Hopping on and off the wagon

It was brought to my attention recently that I gained 15 pounds over the past year ... and 10 of those pounds in the past 3 months.

TEN FREAKING POUNDS IN THREE MONTHS!

If you've ever seen me in person, you'd understand why this is a shocker. I'm of petite built. I have no muscle definition what so ever. Weight gain for me manifests as a very exaggerated pear-shaped body.

I'm a pear with two stick legs.

And after seeing myself in recent pictures, I've decided that the buck stops here. Something has to change.

So the past 2 weeks I've been working out everyday. Whether its' Physique 57 or Archery ... I am out doing something physical every day. I'm also trying to get back on the Primal wagon because I'm tired of being "Faileo" instead of Paleo.

I also got myself a Fitbit Flex ... which I absolutely LOVE! I hardly ever notice it's there, and it alerts me when I've reached certain step goals. I've been able to increase my goal from 5,000 steps to 9,000 steps in less than a month! It's really motivating. My only complaint is that I set a silent alarm to wake me in the morning ... and when this thing buzzes I pretty much feel like I'm being electrocuted. But other than that it's been a great investment.

I've also been trying out Fitocracy to further motivate myself to get active. I'm leveling up fairly well. I got E to start logging activities on there too, like his pull-ups. It's kinda fun keeping track of all the little things I've done over the course of the week to try to stay active.

I'll try to keep this blog updated periodically with my progress and how I'm feeling. As of now the only changes I've noticed are:

• my calves look bigger ... normally they are 12 inches, but last measurement says they are 13.5" now!
• I don't get as tired walking up subway stairs. I used to want to sit down and give up climbing when I had to go up any stairs in the subway.
• my stomach is not protruding as much as before, but it might be water weight and nothing else.

[hopefully] more updates to come!

They're not full grown yet ...

but my biceps are starting to show!

It's been about 8 classes at Physique 57, and I'm seeing some subtle changes. My legs feel more firmed and toned, though not any bigger. My bicep is more toned. I think my posture has improved. I'm disappointed that my gut isn't gone, but I think it's more because I'm a wuss than the classes not being effective. So far, it has been worth the money, but I still have another 2 weeks to go. Wish me luck! Bikini here I come!

Physique 57

This past Saturday I decided to take my first Physique 57 class to try to get into shape in time for summer. For those of you who don't know about Physique 57, it's the fitness program that Kelly Ripa and Zooey Deschanel have used to get into shape. It is a high intensity bar method workout that is supposed to tone and strengthen various parts of the body during one session. They swear they can change you in 8 classes, so I'm taking them up on that.

My first class was really intense. We did lots of strength training [arm curls, push-ups, crunches] which were followed by a lot of stretching. I might have walked out in one piece, but I am definitely feeling the pain now. I have my next class tonight, so hopefully I can get through it without injuring anything.