Get Fit Fridays: #1

Since the weather started improving and it actually started to feel like spring/summer here in Calgary I have been itching to get on my bike and ride. GeoDad and I are a 1 car household in a very car dependant city which makes life a little more difficult some days (and kept us at home most of the winter). But now that I am working days and kids are child care we are finding lots more time to get out and be active.

I have been walking the kids to their dayhome and then catching the bus, and transfering to the c-train, then walking up to the store where I work. My morning commute is over an hour including drop-off time. Getting home is generally takes an hour with transit, unless I just miss the bus connection, then it is 1:15. Lame right.

Driving is not better if I do have the car for the day. Traffic has mostly eased up by the time I need to go, but at the end of my shift it can take 40 minutes for me to drive the 11km to get home. Lame again.

Over the last few weeks I have been cutting out the bus portion of the commute by riding by bike down to the train station. It is all downhill. 5km. 12 minutes. Easy. Then after work I got to do the sweat inducing ride back home. 5km. All uphill. 23-29 minutes depending on weather. The uphill direction is also into the dominant wind direction. Lame. But it is way nicer than being on the bus.

So last Saturday, a crazy little voice inside my head thought I should find out how long it takes to bike home. I started the day by doing the easy ride down the hill to train. Riding the train with my bike to work and then at the end of the day setting out for a bike ride home. It was a great ride, other than I had no idea how steep the hill coming out of the park would be. It was brutal - 4% grade brutal. I walked my bike up the hill then biked the last 3 km to get home. So it is a 15km ride home, one big uphill, but generally not a lot of topography. And I get to go through a gorgeous provincial park.

I got home in one piece and was amazed at how much nicer it was to get home without the busy transit experience.  No waiting for the train then bus. Not squeezing on to a hot train with grumpy/sweaty/smelly/tired/etc transit users.

Since last Saturday I have biked home twice more. It has been great. Other than I probably wasn't ready to do it back to back days.

So although 2 weeks ago I thought I would not be blogging about exercise/fitness/etc anytime soon. I want to share this and encourage others to get active between sessions on the computer/sewingmachine/tv etc..

So quick stats for the week.
Biked 65km total.
3 rides - 15 km each.
And I went to the gym once.

Oh, and GeoDad and I are getting married in 274 days, so this is probably a good time to start thinking about how I want to look in my wedding dress (which is already picked). I am getting back on the fitness and exercise bandwagon and I am going to lose my baby weight before the wedding.

I would love to say that I am off to exercise more, but tonight it is raining and I have a quilt back to getting sewing.

Have a great weekend.
GeoMama

Week 16 & 17 & June Weigh in.

Life has been crazy the last little while getting settled into the new house and new routines. I haven't found a gym yet, instead I am enjoying being able to get out in the yard with the kids. Calgary is so big that I feel like it is a 'project' to go out, and having to book several days ahead to get kids into babysitting at gym for 1 hour doesn't work great right now with LB napping early in the morning and again shortly after noon. Monkey's napping isn't helping out either, she either has a 3 hour afternoon nap, or no nap at all, and I haven't figured out which it will be on a day to day basis. I am trying to make time for exercise while the kids nap, however, there are lots of other things that need my time...like cleaning, laundry, etc. I have had a goal to get out for a walk with the kids and dog everyday, but we had a week of crazy rain and this last week Monkey has been throwing fits if I make her wear pants. It makes leaving the house much more difficult. To add to the chaos I found some part time work at sewing/quilting store. It will be a few evenings a week and the odd weekend shift. So far I think it will be nice to get out of the house and talk with adults for a while. I am enjoying being the 100 day burpee challenge and I am finding it is doing a good job of getting me moving and getting my heart rate up.

Anyway, the house is all unpacked, the flood is over, I have started my job, maybe now we get in a routine of walking or biking everyday?

Here is what I have been doing with the last couple weeks.

June 16: We got a truck full of stuff to the new house. Carried it all in with the help of friends and family. Moving is exhausting. We own way too much stuff.
June 17: You will note I did not do any burpees yesterday. 33 for today. Plus all the work of unpacking everything we moved in. Unpacked our scale this morning, and just out of curiosity I stepped on it. 226 lbs not sure what the difference between our scale at the one at my Mom's is. But I am pleased. This brings my weight loss to 16 lbs. 
June 18: 18 burpees. Nothing else. Exhausted from moving.
June 19: Less exhausted, 19 burpees. No outside adventures, Calgary is having a massive rain storm.
June 20: Rainstorm continues. 20 burpees.
June 21: 100 000 people evacuated in Calgary due to flooding. Pretty happy I am not one of them. 21 burpees. Life is somewhat normal other than wateruse is being voluntarily restricted. 21 Burpees.
June 22: Bridal shower for my sister is law. Long drive out of town to get there because almost all the bridges are closed. Didn't do my burpees.
June 23: Return to Calgary, roads open again, water levels going down. 22 burpees from yesterday plus 23 from today. Ugh. 45 total sucks. I am not skipping a day again, its too hard to do the make up burpees.

June 24: 24 burpees at nap time.
June 25: 25 burpees at nap time.
June 26: 26 burpees at nap time. Walk with kiddos and dog. First day at my new job.
June 27: Tired from being on my feet at work. Avoided the burpees all day.
June 28: 55 burpees, 27 from yesterday and 28 from today. Did them in sets of 10 and cleaned bathrooms in between. It made 55 burpees seem less horrible and made for a nice break between each of the bathrooms.
June 29: 29 burpees. Feeling like a 30-day burpee challenge would have been a better choice, oh well. 100 days it is. I will keep going.
June 30: 30 burpees completed in 2 sets of 15.

July 1: Happy Canada Day! 31 burpees. We got the bike trailer set up this weekend and I went for my first ride towing Monkey. We didn't go far or fast, but I am super excited to get out biking more. We will need a helmet for LB, but it might be difficult to find one since he is only 10 months old.


And now for the numbers,
Weight: 225 lbs, down 5 lbs since May 30, down 17 lbs total
Chest: 35 inches (down 1 inch since May 1, down 2 inch total)
Waist: 38 inches (down 1 inches from May 1, down 4 inches total)
Hips: 50 inches (no change from May 1, down 1 inch total)

Pesky hips are slow to lose weight and inches. 
I went shopping for work clothes, and for the first time in 2 years I have some clothes that aren't yoga pants and t-shirts. This shirt was my favourite of the bunch. I feel like I have a waist again!! 

Glad you are all still reading after all these weeks. I would love to hear what you are doing for your health this summer. 

GeoMama

Week 14 & 15 Fitness

The first half of June is over and it has been a busy couple weeks. I had my last week at my Mom's and with the ladies in Momma's class at Ignite Fitness in Red Deer. Then I packed all almost all of my stuff at Mom's and drove it all to Calgary to move into the new house with GeoDad. The kids and I are starting to work on new routines in the new house, which is both good and challenging. They are sleeping great, both at night and nap time. I think this is due to all the fresh air they are getting in the new toddler friendly yard (I promise there will be a post with some pictures soon, once we have all our stuff from the Yukon). 

While I haven't made any decisions about gyms in Calgary, I have added something new to my fitness routine that I can do at home. During my second last CrossFit class in Red Deer I was roped into doing a 100 day burpee challenge.  (How to video here ). It will be my way to stay connected with the great ladies at Ignite Fitness in Red Deer. So here is how it works:
June 1st: 1 burpee
June 2nd: 2 burpees
June 3rd: 3 burpees (I started late, so June 3rd I had to do the first 6)
etc...
until Day 100, September 8th with 100 burpees. (Sounds completely ridiculous right? 5050 burpees over 100 days - I think it will be good for me).

Anyway, despite not being totally settled in Calgary, and being very undecided about gyms, I have done a bit other than my daily burpees.

June 2: Walk with kiddos and dog at off leash area. Made monkey sit in the stroller so I could walk at a decent pace.
June 3: CrossFit: Strength: Power Clean - Test for 1 rep max: 95lbs. Need to work a bit on my getting lower into a squat, but pretty pleased with it today. WOD: 2 Minutes Double unders (DUs), 2 minutes Knees to Elbows (K2E), 90 seconds DUs, 90 seconds K2E, 60 seconds DUs, 60 seconds K2E, 30 seconds DUs, 30 seconds K2E. Completed 46 K2E (well sort of... I can't actually get my knees that close to my arms... but I tried) and I lost count while I was trying to figure out how to do double unders when skipping. So no fancy grand total for today's WOD. Finished up with 6 burpees to start the 100 day challenge.
June 4: 4 burpees after walking the dog in park while pushing the kids in the stroller. I ran a bit too.
June 5: Crossfit: Strenght: Deadlift at 80% 3 x 5 reps: 125lbs (my previous 1 rep max was 135lbs, but it has been a while and my technique is way better than it was a month ago). Felt pretty good. WOD: 21-15-9 reps of Power Cleans @ 60% max & push ups. I didn't do all the power cleans... 21 in a row is way too many. 15-15-9 at 45lbs. I did all the push ups. Time 5:38. Completed my 5 burpees during the warm up. Got out to the dog park for an afternoon walk with the kids in the stroller.
June 6: Walk with kiddos and dog, 6 burpees
June 7: Moving Day! Carried lots of things to the truck and trailer, then carried lots of things into the new house. Then I did my 7 burpees.
June 8: 8 burpees - first whole day in the new house
June 9: 9 burpees - still settling in, Monday we get back to routines

June 10: Went out looking for a gym membership. The closest YMCA has a 1 week trial that I signed up for, but there was no space in babysitting for the kids. Got out for a 20 minute walk with the kids and dog in the afternoon. 10 burpees (the first few are feeling easier now, the last few are not).
June 11: Kids had good naps and I was thinking it would be a great time for some yoga, but I was waiting for the internet guy to come hook us up. Wasted the whole nap waiting. Went for a walk a bit later with kids and dog. 11 burpees.
June 12: Went to theYMCA, left kids in babysitting, did a small workout in the weight room. Ran 500m on the track, did some assisted pull-ups, sit ups, push ups and my 12 burpees for the day. Not sure this is where I want to go. It is a nice facility, but I really enjoyed getting to know other people at CrossFit in Red Deer, and I think with the size of the facility and the number of people that it will be difficult to do that here unless I get involved in a class. The drop in classes that work that I would be interested in doing don't seem to run a good time for my kids. (Either too early in the morning or early evening). I also have to pre-book the babysitting a couple days in advance, which while I am glad that they keep strict adult - infant- toddler ratios, makes it more difficult to go when its good for all of us. Whether that be at 9 one day or 10 the next. I have a whole week to try the facility out and maybe after that I will look at free trials other places. 
June 13: No burpees (13 extra for tomorrow) I really shouldn't save them until after dinner because I really don't want to do them at that point in the day.
June 14: Need to do 27 burpees. Ugh. That's alot. I broke the first 25 down into sets of 5, and did 5 squats and 5 sit ups with each round. It took 6:58 (not that it really matters how fast I did it). Miscalculated, 13 from yesterday + 14 from today is not 25. Gotta do 2 more. There Done! 27 burpees for days 13 and 14. 
June 15: Took LB for a short walk back to house from the park we went to after shopping with GeoDad and Monkey. Left my daily burpees until the very end of the day (9:42 pm and they aren't done yet, but 31 tomorrow seems daunting, so I am going to get them done). 15 burpees, plus some other ab exercises. Burpees are getting easier.. 15 days in and my form is getting closer to CrossFit standards. 

After the first full week in the house I realize that I am going to have to watch what I eat way more closely, as I am snacking with the kids (who both seem to eat all day long, but expend way more energy running/crawling/climbing/growing). Stress levels should be lower next week once our stuff arrives from Whitehorse.

Off to sew for a few minutes before bed.
GeoMama

Week 6 and 7 Fitness Update

It is official, I am falling on the fitness wagon. Derailed by a cold of my own, plus both kids being sick. Week 6 went pretty well, but week 7 is pretty much a fail for getting exercise everyday. Sleep this week was sporadic and mostly in the armchair in our room with LB sitting up in my lap so he could breathe through his congestion. Naps for both kids were restless as they sneezed and coughed. I wasn't about to take them anywhere, so no CrossFit or outdoor walks with them. The good news is that LB and I are getting better, so I should be able to get back to work on my goals... right after I get Monkey to the doctor this morning.

Here is what I did the last 2 weeks for exercise:

April1: CrossFit - started to do a workout called 'Fight Gone Bad'  - 3 rounds of: 1 minute wallballs, 1 minute sumo deadlift high pulls, 1 minute box jumps, 1 minute push press, 1 minute rowing, 1 minute rest. Monkey was having a very bad day and wanted to be held while I did the first round, so I didn't even attempt the second 2. I did do: 21 wallballs, 18 sumo deadlift high pulls (35lbs), 20 step ups (not box jumps), 20 push press (35lbs).
April2: CrossFit: Strength: Box Squats 85% 4x5reps: 85lbs. WOD: 6 rounds: 30 Double unders or 60 skips, 30% pushups, 30% sit ups, 30% squats. Completed: 360 skips, 60 pushups, 72 sit ups, 60 squats in 14:38. Afternoon walk with kids and dog in the park.
April3: Walked to CrossFit and back with Monkey in the stroller and LB in the carrier. Babysat at CrossFit.
April4: CrossFit: Strenght: Power Cleans 85% 5x3 reps. 65lbs. WOD: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of deadlifts 30%, box jumps, 30% Toes to bar. Completed: 21-12-9-6-3-3-3 reps at 65lbs deadlifts, stepups on 12inch box, and getting my feet to about waist height instead of up to the bar. Toes to bar is hard. Very hard. Also, I can't do box jumps after deadlifts, I just about landing on my face instead of my feet.
April5: 45 minute online yoga fusion
April6&7: No exercise, teething kids not sleeping well or at the same time. And it snowed. Boo to snow in April. Bad reason not to get outside for a walk.
April8: CrossFit: Strength: Sumo Deadlift: Test for 1 Rep Max: 135lbs. WOD: 50 Double Unders (skipping), Row for 10 calories, 40 DUs, Row for 20 Cal, 30 DUs, Row for 30 Cal, 20 DUs, Row for 40 cals, 10 DUs. I can't do double unders, so I doubled the number of skips in each part. Completed in 15:00. 
April9-12: Kids and I were sick. Runny noses, sore throats, achy, tired and no appetite. LB had lots of naps in a room with a humidifier with Vicks vapourizer stuff in it. He also hardly ate any solids, and nursed a ton, so I have been super hungry. Luckily we have run out of Easter chocolate for me to snack on.
April13: Short walk to a charity fabric sale with LB in the carrier. Half of an online yoga class. Kids were conspiring against me today at nap time.
April14: LB on the mend, Monkey super sick. Still working together against me getting anything done.  Monkey woke up coughing during her nap. I had no desire to get started on a yoga class only to get interrupted multiple times. Lame excuses.

GeoMama

Week 4 and 5 Fitness Update

Week 4 and 5 Fitness has been a little more sporadic than the first 3 weeks. The last couple days were busy with the living room and dining room getting new cork laminate flooring installed. I spent lots of the 2 days, packing up stuff and unpacking it again after the floor was done. This meant my yoga space was unusable and kids needed to be carefully watched and contained to other rooms in the house.

Here is what I have been up to:

March16: Bikram Hot Yoga (90 minutes) - I tried doing Bikram a couple times between having Monkey and getting pregnant with LB. The room is 105 F, with 40% humidity - you pretty much start sweating when you enter. It feels brutal when you are doing it, but there is a definitely a exercise high at the end when you realize that you made it through.
March17:I was a slacker today. I did some toddler assisted pilates after dinner, but thats it. Oh well. A rest day is probably ok after 3 weeks.
March18: CrossFit: Worked on a lift called a snatch, not very good at it yet. WOD: 3 rounds of 30% pull-ups, max push ups, max sit ups, 30% squats. Completed in total: 13 pull ups (with 2 resistance bands giving me a hand), 37 push ups, 55 sit ups, 30 squats. Feeling like I am getting way stronger through the core. And I got an afternoon walk in with GeoDad, kids and the dog.
March19: CrossFit: During warm I realized I was quite stiff from all the squats and pushups the day before. Oh well. WOD: AMRAP(as many rounds as possible) in 15 minutes: 60 skips, 20 Kettlebell swings. Completed: 7 rounds with 8kg kettlebell and short break to make Monkey feel better about watching and not helping me skip. My new skipping rope is much better to use, but I am still a very poor skipper.
March20: 45 minute online yoga fusion. My body is starting to feel like it enjoys doing warrior poses and not like I am trying to torture my quads.
March21:CrossFit: Deadlift 5x3reps at 85% of your max. Not sure what my max is, but I can do 75lbs for 3 reps. WOD: 15-10-5 reps of Thrusters at 50% of max and deadlifts at 60% of max. Thrusters, 24 lbs thrusters and 55lbs deadlifts. Completed in 3:52. It felt awesome to get through the WOD. I felt strong and like I am finally 'getting' it at crossfit.
March22: Walk in the park with Monkey. She stayed on top of the crusty snow and I fell through up to my knees.
March23: 40 Minute Online Pilates.
March24: No exercise. First day off after a month. I felt super guilty all day, but the stars were not aligned to get it done. Kids were sick, so no walks outside with them. I started tutoring math again, which happened during Monkey's nap (this is when I normally do yoga/pilates at home). I could have done something after kids went to bed, but I wasn't motivated to exercise during my sewing time.
March25: CrossFit:  Strength: Box Squat – Test for 1RM - 110 lbs, Situps – Test for max reps (cap @ 50) - 36, Pushups – Test for max reps - 27 . WOD: Row for Max distance: 20 rounds of 15 sec on/10 sec rest -1446 m 
March26: No exercise. Absolutely no good reasons for it. Better get back on track tomorrow.
March27: 45 minute online Yoga Fusion. Got outside to do some spring shoveling/water management in the yard.
March28: CrossFit: Strength: Rack Jerk 85% 1RM: 5x3 reps. 55lbs. Working on form, I could probably do a fair bit more weight.. Next time. WOD: 3 Rounds: 1 minute max back squat @45% 1RM, 1 minute max pull ups, 1 minute max pushups, 1 minute rest. Total Completed: 50 squats, 11 pull ups (with a band), 54 push ups. 
March29: Walk with my Mom, the kids and the dog. I moved faster than Monkey with the dog, but it was a still a pretty leisurely walk.
March30: Redo flooring in living room and dining room. I supervised kids and took them for a walk while furniture was being moved.
March31: 45 minute online power yoga practice after getting the turkey in the oven.

Happy Easter!
GeoMama

Week 2 and 3 Fitness Update

I am fast approaching 3 weeks since I decided that I needed to change things in my life so that I could get in shape, lose my baby weight and feel healthier. So far I am succeeding in getting daily exercise, some of my eating habits are improving (no chocolate cake... but I can't say so much for pie, I did have some yesterday because it was Pi Day). The exercise is feeling great (a few sore spots, but nothing I can't handle). I think I am sleeping better and needing less coffee.

Here is what I have done for the last 2 weeks:

Week 2
March2: Recovery after my first crossfit class was a 45 minute walk with GeoDaddy, kids and dog at the off leash area.
March3:Recovery again. Too many squats, and jerks at CrossFit. Hamstrings and quads still grumpy. Walk in the park with Brother & Fiancé, kids and dogs.
March4:Finally not sore from CrossFit. 40 minute online pilates class (myyogaonline).
March5:CrossFit WOD - AMRAP(As many reps as possible) in 10 minutes: Row 50 Calories, 5 dumbbell thrusters and 3 burpees - 7 rounds completed.
March6:20minute walk with kids to CrossFit for my babysitting shift. 10 minute abs workout with Monkey as resistance on my legs
March7:CrossFit WOD - Box squats (35lbs) 5x3 -30 Wall balls and 90 skips (time 4:37) - my skipping skills need work, I am not very good at box squats either
March8: 30minute online Restorative yoga class - not very focused. I wanted to give up exercising because my armpits and shins were sore from CrossFit.
March9:45minute online fusion yoga class

Week 3
March10:Walk with kiddos, GeoDad and dog at off leash area. Super slow walk because Monkey wanted to walk the whole way pointing at all the dogs we saw and saying 'Dog'.
March11:CrossFit WOD - 4 rounds of 1000m rowing - I rowed 4000m in 23:40! Pretty excited that I could do it.
March12:Hour walk with LB and dog at off leash area. 45 minute walk with Monkey in the park by the house. Monkey and I practiced running, but my running was very very short fast steps so I wouldn't get too far ahead.
March13: 45 minute online yoga fusion class
March14: CrossFit 85% Bench press 5 rounds of 3. 75lbs. WOD: Rounds of 60 skips, %30 sit ups (10), 15 kettlebell swings (8lbs) - Completed 4 rounds in 13:06
March15:Bought myself a skipping rope, turns out the ones I had been trying to skip with at crossfit were too short (I am 5'10), maybe now my skipping skills will improve. Walk with dogs and my mom in the park while GeoDad put Monkey to bed for night. I thought a evening walk would work for us, but LB woke up just after I left the house and then neither kid would go to sleep for GeoDad for half an hour. I have to rethink the evening walk, plus it was cold and dark in the park.

Thanks for reading. It is been good motivation to know that people are reading and encouraging me in these goals.

GeoMama

Weekend Wrap-Up

I thought I should do an end of the weekend update on my projects.
Here is the project list in no particular order:

1. LB's raggy quilt - SOOO close to done. It is all pieced together and I am working on snipping the seam allowances. There are 24 blocks with 36 inches of seams to cut (864 inches total), 24 blocks with 29 inches of seams (696 inches) and 48 blocks with 22 inches of seams (1056 inches)....so lets just say there are lots of seams to cut and it is slow going.

2. The Hexie project - 140 hexagons basted. This project is on the back burner while I finish LB's quilt.

3. Next on the list of things to sew is some more cloth diapers for LB (more about that in another post). I have the pattern traced onto mylar sheets so that I can use it repeatedly. I need to get the flannel I am using for the lining into the wash to pre-shrink it.

4. The GeoMama get in Shape Project: Sticking to my goal of exercising everyday. Finding that I am not ready to cut way back on calories because I am still nursing LB, but I am trying to eat more veggies and almost no chocolate. I have one pair of pants that are not staying up well... I hope that isn't just because they need to be washed. I am also remembering about muscles I forgot I had. I learned this week that I am not very good at skipping, oh well, I guess I will have to practice. I have been trying to get to bed at more reasonable hour, which is helping my energy levels in the morning. I sleep about 1/2 the night in bed, and then LB gets grumpy and NOISY, so we move to couch. Sleeping on the couch is not helping me recover from exercising, but I am not going to let it stop it from getting to the gym.

I was going to post this last night, but didn't. So Happy Monday Morning.

GeoMama

Excuses, Excuses: Part 2: What I am going to do to actually achieve my goals

In part 1 I gave you a pretty good list of why I am not getting out exercising/walking the dog/etc and why I am doing crappy at achieving my New Years Resolution of losing my baby weight and getting back in shape. So now it is time to get a plan together that will keep me focused on getting where I want to be.

Let me start off by setting goals and explaining my reasons.
I have 3 weight goals:

1. Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight for LB (~30 lbs). 
2. Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight for Monkey (~45 lbs from where I am now). 
3.  I would like to be closer to weight I was when I quit competitive swimming in high school, but this goal is more long term and less defined at the moment. 

I have a couple fitness goals:

1. Be able to do a chin up by the end of 2013 (kind of silly, but I used to be able to do them and it would be nice to do them again).
2. Be able to swim 3km in less than an hour (I used to be a competitive swimmer, so it should be doable)
3. Be in good enough shape to snowboard next winter.

It is about 150 days or 21 weeks until my brother gets married. This is my major motivation right now, I want to look more toned and thinner in the photos. Also, it would be healthy to lose the weight. I would like my children to be active, which is a lifestyle I should be demonstrating to them because Monkey See, Monkey Do (and soon LB See, LB Do Too!).

Awkward High School Photo.  Long term target shape/weight

First trimester pregnant with Monkey (weight goal #2)

Here is the plan:

1. Do something active for a minimum of 30 minutes everyday. Hitting the gym, taking kiddos swimming, walking the dog, yoga, skating, xc skiing... lots of options out there. Since deciding to blog about my fitness goals I found MyOnlineYoga which for about the same price as Netflix gives you unlimited access to hundreds of yoga and pilates class videos. They range in length from a few minutes to a couple hours so I can do a short class while kids nap! I could also dance along with the kids videos we have for Monkey.
2. Just before getting pregnant with LB I saw a personal trainer and she gave me 2 sets of exercises I could do at home with almost no equipment. I will call these Set A* and Set B*. She designed the 2 sets to be done alternate days, a hard day (Set A) and an easier day (Set B). If I go through do 3 rep of the whole set it takes about 40 minutes, I work up a good sweat and it feels pretty good.
3. Part of losing weight will be to eat better. Smaller portions, more veggies, less chocolate cake. I am going to be tracking calories using Livestrong's MyPlate. MyPlate allows you to track almost any food you can buy, and allows you to build meals that you regularly eat to make tracking easier. I'm not sure I will have time to track everyday, but it should help me get a better idea of how much is the right amount to be eating for my target weight.
4. I currently drink my coffee with 2 milk and 2 sugar. I am not going to give that up on the first cup of the day just yet, but I will try to drink the rest of my coffee for the day black. Or drink more water instead. Also, if I was really hardcore I would give up chocolate, but that is not feasible because if I try to tell myself "No chocolate" it is all I want to eat.

So I think this is a good start. I will do a check in update in a couple weeks. 

Here is photo from today. I think it is good to have a before photo just to reference any progress being made:

Feb 27th, weight (not a number I am happy with)

I'm off too start changing my bad habits!!

GeoMama

*Note: Some of the exercises below with odd names can be found here
Set A

• 10-15 squats
• 10 walkouts 
• 20 toe taps/leg
• 10 lunge pulses/leg
• 30-45 sec plank
• 20 birddogs
• 10 push ups (start with knee ones and advance to full ones)
• 10 mountain climbers/leg
• 30 jumping jacks

Set B

• 20 Wide leg squat pulses
• 15-20 curls with tubing (or resistance bands)
• 12-15 Bench dips
• 30 toe taps/leg
• rotating plank (10sec/side to start)
• 20 supermans
• 15 lateral raises
• 20-30 heel raises

Update (Feb 28, 2013): After posting this initially, I was sent this photo and I think it fits well in here.