I’ve also been doing the “Lose 8 Pounds in a Month” track from the previously listed Reach Your Goal plan and it is going pretty good. I have already done my three workouts for the week, except that I usually do five… so I guess I will just repeat workouts 1 and 2. And can I just say that I hate the bikes! It suggested that I trade in the elliptical for the bike (really, you just need to change up what you do), so I gave it a try and in 45 minutes only burned 130 calories. It sucked. I hate that thing. It’s not even comfortable. But the workouts are going well. I was happy to see that yesterday I was down another pound. That brings my grand total to 5 pounds lost in the 2 months since we started working out. Oh well, at least I am gaining muscle and look better. I am actually quite pleased though.

I also wanted to post my most favorite salad for all to enjoy! This is based off the Italian salad at Maggiono’s, which is one of our favorite Italian places to eat. We have been trying to stay out of there since we are on a health kick and trying to save money, so I came up with my own version that’s not too far off:

3 cups torn Romaine Lettuce
1 thin Red Onion slice (cut up as you please)
2 slices Reduced Fat Provolone Cheese (50 cal. per slice)
1/2 cup partially cooked Broccoli (I nuke in a steamer for 2 min.)
1/4 cup Garbanzo Beans
1/4-1/2 of one Roasted Red Pepper (cut into chunks)
3 Cherry Tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Good Seasons Italian Dressing (the kind you make from the envelope)

This salad is so delish and I eat it at least once a week. Try it and I promise you are sure to love it. Some of the ingredients sound a little strange (like broccoli), but I promise everything is perfection! At the restaurant they include croutons, but I didn’t want the extra carbs. Add them if you like. And it’s only about 382 calories. Now, that may sound like a lot for salad, but there is nice protein in the cheese and beans, you get lots of veggies, and it is very filling. You can probably reduce some of the calories in the dressing, but trust me… this one makes it!

Okay, on this little fitness mission I call HELL, I found an article that may help. This started when I noticed many people at the gym reading books and magazines while they worked out. At first I thought, “How on earth can these people do both.” Well, I found out it is easier than I thought. Since they keep magazines there for people to use, I grabbed one, thinking that maybe it would make my workout seem less tedious (and it did). The one I grabbed was SELF magazine (Sept. 2006) and it had a great program in it for eating and working out. Basically, there is a one week eating plan that you can try and mix up any way that you want, and it sounds GREAT! And then you choose one of four programs to concentrate on (you can do others as you progress): Start an Exercise Habit, Drop 8 Pounds in a Month, Sculpt Sexy Muscles, and Go from Walking to Running. Each of these choices give you four weeks of cardio and strength routines that help you do more than what you normally would on your own (i.e. it tells you to walk at a normal pace for 5 minutes, jog for 1 minute, etc. EASY!).  Anyway, each of these four routines cover a lot of people and levels and I LOVE it! Since I already started the habit, I am going to begin on Drop 8 pounds. I’m just simply going to follow the routines that they give me… and they’re not hard. Now, I will probably continue to do my strength routine that I got from my trainer, but I may switch out the cardio and see what can happen. I loved this so much that I thought I would copy the information off their website and include it here for people to see… especially since so many have stated that they want to get in shape for my wedding. So take a look and give it a try! I start tomorrow.  Here it is: reach-your-goals1.pdf

As for my fitness update, I am only down 4 pounds, but I look so much better. My tummy is slimmer, my legs are toned more, and I even notice a little definition in my arms! Not bad! Now if I can just get the scale to tip down a little further! And I would like to get my thighs smaller… they seem to be getting bigger from the muscle and I would like them to have muscle, but be smaller. My trainer said to make sure I am not using any resistance on the cardio machines… and I’m not, so I don’t know.