I weigh HOW MUCH?!

Alright I finally weighed myself this morning… 145.0 lbs. So that is the basis of what we are starting with! From here on out I am going to weigh myself every morning, and the average for the week will be my weight. My ideal goal would be to weigh in at 139 lbs by August 9, and 135 lbs by August 24. At the very, very least I hope to be at 138 lbs by August 24. I am hopeful that the combination of (almost) daily workouts, and Isagenix that I will be able to achieve these weight goals.

Yesterday after work I went to the gym with my brother and my boyfriend. Despite that my legs and butt were SO sore, I did 45 minutes on the Stair Master (3.65 miles, 175 floors, average 60 steps per minute). Afterwards I did a calves super set then some planks/abs.

This morning I woke up to go to pure barre, but my legs/butt felt so sore still that I climbed back in bed and fell back asleep. I am 100% planning on going to Pure Barre Thursday, Saturday and Sunday this week and possibly Friday as well. Tonight after work I am planning to head straight home, change into my workout clothes, and do the BBG abs/arms workout. My arms are SO weak, which is a struggle. I love doing abs though so I am looking forward to this workout. I also am hopeful it will be less cardio-intense in comparison to Monday’s workout!

Tomorrow I plan to go to Pure Barre at 6:00 am, head to babysitting, then go back to the gym to do 45 minutes of the Stair Master, a calves superset, and start working on doing pull ups (my new goal)! After this week of consistent working out, next week I hope to become very strict with my diet. As always, I will keep you updated...

Happy hump day…. – Sarah Kane

Getting Started is the Hardest Part

Well... After being MIA for a week, I AM BACK! And have officially completed the first day of the BBG1! Yesterday, Monday July 6 I went to Pure Barre before work (6:00 AM class woohoo...zzzz) and then did the Pre-Training Week 2 Monday leg day after work. And let me tell you, it was still hard! I was drenched in sweat by the end and considered multiple times calling it quits before the workout was over.

But I persisted and finished the whole workout! "Getting started is always the hardest part" is so true! Now that I have successfully finished the first workout my motivation is in high gear. I dislike feeling so weak and struggling with the simplest of the workouts, so I look forward to future weeks when I am stronger. I can't wait to look back on yesterday's workout circuit and laugh, thinking of how easy it really was.

The only weird part of the workouts I have found during the times I have done them is the 7-minute intervals you are supposed to complete. For some of the circuits, 7 minutes is more than enough time to complete two rounds of the circuit, but for other its not long enough. I tend to feel like I am cheating both when I don't start a third round when I have leftover time and also when I don't finish two rounds in the allotted time. So I find myself aiming to complete two rounds of each circuit regardless of the time. It makes me feel like I truly completed the workout to have done each circuit twice (a total of four times through the entire workout).

Has anyone else who has done the BBGs found this same feeling or do you tend to stick to the 7 minute time slots?

I woke up this morning with an INSANELY sore butt. My legs are a little sore but I definitely feel my butt every time I move, stand or walk. I am not sure if it was from the BBG workout or from Pure Barre as the seat exercises were pretty hard yesterday. My goal for tonight is to either go to Pure Barre (if I get off of work in time) for the 6:00 pm class, or to go straight to the gym for 45 minutes of cardio! I am hoping that moving more will work out the soreness and help me get ready for tomorrow's ab workout! I am going to aim to drink 4 liters of water while at work today, and eat healthier than I did yesterday.

A side note: I also ordered a 30-day cleanse I received in the mail yesterday called Isagenix! I am planning to start the cleanse on July 25, after I return from vacation. I will do a review of that as well on here, and I plan to continue my workout regimen (except on the cleanse days when you are not supposed to work out).

Here's to sore butts, dripping sweat, and finally having started!   - Sarah

The First Day? The Fail Day

Well... there's no point in having this blog if I am not honest and accountable throughout this journey. So my strong start with the BBG1 turned out not to be such a strong start afterall. Last night after getting home from work, we had Mexican food and so I knew that I would not be working out for a couple hours until my stomach had settled. However, around 8:00 my boyfriend and I went and hiked around a three mile loop near my house while the sun set. While that was good exercise, and potentially could meet the requirements of the LISS Kayla has set up for every other day of the pre-training weeks, it was not the actual leg workouts. I planned to do it when I got home, but my boyfriend stayed until 10 and my brother needed me to drive something to him, so I did not return home until about 10:45, exhausted and ready for bed.

So... to say the least... the first day essentially failed at being the first day.

But, I do not want to let this stop me. I wanted to make up for it today, but had to come into work early this morning (so I could not do the workout this morning without waking up at 4:00 am) and am going to a concert immediately following work. So, my new plan is to start tomorrow (Wednesday), as if it is Monday, and proceed without taking a rest or individual rehabilitation day. This creates the week into Wednesday for legs, Friday for abs/arms, and Sunday for total body, then I will do legs again on Monday. I am hoping that I do not have to push the first week off until next week, and can make up for missing yesterday.

Here's to mistakes, missed days, and moving past them....

- Sarah

Here We Go... THE START!

Today, June 29, 2015 I began my journey with the Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide 1 (BBG1).

I purchased the guides the first week of May but it wasn’t until this past week that I decided and committed to myself that I wanted to start AND FINISH the first guide. Looking for motivation, I began searching online to see if I could find a blog about a complete journey with the BBG. While I found a lot of blog’s with overall reviews or weekly reviews, I wasn’t able to find anyone’s start-to-finish journey. My plan is to do daily check-ins and updates, as well as do weekly weigh-ins and measurements.

After going back and forth, I have decided to start with the “Pre-Training Week 2.” I started the guides with a friend a few months ago, and was able to complete them as I was in better shape than I am now. A few weeks ago, I tried to start Week 1 without doing any of the pre-training weeks but found it incredibly difficult. Pre-training weeks 1 and 2 seemed very similar to me, yet there was a significant increase in difficulty from pre- training weeks 2 to 3. Although I wish I was starting with the actual Week 1, I believe these three weeks of “pre-training” will allow me to develop the strength I need to be able to truly do the harder workouts as they progress.

I plan to do my measurements each Sunday morning. This week, because I am starting later it will not be until tomorrow morning (Tuesday) that I do this week’s measurements. I also plan to do daily weigh-ins, and will weigh myself each morning when I wake up to maintain consistency. To be fully honest, I’m not quite ready to post my pictures but I will take them each week when I do my measurements and hope to one day post them once I am more comfortable with my improvements. Along with an update and my daily weight, I also plan to post my daily food intake.

I also have mapped out the weeks, and if I stick to the weekly plan and begin BBG 2 immediately after finishing BBG 1, I will have completed both guides on January 3, 2016. What a perfect way to bring in the New Year and be able to set new goals and resolutions!

Now, some other things to know about me:

I am 19 years old and entering into my junior year of college (it’s been insane how fast college has gone by)! I began my weight-loss journey last June 2014, starting at 157. In September 2014, I hit my lowest weight at 139 but had some life-events occur that shifted my focus. I am still dealing with those events but have been trying to focus on my health and fitness again. Lately, I have been feeling extremely self-conscious and unhealthy, compared to how I felt at the end of last summer, and those negative feelings have motivated me to make a change. I remember how strong, healthy, and fit I felt at the end of last summer and I want to get back to that.

My ideal weight at 5’9 is between 127-130 lbs. I currently weigh-in at about 145-147.

I use Weight Watchers to monitor my eating, and aim to hit 26 points each day. In addition to the BBG, I plan to also do Pure Barre 4-7 times each week. I solely did Pure Barre classes last summer as my workouts, and saw an incredible improvement in my physique and strength. I will take days off after doing the BBG workouts if I am feeling too sore, but I usually am not too, too sore after doing the Pure Barre workouts, and I think it will help in my recovery from the BBG workouts as it will force me to keep moving and work through the soreness.

I work full days Monday-Wednesday and am waaaaay too tired to do the BBG workouts in the mornings. I’ve decided to aim to do Pure Barre at 6:00 AM before work Monday-Wednesday, then the BBG workouts in the evening. I find that I can force myself to roll out of bed to go to the Barre class but the thought of going to the gym at 6:00 AM I find dreadful. So, my plan is to go to Pure Barre then work, then either come home and eat then go to the gym after a few hours or head straight to the gym.

Other things to note: My favorite cardio-focused workouts are the stair master, walking on the treadmill at an incline, and running. I go through phases of loving then hating the bike, and have never enjoyed the elliptical. I swam for a year in high school but my true love was cross country, which I did all four years. I prefer doing cardio at school (sea-level) as I can breathe more easily, compared to where I live currently which is a mile above sea level, making the air thinner and cardio much more intense when it comes to breathing. My addiction to Lululemon leggings and workout bags is intense, and I am obsessed with Zella sports bras and tank tops. Nike Pegaus 31 is my shoe of choice (doesn't hurt my knees when running and they come in cute colors.)

Well... here's to starting this, hoping I don't die, and crossing my fingers I finish :)

With love and crossed fingers & toes - Sarah