality and a twice as powerful processor with 2x faster video frame rates, HERO4 Black ups the ante of the GoPro's performance.

GoPro HERO4 Silver

GoPro HERO4 Silver is the first-ever GoPro to feature a built-in touch display. You can control the camera, play back footage and adjust settings from the touch screen. HERO4 Silver has 1080p60 and 720p120 video and takes 12MP photos at 30 frames per second.

GoPro HERO

GoPro HERO features a high‐quality 1080p30 and 720p60 video and takes 5MP photos up to 5 frames per second. HERO takes the same captivating footage that has made GoPro one of the best-selling cameras in the world, with 12x more powerful processor with 2x faster video frame rates.

Learn more at www.bestbuy.com/GoPro or visit your local Best Buy to check out the latest cameras in person.

What would a person like me who doesn't really have adventures or go anywhere do with an action camera like the GoPro?  For one I would capture my workouts with more clarity than with my smartphone camera.  You might even spot one of the many awkward moments I have trying to do some of the exercises!  Another thing I'd like to photograph with an action camera is Austin's goofiness.  I could snap a picture before he had a chance to hide from me!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

POPSUGAR Must Have Box Blogger Opp Announcement

 

CALLING ALL INFLUENTIAL BLOGGERS

If you blog about beauty, fashion, food, home or fitness then you want to get in on this amazing blogger opp. We are giving away a 3-month subscription of the ever popular and luxurious POPSUGAR Must Have Box. This giveaway kicks off on BLACK FRIDAY in November at midnight just in time for the holiday shopping frenzy.

HOSTS Femme Fitale Fit Club and The Frugal Exerciser would love to have you participate in this blogger-sponsored opp. Our giveaways are extremely popular and if every participating blogger promotes as required (3 to 4 times a week across social media) then you can expect increased traffic, follows, and likes on the social media platforms you sign up for.

Hurry and click below to sign up as the available slots are filling fast.

This giveaway will be U.S. only We are looking for co-hosts and other participating bloggers. This is a blogger sponsored giveaway so once we receive enough blogger participants to cover the prize, taxes, and S&H we will close the form.

By signing up you agree to host the html on your blog starting at midnight Eastern Time November 28, 2014 for the duration of the giveaway and promote 3 to 4 times a week across your social media channels.

Dates: November 28 – December 19

Prize: 3-Month Subscription POPSUGAR Must Have Box

Who Can Enter: Open to US residents only

Optional: Announcement Post otherwise $3

Co-Host: $20 Want to be a co-host for this blogger sponsored event? A co-host gets 5 links and a nofollow backlink. This is a great option for businesses or blogs looking to get their name out there! 1, 125 x 125 button, provided by you will be present on the giveaway post shared on each blogger participant’s.

Non Co-Host Link: $5
Links can include anything EXCEPT Facebook Fan Pages or Google+.

Terms:

• Promote giveaway to other bloggers with an announcement post
• Announce giveaway on social networks at least three times a week during entry period.

Grab announcement post HTML here.

If you are interested please fill out the form here and send your payment via PayPal thebodyworkout2002@yahoo.com. In the notes of the payment, please put whether are paying for co-host or non co-host links and include your blog name on your PayPal account.

Giveaway html will be emailed to all signed up blogger participants.

I've Started a Weightlifting Routine

Last night I weighed in down .4 lbs...not quite making up the .6 lbs gain from last week.  (I had forgotten to publish my post last week but you can catch up here.)

Monday I started the New Rules of Lifting for Women workout.  I have to admit it's kind of boring having to count my reps and not just follow along like you do with DVD programs.  This first stage is supposed to be 6 weeks long but I don't know if I'm going to make it.

Since I'm working out at home and not at a gym I don't have access to the equipment needed to do some of these exercises.  So I've swapped them for another one in the same category.

Workout A Modifications

• Seated Row swapped for Bent Over Row
• Step-up swapped for Weighted Lunge
• Prone Jackknife swapped for Reverse Crunch

Monday I completed two sets of 15 reps and one set of 12 reps for all of Workout A.  I used my 8 lb weights for the whole workout.  Will see how I can challenge myself with this on Friday.

Workout B Modifications

• Wide Grip Lat Pulldown swapped for Dumbbell Pullover
• Swissball Crunch swapped for a regular Crunch

Today it wasn't as consistent for me with Workout B compared to A....Deadlift was three sets of 15 reps with 8 lb weights.  Dumbbell Shoulder Press was three sets of 15 reps with 3 lb weights.  Dumbbell Pullover was three sets of 15 reps with 3 lb weights.  Lunge was two sets of 12 reps and one set of 10 reps with 8 lb weights.  Crunch was three sets of 15 reps.

Yesterday's workout was a total body cardio kickboxing video from Grokker.  Not a good one to follow all those lunges from Workout A; my right thigh is still aching today!  I found out about Grokker in the Fitfluential email last week.  The FFWellness October challenge is their 28 day program.  I don't know how much of it I'll be following but I'll see what all they have each week.  I'll probably do another one of the Grokker videos for my workout tomorrow.

Speaking of Fitfluential...I'm officially an Ambassador!  I think I'm in all their Facebook groups so now I just have to get on my computer at home to add my details to the documents there.  I can't wait to see what kinds of opportunities will arise from this!  (I copied the badge code from one of the welcome emails and put it on my sidebar but it doesn't come out correctly.  If anyone has the code please contact me so I can see what's wrong.)

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Last Week's Weigh in Wednesday

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm a little embarrassed.  I had this post written last week but never got back around to picking out the title picture so it was never published. :/

No inches were lost in September...well, just a half inch off my waist.  I was super hungry with TOM last week and it showed at the scale a little; I was up .6 lbs.  Or maybe the intense workout at SuperSunday factored in.  The host had us doing some TurboFire and Insanity to her own music mix.  It was hard doing some of the moves on a slick floor but otherwise a great workout.  I burned 440 calories in about 45 minutes and my heart rate was up to 175 (average was 156)!  I had only a little bit of lightheadedness but it wasn't anything where I'd have to stop and sit.  One of Austin's teachers from elementary school was there so we chatted a little bit before everything started.

A lady I used to work with asked me to be her personal trainer to help her lose weight.  After speaking with her during my lunch walk Wednesday I think she wants a workout buddy and someone to look to for motivation and nutrition advice.  So it's not as involved as I was thinking (yes, I overthink things a lot LOL).  I picked up more Swiss chard from the farmer's market while I was there.  There are only 3 weeks left until they close for the season!

Tuesday night I had my 18 month check-in with the Diabetes Prevention study.  They had to take my blood pressure three times since the second time had a difference of more than 10.  My A1C has been holding steady since the second visit.  My HDL likes to be low.