Getting Fit - Getting Fancy

I had every intention of writing a post about how I wanted to use my ECLP (Erin Condren Life Planner for the n00bs) vs how I'm actually using it, but being the ever prepared blogger that I am, I had not taken any pictures yet and apparently, I left my poor LP at home today...oops.  The bigger problem?  LP holds my list of potential/alternative blog topics and my memory is so excellent - I could not even begin to recall what might have been on it...So as I sit here trying to figure out what to write about instead, I realized how crazy sore I am right now - my abs and thighs especially and boom - there was today's post.

I realized a couple of weeks ago (or perhaps more accurately - as someone so lovingly pointed out), I've gained about 10 pounds since we moved to Tennessee.  My quest to be more fashionable is going to be for naught if I can't fit into any of the clothes I'm buying, I guess.  When I really started thinking about it, it made sense - I went from a job where I worked mostly on my own - so I brought lunch every day.  I had gotten into the habit of pushing my lunch time to the latest possible hour, many days skipping it altogether (I understand that this is not exactly 'healthy', but my body was used to a lower calorie count each day).  My job was, for the most part, completely sedentary and my own exersize came from playing with my toddler.  So I wasn't fit, I probably wasn't "healthy", but I was at an OK weight (not my ultimate goal, but not too far over it) and I was feeling, generally, pretty good.

At my new job, I work as part of a very close team who like to socialize - and food is a big part of the team dynamic.  That means we go out to lunch pretty much every day.   It also means that someone brings donuts or fast-food breakfast sandwiches once or twice a week.  And it means that we have a cabinet full of treats for random snacking throughout the day (which is separate from my personal snack drawer - but I also had that in MI, so that's not really a change).  Bringing or skipping lunch with the team means missing out on that socialization - which changes the dynamic in the office.  So I was introducing a LOT more calories without changing my exersize habits at all.  I was getting fat and my body was getting really, really fatigued.  I realized I had to make a change.

I'm not a fan of exersize.  Like at all.  I'm lazy and I know it.

Plus, I don't have a lot of time.  I prefer to sleep as long as possible in the morning and play with my kid in the evening (and at the moment, I have zero energy, so even that is hard).  I decided it would be easier to just change my diet.  My brain said the best way to do that would be to cut down on carbs.  I'm not sure what my brain was thinking.  I love carbs.  I'm Italian - we have pasta at least once a week.    I snack on bread because it's delicious.  I'm also Irish and potatoes are a staple side item for most of our meals.  Oh but sure, Chel, just stop eating all of your favorite things ever.  That's a completely brilliant plan.  I lasted about 5 days.  Then I said - OK start researching 21 day fix.  I've seen lots of people lose a shit ton of weight on that.  Um...measuring?  planning? and I have to get special color-coded portion control containers? No thank you - way too much work (have I mentioned I'm lazy?)  OK FINE.  I'll start exersizing.  UGH.

I thought I would take 20-30 minutes each day after work and go use the workout machines my parents have in their bonus room.  This was difficult because once I came home, Miles wanted to hang out with me and it was really hard for my mom or Chad to keep him away (kid loves his mom...can you blame him)?  I also had to make dinner twice a week.  So that wasn't going to work.  I couldn't use the machines in the morning, because Miles sleeps in the bonus room.  Luckily (?) my parents have 2 exersize bikes, so we moved one into our room.  I could get up 20-30 minutes early and ride that before I had to start getting ready for work (super).  I did that for a few days.  It was going well.  I was catching up on my neglected YouTube subscriptions.  So...cool.  But I also realized that I realize a lot of things I can't just ride an exersize bike for 20 minutes a day and expect to lose weight and tone up.  I started scouring Pinterest for some easy starter workouts that I could do in the morning with no special equipment or skill to help me start to feel healthy - think 30 day ab/plank/arm type challenges here (I'm really not going for much at this point.  I want to be healthy.  I want to have energy again.  I want to lose those 10 lbs I gained and then maybe (maybe) go for 10 more to get down to my goal and then maintain...maintain, maintain, maintain).

So for now, my plan is to bike or do some other form of cardio 2-3x per week, then do one of my pinterest workouts the other 2-3 days (and rest on the weekends). The last 2 days, I've been doing the *scientifically proven* 7 minute workout.

I don't know how sound the science behind it really is, but I do know it's doing something.  I'm unfortable while I'm doing it, it gets my heartrate up, I sweat, and my muscles are sore when I'm done.  That's the sign of a good workout right?
I've lost pretty much all of my upper body strength, so I'm doing modified pushups at the moment, but hopefully in a few weeks, I'll be able to do real ones.  Then apparently, there's an advanced version of this that I can try out once this becomes 'easy'.  

Before I got pregnant (yes...3 years ago...don't judge me), I had also started a couch to 5k (which I never finished because I had some terrible morning sickness on the day of the race) and a version of ab ripper x - which is 300 ab reps in about 15 minutes.  Here's the thing...I hate running, I have terrible knees, hips (see previous post for that explanation), and flat fee.  Running is not for me, but I did love the ab workout.  So I might get back into doing that a little.

And then for the days when I'm just having a really hard time getting out of bed and I realize I needed to get in the shower 6 minutes ago if I wanted to leave for work on time (and those happen more often than I would like to admit), I found these fun one-song workouts so I can squeeze in some high-intensity exersize in 2 or 3 minutes.

So that's my short term plan for getting fit and fancy.  Do you have any tips to help me along the way?  What are some of your short, home-workout favorites?  I'd love for you to share them in the comments!

Until next time, friends...