6 Weeks ...

After 6 long weeks, my challenge is over ... I don't have the washboard abs that I had hoped for, BUT I am not stopping here, I will keep on until they are back to the way they were before I had kids. I can say that my abs have not felt this good since before I had my 1st son. After Grady was born and they separated (almost 4 finger widths ... yikes!!) I was devastated and was told only surgery would fix the problem. Since I am terrified of hospitals and needles that just wasn't an option. Now that I've had my 2nd little boy I'm determined to get back the abs I once had. It is possible with exercise and a lot of work! I would say I'm about half way there so by summer I will for sure be bikini ready and won't have to hide this gut in a one piece!

So, here's where I ended up - this is the "flexing" photo, since my gut looks MUCH better flexed! You can almost see the ab muscles at the top - yeah! And that is Wyatt (the baby) and Grady (in the background) - my 2 wonderful kids.

And here is the none sucked in photo, you can still see the ab separation a little down the middle if you look closely. And NO I am not pushing it out. I can post a photo of that if you need to see the difference (and yes, that's Sesame Street playing in the background - it's Grady's fav right now!!)

Total weight lost is 3 lbs! I wasn't trying to lose weight, but it was nice to shed a couple more lbs. Overall I feel much better, have a workout time slotted into every day and feel more ripped than I have since I swam competitively in college.

Thanks Lindsay for your workout DVD's! I wouldn't have been able to stay on track without the Shedd 5 Fast, Boot Camp 2, and Core Fitness DVD's. I was able to always keep things fresh so my body didn't adapt and was able to mix and match them for a great workout every day. I love that I can workout for 10 minutes or an hour depending on how the kids are doing and still feel like I've had a workout either way.

I'll do my best to keep posting weekly updates on getting back my six pack. It's taking a little longer than I thought, but I am sure with a little more hard work it will be back by summer.

last week - whoo!

So, my challenge officially ends on Friday! I can't say I've been the best about blogging about my workouts, etc..., BUT I have been great about doing my workouts and staying on track. Only 3 more days to go!

My abs feel the strongest they have since I had kids, but they are still separated so with 3 days left there is little hope for a true six pack without sucking it in. I don't feel like a failure though, I know I just need to dig deep and keep on doing what I'm doing for the next 6 months. They will recover, it will just take a little longer than 6 weeks :)

So, to the workouts - this was a much needed long holiday weekend, here's what I did:
Friday - core workout - the 45 minute one
Saturday - I found a Crunch Pilates workout on netflix - 52 minutes and it was a nice change of pace
Sunday - my off day, but still went for a walk with the baby/dogs/pushing the toddler int he stroller
Monday - 45 minute run with baby in the stroller, my legs are still sore!

Tonight will be tought to get in a workout, but I will do my best to squeeze in at least 2 core segments and 1 cardio from boot camp 2.

Photos of the belly on Friday, promise :) Both sucked in and hanging out, bc yes it still does hang out...

almost there

I'm hanging in there for my last 2 weeks! I haven't been feeling the best and my tummy seems to be more bloated than normal so for the last 2 weeks I'm working on my diet too so I will see some results. I have been working so hard for 4 1/2 weeks now, I can't make it to the end with nothing, right?

Today I'm going for a run with the dogs and maybe a kid in the stroller if I'm feeling up for it ... then some good stretching and a few core exercises to fonish off the night.

As far as the diet goes - as of last Monday I've cut out sugar and processed junk, just eating whole foods that i've prepped myself for the next couple of weeks to be a little kinder to my tummy. Keeping my fingers crossed this works! I would love to see a flat tummy without having to suck it in!

start of Week 5

Just 2 more weeks to go so I'm stepping things up because I am dying to see my results and can't slow down now!! My waistline does seem slimmer (when it's not outrageously bloated) so something seems to be working.

Here's what I did over the weekend:
Friday - Shred 5 Fast - workout 1, or 2, shoot i can't remember, but I did one of them + some extra core sections from Boot Camp 2
Saturday - off day (I had both kids by myself so I think that was workout enough, right), but I did about 10 minutes of random core exercises
Sunday - Shred 5 fast - the workout I didn't do on Fri + the yoga/pilates from Core Workout

Today, I think I will do Boot Camp 2 just to mix it up a little - 3 sections of Core and 2 of Cardio/Toning :)

And, I have been doing a little research on the bloating - I may have an allergy to something I am eating, I'm looking into it.... until then I need to get my tummy muscles strong again so they can hold all that air in.

Week 4 - cont.

Week 4 is almost coming to a close and sadly the pudge is still here :( I was really hoping for a more noticeable change by now, but there is still 2 weeks left so I'm not giving up!

Yesterday I took a break from workout DVD and headed to my local 24Hour Fitness for a spin class, which the instructor named "Sprint Intervals" - let me just say that I have never sweat so much in a spin class before. We sprinted in the saddle, out of the saddle, up hill, on the flats, more up hill - you name it, we sprinted it! So today, that leaves me feeling the good sore!

But, back to the core workouts tonight - I've got to stay focused!!

Week 4

Feeling good and sore this morning ... I never realized that abs could be so sore!! But, it's a good feeling since I know they are getting in shape! Only problem now is my booty is getting smaller than ever - small price to pay for getting washboard abs though, right?

here's what I've been doing with the workouts - trying to mix it up a little to make sure they are the most effective:
last Friday - Shed 5 fast - Workout 1
Saturday - long walk in the morning, Boot Camp 2 (4 core and 2 Cardio) in the evening
Sunday - Shed 5 Fast - Workout 2
Monday - Pilates/Yoga from the Core Workout

I just realized I've never mentioned what I am eating! Since I'm not so concerned with losing weight - just firming up the weight I have, I haven't changed my diet much. I am somewhere between a vegan and vegetarian - no meat or dairy, but I do eat eggs and wild caught fish on rare occasions (I love sushi and just can't give it up yet). The nice part is that I can pretty much eat whatever I want, when I'm hungry I eat, and when I'm full I stop. I eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies, and rice & beans. Oatmeal and coffee is my breakfast 6 out of 7 days of the week, lunch is usually dinner leftovers, and dinner is usually veggie burritos or tacos, a yummy soup (sweet potato/lentil is my favorite!) or a veggie version of the dinner I make the rest of my family. I do have a sweet tooth thought so it's a good think I eat a lot of whole grains and veggies because I also eat a lot of vegan treats! Pumpkin muffins, vegan cookies, dark chocolate - yum yum! I think everything is ok in moderation, just make sure you vary up your diet like you do your workouts!

Well, that's all for today - I'll try to get a pic up soon! I tend to look better in the morning than at night so I'll try to remember tomorrow :)