Aqua Boot Camp--really????

The description in the brochure reads: "A high level cardiovascular workout using the properties of water, held in the shallow water. Combines an aerobic workout with muscle strengthening and flexibility." This sounds like the kind of high intensity class I'm looking for and anything with the name "boot camp" is going to be tough. Just what I need to get a start on burning my weekly minimum 2000 calories.

So when I come through the pool door ready to breathe hard and sweat and see the shallow end of the pool packed with seniors (70+) I think two things: 1) I'm early and this class is obviously ending; 2) I've been snowed by some clever copy writer at the Y.

The right answer is something in between. It was the right class -- I asked the hairy life guard and she pointed to the shallow end with the older adults bobbing up and down in the water. As I passed by the lady with the oxygen tank, my heart fell and I was kind of embarrassed. I thought, well I'm here I might as well do the work out.

I swam over to a woman who was a little older than me and started doing mini jumping jacks in the water. The instructor, who was wearing eyeglasses in the water and chewing gume was near the side of the pool and yelling out commands I couldn't understnad. I watched the woman next to me and mimicked her movements. "Rocking horse" the instructor yelled and everyone started to shift back and forth. Circles of women bobbed up and down ignoring the instructor and chatting with friends. Obviously this was a group who had been doing this for a long time and knew the rhythm of the class.

Mid class we switched to using water weights which added a little excitement and I noticed that my arms needed to work a little harder. Still it was easier than walking the dog.

Still, i noticed that once back in the car I was heated up and had to roll down the window to cool off.

Bottomline: Better than sitting on my rear-end, but not the high intensity cardiovascular work out I expected.

Week Five

Five weeks! I can hardly believe I've made it this long. Tonight is another weigh in and  I hope for 2 as usual, but will be happy with anything as long as it's down.

The food is getting a bit boring, and I have cravings for something crunchy--like chips or anything that will make noise in my mouth. (Ice doesn't count--it's not food.)

This week I've been into the mousse recipes and have been making double batches to share with Gannon. Gannon also discovered the benefit bars and likes them so much that my supply is kaput.

Exercise is not going so well.

Persistence Pays Off

At last night's weigh in I knocked off another 3.5 pounds, bringing the total to 12 pounds in 4 weeks. I am thrilled to pieces!!

Eating Out on the Plan

Talk about tough! The agenda for the trip included two hosted breakfasts, three hosted lunches and two hosted dinners. I skipped the breakfasts entirely and ate hot cereal in my room while reading the paper or watching the news. I skipped the lunch, but went to the dinner. Dinner wasn't so bad. Our host had called ahead and cleared it with them that I could bring my dinner to be heated up. There was a lot to talk about the first night and the meal went smoothly.

Day two though we went to a BBQ restaurant and the food was extremely enticing, but again I had my meal with me and they heated it up. It was really tough when everyone elses food showed up. The aroma was overwhelming.

Dinner--I skipped it. After the BBQ I didn't want to put myself through it. Lasagna in my room.

In the next city I left before any meals were on the agenda and high-tailed it home.

Weigh in tonight to see how it all worked out for me.

Tammy noticed that my face was thinner and this morning Gannon said I looked smaller.

Traveling on the Diet

I was weirded out about this week long trip and how I was going to manage the whole no eating out scenario, but my classmates helped me schedule the first day and then it really seemed manageable. I loaded all my meals for five days into a bin, threw in a hot pot and my bullet. I drove all day and was able to stay "clean" and luckily my room at the hotel has a microwave and a fridge--that will be very useful.

By my scale at home I broke a zero this weekend. I picked up my activity quite a bit and the scale shows the results. YEAH.

I even got into my first pair of challenge pants--jeans that I haven't worn since last February.

Boobs Go First

Last night I noticed that my bra was too big--figures that the boobs go first! Can't be the thighs or the celulite it has to be something I want to keep!

Halloween Weekend

I did not eat one single itsy bitsy peice of halloween candy! This is a first for me. Those seemingly little harmless bites of chocolate had absolutely no appeal to me whatsoever. This year I simply opened the door and let the kids grab a handful. In the past I would have bought more than I needed and then eaten a lot of those little candy bars. There were no leftovers to worry about either.

On Sunday I brought my mom a McDonald's hamburger and a chocolate shake -- it didn't bother me either to have that in the car. I kept thinking that the shake had something like 600 calories--mostly fat--and that an HMR shake only has 170. Honestly the HMR shake is just as tasty and satisfying.

My reward? Two new dolls for my collection.

Got in a walk today--only 4500 steps though. Need to get more exercise.