Weigh in Wednesday

Last night it felt so weird to be at Weight Watchers and NOT weigh in.  I have gone every week (but didn't stay for the 12/23 meeting) of this journey.  I only get a week "off" this time since next week is the first meeting of March that I'll attend.  Weighing myself this morning it looks like I'm still on the right track.

Week of Workouts

Thursday I worked my arms.

Friday I worked my shoulders.

Saturday I knew that in order to be able to make it to the library I couldn't wait for Benny to get up to shovel the driveway.  So I did it ALL BY MYSELF!  I had Austin come out and work on the leftovers but that didn't last long.  At least he stayed outside with me and off his tablet!  It took me about 2 hours to get it all done.

Surprisingly I was never really sore after all that shoveling but I still went ahead and did yoga on Sunday.

Monday I worked my arms again.

Yesterday I wrapped up Body Beast doing Cardio & Abs.

I have no program set up to go to next and have no idea what I want to do EEK!

Body Merry

I was given the opportunity to try out Body Merry's Stretch Marks & Scars Defense Cream as well as the Age Defense Eye Cream in exchange for my review. 

Along with eliminating my wingsuit it would be nice to clear up some of those stretch marks from my skin stretching all these years. 

Body Merry’s Stretch Marks & Scars Defense Cream is a natural and organic formula consisting of organic cocoa butter and shea butter, alongside lots of pure plant oils and vitamins. This cream provides intense moisturization and nourishes your skin to help visibly reduce the appearance of existing marks and scars, whatever be the cause. Not only that, it effectively prevents the formation of new ones.  Like all our products, it is free from harsh chemicals such as parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

My arm and stomach before applying Body Merry's Stretch Marks & Scars Defense Cream

I haven't used cocoa butter in years but smelled it immediately when I opened the jar.  I could probably sniff it all day LOL!  I applied the Stretch Marks & Scars Defense Cream on my upper arms (aka wings) and my stomach twice a day for a couple of weeks.  I personally can't see any difference in either area.  Cocoa butter is supposed to work wonders for this but perhaps because it's been too long or that my skin is too loose I can't see the effects.  I would like to use this cream again once my skin is tighter to see if it makes a difference.

I didn't know what to expect with Body Merry's Age Defense Eye Cream.  There is a slight scent to this cream, although I can't identify what it is.  I used this once a day for a couple of weeks.  Not even a full pump was enough to cover both eyes (a little dab'll do ya).  I dabbed a towel on my eyes to pick up any excess so it wouldn't get into my eyes.  I noticed the skin around my eyes feels a little smoother than before and maybe a little less puffy.

(I tried to take current pictures this morning but Benny interrupted me and I didn't get it done.)

Order your own Body Merry creams on Amazon

Don't forget to sign up to guest post for the BODYpeace series!

Linking up with

Welcome to Lifetime

Apparently there was an error in the posting that listed the Organic Chia Seed opportunity as a review and a giveaway.  It was only supposed to be a review.  I want to thank the winner, Kimberly Job of Sublime Reflection for being a good sport about it!

I weighed in last night down 1.4 lbs and signed up for the Lifetime Membership at Weight Watchers.  As a Lifetime Member I'm considered a permanent part of the family!  As a Lifetime Member you receive a charm, membership card, free eTools subscription, and unlimited meetings (although I don't see the need to attend more than once a week but some feel it necessary).  Since I only need to weigh in monthly now I'd like to know what you'd like to see instead.

Do I take a picture of my scale before my Wednesday workout like this?

Or do I have something else here?  Please leave your ideas in the comments.

Week of Workouts

Thursday it was Cardio & Abs.

Saturday was Build: Chest/Tris before heading to Comic Con.

Monday I began week 12 with Bulk: Back.

Yesterday was leg day.

Today I did Bulk: Chest.

Wizard World Comic Con

On the Indiana Women's Blogger Facebook Group I was given 3 passes to Comic Con earlier in the week then on Thursday I got a notice that I won two more (never got used by anyone).  Neither Benny nor Austin seemed too thrilled to go, especially with the high prices for autographs and photo opportunities.  I finally got them convinced to attend but boy was it COLD!

We didn't go until late because of Benny so I missed out on some of the panels.  We popped in William Shatner's talk but left about halfway through; Benny said it wasn't what he expected.  Did you know that Shatner owns horses and comes to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in September for some kind of horse race?  He also mentioned that he helped design a motorcycle and will be driving it from Chicago to Los Angeles this summer.  It's quite an interesting looking bike!

After that we walked around the exhibit floor.  There were so many cool looking things displayed and for sale.  Austin and Benny went into the zombie shooting range and took home their targets.  We ran into Spock manning a booth.  Don't know if I startled the guy or what but my picture came out blurry when he took it.

We popped into the concert by the Critical Hit Band (leader is the guy who writes the music for World of Warcraft) while waiting for the costume contest.  The lady in the middle was playing an instrument I don't recognize.  It had the neck of a cello but a tiny body.  (lights too bright so I couldn't get a good picture)

There were many interesting costumes that entered the contest (as individuals or groups).  Winners included costumes from Spaceballs, Aladdin, Labyrinth, and Star Wars.  Some spent months and probably a lot of money putting their costumes together.  It put my Halloween costumes to shame!

I couldn't imagine being there all day but I would've liked to go to the talks or panels.  I would like to go to another one in costume and hang out with other cosplayers.

For those of you that have gone to a ComicCon or GenCon, what did you enjoy the most?

Linking up with

Back to Beast Mode

I weighed in last night down 1.4 lbs...back in my goal window.  The Weight Watchers leader said last night that next week I'll receive my Lifetime key charm!  So if anyone's interested in seeing what it's all about you can come for free Tuesday night at 6 PM (they offer 1 free meeting to everyone).

WEIGHT WATCHERS STORE CENTRE EAST

10537 E WASHINGTON ST STE E

INDIANAPOLIS , IN 46229

Giveaways

Don't forget I have two giveaways going on now.

Microbiome Probiotics - 5 Winners, Ends 2/14 @ 1 AM EST

Organic Chia Seeds - 1 Winner, Ends 2/16 @ 1 AM EST

Week of Workouts

Thursday I did Jillian Michaels' Shred It with Weights Level 2.

I was so exited to get Body Beast again so I can wrap up this program.  If it hadn't snowed I would've picked it up at the library Wednesday night.  Instead I got it Thursday night.

Friday I returned to Body Beast with Bulk: Shoulders.

Saturday I did Cardio & Abs.

Sunday was Build: Back/Bis.

Monday was leg day.

Tuesday I wasn't feeling it.  I don't know how to describe.  I ended up just doing Cardio without the Abs.

Everything was back to normal today for me to do Bulk: Shoulders.

Linking up with

Maintenance Week 2

I weighed in last night up another 2.8 lbs.  This puts me above the goal window so I thought that meant the 6 weeks would restart once I got back to goal.  We were giving our Weight Watchers success stories again last night and were asked where we are on our journeys.  When I said I hit goal but was over this time the leader still said I had only 4 weeks left.  So I guess you just have 6 weeks no matter whether you're over, under, or right where you need to be.  Works for me!

Week of Workouts

Thursday was Cardio & Abs.

Friday was a welcomed rest day.

Saturday I wrapped up week 9 with Build: Chest/Tris.

Sunday was another rest day; it felt weird with two rest days so close together.

Monday was Bulk: Back.

Tuesday was Build: Legs.

Today was Bulk: Chest.

I kept trying to renew the Body Beast DVDs but had no luck this time around; I have to bring them back to the library today.  I'm 8th on the request list but hope I don't have to wait long.  I plan to pick up where I left off whenever I get the DVDs back.  In the meantime I have plenty of other workouts still checked out that I can do.

Physical Therapy Update

The PT has been working on the Alexander Technique with me, trying to get me to not be using muscles when they're not needed.  I've checked out some books from the library on the subject and will be reading up on it some more.  Have you tried this technique before?

Yesterday I had sneezed while getting ready to leave work to head to therapy so I had a headache when I arrived.  The PT gave me some more exercises to strengthen my C-Spine so I can reduce the impact of my hard sneezes.

Linking up with

First Week of Maintenance

On this first week of maintenance I weighed in up 1.8 lbs but I'm still in my goal range!  I didn't do many adjustments because it was also TOM week so I already expected some gain.  This is the week to see what I need to do.

Week of Workouts

Thursday was cardio and abs.

Friday I worked my back.  The picture I took for Instagram looks like I'm flapping wings as fast as a hummingbird! LOL

Ready for takeoff! #BodyBeast #FFCheckin #Fitfluential #happydoyear Created with Photo Collage Maker. http://goo.gl/RpSVMx

A photo posted by Cassandra Schmigotzki (@longandwindingroadtowellness) on Jan 9, 2015 at 4:10am PST

Saturday I wrapped up week 8 pulling double duty working my arms and shoulders.

This final 4 week phase of Body Beast has a mix of phase 1 and 2.  Sunday was one of the workouts from phase 1 - Build: Back/Bis.

Monday was Bulk: Legs.

Yesterday was Cardio & Abs again.  Thursday will be the same so it's like 3 leg days in week 9!

This morning was Build: Shoulders.

Probiotics-a-Plenty

I've been given the opportunity to review two different probiotics.  I didn't expect to get them at the same time so I'm not sure how to handle this.  Any recommendations?  I'm thinking about alternating weeks between the two.  What is your favorite type of probiotic?

First up is the LiviaOne Daily Liquid Probiotics.  This is my first liquid supplement so it will be a different experience for me.  The bottle arrived Monday so I started it yesterday.

The second one is the 3 Microbiome Plus+ GI Probiotic which arrived yesterday.  I will be doing a giveaway for this one with 5 winners!

 

 



Linking up with

Goal

There were no changes in measurements when Benny checked me Monday night. I weighed in last night down 1.6 lbs, surpassing my goal weight! I'm now in Maintenance for six weeks before reaching Lifetime at Weight Watchers. The aim is to stay in the 138-142 lb weight range. I now have an 6 extra points a day to eat....no idea what else I WANT to eat.  What did you add to your daily food intake when you hit maintenance?

 

 

Weight Maintenance

 

So how do you succeed in maintenance? The little booklet they provide when you reach goal gives 5 simple steps.

1. Enjoy your extra food each day. (As long as you don't go overboard, you'll be OK.)
2. Continue exploring ways to make the Plan work for you.
3. Continue attending meetings and weighing in regularly.
4. Keep (or start) moving!
5. Look forward to Lifetime Membership.

Week of Workouts

 

Thursday was cardio and abs.

 

Friday I worked my back.

 

Week 7 wrapped up Saturday working my shoulders.

 

 

Monday I worked my chest.

 

Tuesday was lightheaded leg day.

 

Combo headache this morning so I made it a rest day.  (Delayed onset headache from PT maybe.)

 

Physical Therapy Week 1

 

Tuesday's physical therapy session focused on evaluating me for positional vertigo. Everything looked OK and I passed all the tests. Nothing brought on vertigo. My left eye did have a delay in catching up with my right eye. Not really sure what that means or if there's anything to do about it.

Today's session the PT manipulated the muscles at the base of my skull and jaw.  The little bit of pressure she applied at the base of my skull took my headache away relatively quickly.  I know I clench my jaw sometimes but never thought my muscles there would be so tight!  She also stretched my neck out several times to balance everything out.  At the end she had me lay there with a heated neck wrap.  That felt good but more because IT'S FREEZING OUT!

No clue how much the physical therapy is going to cost me.  I'm sure if Benny saw the pricing he would say quit now.  I really wish the medical and insurance professions were more transparent in pricing so you can better plan for things.

 

 

Linking up with

Merry Christmas

I popped into Weight Watchers while we were out last night and weighed in up 1.2 lbs. First time since starting this journey that I didn't go to a meeting so I felt a little weird at first but shrugged it off quickly. There's only so many hours in a day so you must do what you can when you can!

The other day I actually remembered to take a picture of the two chest straps I've used for my HRM.  My original one fit M-XXL and my new one fits XS-S.  Didn't realize a bit of the old one got cut off.

Week of Workouts

Thursday I stuck it to the cardio and abs workout.

Friday I worked my back.

I wrapped up week 5 on Saturday working my shoulders.

Monday I was back to the grind working my chest. Burned a little more this week than last but my heart rate stays low since most of this workout I'm on my back.

Yesterday I had a great burn with leg day!

This morning I worked my arms.

Plumbing Chaos Leading into Christmas

For a while whenever I do laundry a horrible stench comes out of the shower in the master bath.  We've just been closing the bathroom door with the fan on so it doesn't permeate the bedroom.  This last week water started coming up in the kitchen sink.  So I called our home warranty company to get a plumber out.

It had been 8 business hours (how long they have to get someone to contact us) and no plumber called me.  I double checked with the warranty company but they hadn't found anyone yet so I called the company that repaired the spigot on the back side of the house during the blizzard this past January.  They came out Friday afternoon and determined there was a clog between the laundry and sink but the smell was due to the remodel (before he house was put on the market) failing to install a p trap to prevent sewer gases from entering the house.

There was a lot of miscommunication between the warranty company and the plumbers.  Monday we got it all situated, or so I thought.  Apparently warranty doesn't pay until the company faxes proof we've paid our deductible, which is about 2-3 hours later.  The plumber requires payment at the time of service so that doesn't work for them.  So now I'm back to square one waiting on the warranty company to locate someone.

Of course this happens right before we're supposed to head to Ohio to visit my family for Christmas.  (By the time you're reading this post we'll have already been on the road.)  So my only choice would be to wash all our clothes at a Laundromat before leaving.  Last night it was chaos with picking up the rental, weighing in, and shopping. Couldn't decide what to get my grandmother (who has Alzheimer's) and forgot a cousin!

This morning was frantic wrapping and packing along with last minute shopping.

I hope you all have a better Christmas week than we have had!

Linking up with

BeastMode with Fish Oil

I weighed in last night down 2.4 lbs.  I went ahead and decided to make 140 lbs my official goal weight so the Weight Watchers leader updated everything in the system.  Hopefully I'll hit it at weigh in next week but at least by January 6th, so I would be starting 2015 in maintenance mode.

Week of Workouts

Thursday looks to be Cardio and Abs for these 5 weeks of the bulk phase.

Friday I worked my back.  I only had to use the resistance band for one exercise.

Saturday I worked my shoulders in the morning.  In the afternoon I sorted through my clothes to pull out the right size to give to my mom.

I began week 5 Monday working my chest again.

Tuesday was leg day.

This morning I worked my arms.  Benny hadn't gone to bed so when I was done he asked why I was walking funny.  It's because of yesterday!


Provitamaxx Omega-3 Fish Oil Review + Giveaway

I was surprised to find a fish oil with a natural lemon flavoring but it's so light it's barely noticeable.  I haven't experienced a fishy aftertaste either with Provitamaxx Omega-3 Fish Oil.  Perhaps it has something to do with this being in the triglyceride form.  All I know is I don't smell anything each time I open the bottle.

The health benefits of omega-3 fish oil are widely researched and documented.  Some areas that benefit are:

• heart health
• joint function
• circulation
• immune function
• healthy inflammatory levels
• eye health and function
• positive mood
• learning and memory
• normal brain and nerve cell function

The triglyceride form ensures maximum absorption of omega-3s, allowing you to experience the full health benefits.  The pills are gluten-free and contain no GMOs.  They are also certified by a Third Party Lab to be free of mercury, PCBs and any other toxins.  

Provitamaxx Omega-3 Fish Oil is produced using only sustainable fishing methods and is dolphin-safe.  The manufacturing process utilizes 100% green, carbon-neutral technology.

Provitamaxx Omega-3 Fish Oil is currently only available for purchase on Amazon. 

Entry-Form

Linking up with

Ending Build and Starting Bulk

Yesterday morning I went to the doctor for my annual physical.  I'm probably going to be billed a copay for the visit because apparently Anthem requires visits to be 1 year and 1 day apart.  The doctor and I believe my headaches stem from my neck.  He examined my neck and shoulders, finding several tight and/or tender spots.  So he's given me the referral for physical therapy.  Hopefully they'll find the release point like they did for my leg!  With the crazy way insurance is I have no clue how much it'll cost me.  As far as blood work he had them run several but the results won't be available for me to see online until about midnight.

Benny measured me last week.  I lost another inch in my chest and a half inch or so in my arms.  Everything else pretty much stayed the same.  Last night I weighed in down .2 lbs.

Week of Workouts

Thursday I worked my shoulders.

Friday was leg day.

Saturday was the last day of the build phase working my back and biceps.

Monday I began the bulk phase working my chest.  It was quite a different format in how the sets are in the build phase.

Yesterday was the first bulk leg day.  I couldn't get in the single leg 50 calf raises; it was around 36 on each leg for me.

Today I worked my arms.  I was wondering what an arms workout was...after all isn't weightlifting in general all arms?  There were a LOT of curls in this workout.

Linking up with