TapouT XT -- Cross Core Combat

I did my TapouT DVD last night and boy was it rough.  It was a good workout, but I can tell that all that chocolate and candy from the holidays has made me sluggish.  I was so worn out and I wasn't that worn out the first day I did Tapout!

That was my light bulb telling me to stop eating like crap and get back on the healthy eating bandwagon.

TapouT XT -- Week 3

I've made it to week 3 of 12 in my TapouT XT videos. Today I have Cross Core Combat to do and I'm looking forward to it. I just wanted to give a little update to those who may be curious and kind of check in with updates relating to how I feel and what's going on with my "transformation."

Let me start by saying Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday of their choice. I personally celebrate Yule, or the Winter Solstice. My extended family, however, celebrates Christmas and so I end up celebrating that holiday with them. Anyway, for Christmas I received some very nice gifts. My mom got me a Keurig Vue coffee-maker. Of course, I don't drink coffee but it also brews tea and hot chocolate and I drink both of those! I also ended up receiving a healthy sum of money (in my opinion anyway) from my in-laws and I bought a juicer and a body analysis scale.

So! Updates! I put together the scale last night and Hubby and I played around with it some. I set up my Keurig and brewed a cup of sleepytime tea as well. I haven't had a chance to put together or set up the juicer yet but I bought a Breville juicer that I am really excited to try after watching all those documentaries on juicing and plant-based diets.

Onto TapouT XT updates. When I get home today I will be starting my 3rd week in the Tapout program and I must say I'm excited. I tried doing TapouT XT earlier this year (when I first bought the program), and I quit after feeling defeated by not enough time every day and going back to school at the same time. Well, this time I'm determined not to let school become an excuse not to exercise! While I do work full time, and I am in college full time, exercise needs to be a regular and routine part of my every day life --like eating or sleeping. I made straight A's this past semester while working full time, so I know I can exercise regularly and keep my grades up.

Anyway, doing Tapout this time around, I've noticed some differences. First, doing Tapout for just 2.5 weeks last time improved my strength tremendously; I can tell because this time around it actually seems easier. Tapout is still challenging and I can't keep up, but I've improved over the last time I tried it for sure. Mountain Biking is also helping and so is using the elliptical when I don't feel like doing an exceptionally hard Tapout video. Overall, I have been feeling healthier and I can tell when my bad habits surface because I tend to feel like crap.

Speaking of feeling like crap... I feel like crap! Because of the holidays, I've slacked on my healthy eating habits and I've let myself eat too much junk food (mostly chocolate but there's definitely some Pez candy in there too). I'm feeling sluggish and I even had the inkling of an anxiety attack around mid-morning today. I need to get back on the healthy eating because I can tell just how much it helps me feel better and healthier. I'm planning on getting out my juicer this evening and trying it out. Wish me luck!

FitBit Update and Review

I decided to return the FitBit.

I wore the wristband religiously for a week and I noticed that it was giving me an output as if I'd climbed several flights of stairs per day when I hadn't climbed even 1 total flight of stairs. Although the steps were relatively accurate, the "active minutes" were not.  The FitBit would record active minutes as I walked around at my job, but when I got home and I was performing my TapouT XT workout, it wouldn't record any active minutes even though I was jumping around, running in place, etc.  My heart rat is highest while doing TapouT and yet no active minutes would be recorded on my FitBit; I'd have to add those minutes in manually.

Obviously, I'm not exactly sure how the FitBit records data.  It doesn't seem to use heart rate as a factor because it can't give you a record of your heart rate.  If the FitBit can in fact record a person's heart rate, the company is doing its consumers a disservice by not activating that capability as a function that can be tracked.

As far as the incorrect reading that I was climbing stairs when I wasn't, I can only imagine that my stride sometimes imitates the stride of a person climbing stairs, but I'm not sure how that might happen or how the FitBit would know that.  So I returned the FitBit to Sports Authority for a full refund, and I can tell you my wallet is very happy to have that $137 back.

FitBit

Today I bought a FitBit Force.  I'm excited to start tracking my fitness and sleep, so we'll see how this goes.

Hubby and I got a $250 giftcard to Sports Authority via #giftofsport and that's how I bought the FitBit.  I'm still learning how to use it, but I figured out how to link it to MyFitnessPal.  Now I just have to figure out how to get the 2 apps to share information.

I'm back doing TapouT XT and I think I might buy Insanity once I'm done with TapouT.  I saw a 15 minute Insanity-style workout on YouTube with Dr. Oz and it looks interesting!

Anyone who is interested in friending me on FitBit, here is my public profile: http://www.fitbit.com/user/28SSJT


Interested in friending me on MyFitnessPal?  Here's my profile for that site: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ktherinerussell



--UPDATE-- December 21, 2013

Back in BEAST MODE

After watching Forks Over Knives, I've decided that my diet and my fitness routine needs an overhaul.

I want to start eating cleaner and I'm going to attempt a (mostly) plant-based diet.  Also, it's back to TapouT XT for me.  I completed Day 1 today which was Cross Core Combat, and I felt like I did a lot better today than I did the very first day I got TapouT in the mail.  Plus, I felt so pumped after I did it and I felt like a badass!

To celebrate, I had my hibachi leftovers for dinner.  Yummy rice, broccoli, edamame, and filet mignon.  Yes I know that filet mignon is animal protein, which is why I'm not completely cutting it out, but it was more of a side than a staple of the meal so it was good!  Yay!

Exercise Routine

I just ordered TapouT XT.  Why?  The short answer is because I'm out of shape.  There's a more in depth answer, of course.

I currently weigh 176 lbs.  I'm 5'6" and I am overweight.  My goal is to get in shape and obviously lose the weight in the process, but my goal weight is 140 lbs.  That's 36 lbs to lose.  I know I can realistically reach 135 lbs because I've done it before, and I'd ideally like to reach 130 lbs, but I don't want to set my sites too high (or too low, rather, hee hee) and then give up too easily.

I think I can reach 140-145 lbs relatively quickly with a workout program like TapouT XT.  Those last 10-15 lbs to get down to 130-135 lbs, though, will be the hardest part, so I'll cross that road when I get there.

Muscle weighs more than fat, and I know this.  I'm looking to shed the fat, get in shape, gain muscle, and then tone it.  For the past week and a half, I've been waking up an hour early to go to the gym and use the elliptical.  I know this will help, but it's not going to get me there by itself.

I've also been trying to eat healthier.  I've been bringing my lunch with me to work, making it in the morning at home, and the majority of it is fruit.  I make a turkey and cheese or chicken and cheese pita sandwich, and I have some cut up strawberries, an apple, and some grapes.  I've been eating a granola bar for breakfast with a coffee drink to wake me up.

I want to be in shape.  I want to be healthy.  I want to feel better, both about myself and in general.