Operation: Buff Week 8

Eek! I am a week late in reporting back on the final week of...

In April, I challenged myself to really push myself for my 8-week Booty Camp session. I wanted to complete at least one cardio workout and one Booty Camp-style workout each week in addition to my two Booty Camp classes. How did I do in Week 8? Here are my workouts:

• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
• BodyCombat class (Wednesday)
• Booty Camp DVD - Advanced workout (Sunday)

Phew, just barely squeezed those workouts in!

Do you know what this means?!?!?!

I get that massage I promised myself! I've never had a massage before. And I have not yet booked it. But it's going on my to-do list!

I took before and after pictures too, but to be honest, there was not much difference. I also didn't lose weight, overall, during Booty Camp (*cough* I haven't been tracking). BUT I did lose 3.25 inches off my waist (yay!), 1 inch off my chest (boo!), 1 inch off my butt, and 3 inches off my hips. Not too shabby!

So yes, I have not been tracking. The scale has been up and down, but up overall. I AM tracking today, though (and will continue to). Please feel free to yell at me and keep me accountable. :)

Operation: Buff Week 7

I can't believe I'm on my last week of Operation: Buff!

Week 7 was as buffalicious as weeks 1 through 6, I'm happy to say. Here are my workouts from last week:

• BodyFlow class (Monday)
• three Booty Camp classes (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
• BodyCombat class (Sunday)

Somehow I made it through three Booty Camp classes in a row (well... three days in a row. Not three in a row on the same day).

Thursday's class involved a lot of running up and down this super-steep hill (I'll try to get a pic of it this week for you). We ran up it at least 3 times, and bear-crawled up it a few more times for good measure. The bear-crawling drills were amidst skipping and burpee intervals. I brought two large, full water bottles to class that night and finished them BOTH and then some!

Today I started off my final week of Operation: Buff with no "real" exercise, but I walked a little bit while running errands, etc. I know you are all dying to know the results of this Operation, which will be announced in approximately one week (give or take a day).

Will I make it through my final week? Will I earn my reward - a massage? Will I ever get around to finding a massage place and booking said massage? Only time will tell.

Weekend Wrap-Up & Operation: Buff Week 6

Happy Monday!

This Saturday I had the honour of getting together with some of my fellow bloggers at Fresh restaurant. Check out Kat's blog for a recap & some pictures! It was a blast! Everyone was super nice and welcoming, and I'm so happy that I got to meet them all and make some new friends. :)

This weekend also concluded Week 6 of this session of Booty Camp, and Week 6 of Operation: Buff. I'm happy to say I'm still on the workout wagon!

Here are my workouts from last week:

• 20 minutes on the elliptical (Monday)
• 2 BodyFlow classes (Monday & Sunday)
• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Wednesday)
• BodyStep (Tuesday)
• BodyAttack (Sunday)

I also did some dancing while out with my friends on Friday night. Let's just say my weigh-in on Saturday was less than stellar after drinking & snacking late into the night on Friday, and chugging back water on Saturday morning BEFORE my meeting so I wouldn't be too hungover for the GTG... yeah. Up 11 pounds. My body is capable of some crazy fluctuations, as you may have noticed, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was all gone again next Saturday.

I've managed to stick to my dairy-free experiment for an entire week now! I think my sinuses are a lot clearer, but I'm not sure yet how much of an effect the no-dairy is having. I think I'll be able to tell better when I try reintroducing it. I'm using these guidelines on the World's Healthiest Foods site (one of my faves) for testing for a dairy allergy.

Now it's time to finish my homework for my class tonight! Leaving things to the last minute, as usual...

Operation: Buff Week 5

I cannot BELIEVE I have already completed 5 weeks of this session of Booty Camp. It's really flown by. And I'm happy to say that I've been sticking to my goals for Operation: Buff. This week's workouts consisted of:

• one Booty Camp class (Tuesday - I was out of town for Thursday's class)
• at-home Booty Camp style workout for 40 minutes: I wrote down a bunch of exercises and got someone else to pick them in random order and time me (Thursday)
• 20-minute run (Friday)
• Booty Camp DVD: Intermediate Workout and Bring the Heat Cardio (Saturday)

So even though I missed Booty Camp class, and was at the cottage for a few days (i.e. no gym), I managed to get in my workouts! True, I had to bring a whistle on my run to frighten away any possibly-lurking bears, and when I tried doing boot camp-style drills outside I was attacked by swarms of mosquitos, but I made it work!

It's a good thing I got a mini run in on Friday because on Saturday, we awoke to SNOW:

I was ill-prepared, clothing-wise.

On the drive home today, we encountered some interesting sculptures in a field around Burk's Falls, Ontario (next to a castle-like house with more stone sculptures/statues):

It was all on a very large-scale! All of those huge ghostly faces creeped me out a little bit... but it was very impressive all the same.

Tomorrow night, I will be a student again! I registered to take a college course on Monday nights in a Teacher/Trainer of Adults program. I'm looking forward to it (as long as there isn't too much group work/necessary participation/making presentations).

I also start a new teaching semester this week. I'm always extra-nervous for the first few days of a new class, so wish me luck! I'm sure all the exercise I'm planning on this week (like three booty camp classes...) will help keep my stress levels down.

I'm off to make a grocery list and maybe watch Lost! I lead a very exciting life, wouldn't you agree? ;)

Operation: Buff Week 4

I'm halfway through my Operation: Buff challenge! How did I do this week? Well, my goals during this challenge are to have at least one cardio & one strength workout in addition to my two booty camp classes. Here are my workouts from this week:

• Body Flow class (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Body Combat class (Wednesday)
• Booty Camp dvd - Advanced workout (Saturday)

Not too shabby! I've also been getting in lots of greens, through green monster smoothies & salads.

I'm having a pretty boring weekend, full of marking, so I've been having a bit too many snacks... I'm trying my hardest to conserve some weekly points for the rest of the week. I think that I'm going up to the cottage from around Wednesday or Thursday until Sunday... which means I'll miss my Saturday morning meeting (boo!), and perhaps have some trouble staying on plan. I'll also be, most likely, missing Thursday's Booty Camp class, so I will have to ensure I do an extra at-home strength workout.

But I keep reminding myself that I am always in total control of what I eat - so even though I'm not following my usual routine (classes don't start up again for another week), and I will not be in my usual environment, there is NO REASON why I can't rock this week.

Have a great week, everyone!

Operation: Buff Week 3

It's hard to believe that 3 weeks of Booty Camp have already gone by! I've been sticking to Operation: Buff really well, in my opinion! :)

How did I do this week?

Well, my goals are to have 2 workouts in addition to my 2 booty camp classes, as well as have some greens every day. This week, I had a smoothie or salad every day except today (I'll make up for it tomorrow, I swear)! Here are my workouts from the past week:

• 15 minute run + 15 minute speedwalk on an incline (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp sessions (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Zumba class (Wednesday)
• 60-minute At-Home Booty Camp-style workout with a friend (today, described below)

I think I'm really kicking some ass with my activity! I would call this week a TOTAL success.

Today, I visited the friend that takes Booty Camp with me. We had planned to do the DVD together, but then she had the brilliant idea to design our OWN Booty Camp-style workout. It was great (and intense)!

We did a few minutes each of squats, lunges, upper body (with MANY tricep dips), butt, abs, and various cardio bits thrown in. We timed things a la Booty Camp as well. Coming up with it ourselves, and doing it together, was much more fun than doing the DVD on our own.

After our intense workout, she made a batch of cornbread and we finished the whole thing ourselves... but I'm sure it all balanced out. ;)

This week, I have plans for lots more fun activity, including some new classes at my new gym! I'll keep you all posted!

Operation: Buff Week 2

I'm back in the city! It's Sunday, which means another week of Operation: Buff has come to a close.

I killed it (again)! My goals are to do additional strength & cardio workouts (one of each), in addition to my two booty camp classes every week. Here are my workouts from the past week:

• spinning class (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Booty Camp dvd, Intermediate workout (Friday)

I didn't get a chance to exercise over the weekend because I was out of town, but I still met my exercise goals because I planned ahead! I also achieved my goal of having either a green smoothie or salad every single day (yesterday I had both!).

This week, I also signed up for another 4 weeks of Booty Camp. This means, I am extending Operation: Buff until Sunday, May 30. Yikes! Can I keep up this pace?!

I mentioned yesterday that I want to stay on-plan for 10 of the next 12 weeks. This week is off to an almost-rocky start: I've already used 34 of my 35 flex points (while out for my friend's birthday dinner last night). But I keep reminding myself that I am in total control of how I do this week. If I decide to stay within my daily & activity points, then I totally can! And I will! :)

Plus, it's only 5 short days until my points reset again. ;)

I'm off to eat a very low-point dinner and perhaps watch some Lost (I'm on Season 3). Have a good night!

Operation: Buff Week 1

Hello! Well, even though I only began this challenge on Thursday, the first week of Booty Camp is coming to an end... so also ends the first week of Operation: Buff!

How did I do? Well, I KILLED it!

My goals were to do 1 strength workout and 1 cardio workout in addition to my 2 Booty Camp classes. I also wanted to have a green smoothie or salad every day.

Here are my workouts from the week:

• 15 minute run + 45 minutes on the elliptical (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Beginner workout from the Booty Camp dvd (Saturday)
• 37-minute run (today - Sunday)

So I exceeded my exercise goals for the week! I also had a green smoothie (they've been purple, actually, because I'm using blueberries lately) every day since I started the challenge on Thursday.

I'm also feeling very accomplished, exercise-wise, because today I had my best run ever. Up until now, I've always run a certain amount of time (not a certain distance). The most I'd ever run was 30 minutes without stopping (that I can recall... maybe I've done a couple minutes extra once or twice in the past).

Today, I decided to try and run 5k without stopping and see how long it took me. I went to the track near my house and ran 13 laps! This is about 3.25 miles (if it's a standard track, which I'm assuming it is...), which is about 5.2 km!!! It took me 37 minutes.

So, not only did I run more than 5k, but I ran 7 minutes longer than I ever have before! And it was not impossible! I felt pretty good for most of it. :)

When I started this challenge, I was undecided on what my reward for completion should be. I had been thinking along the lines of a magazine subscription, but as I was walking home the other day (with sore muscles), I started fantasizing about getting a massage. I've NEVER had a massage before, and I think after 4 (or 8) weeks of Booty Camp, I'll definitely deserve one. SO, I declare my reward to be such!

I hope you all have a fabulous week! I know that I'm planning to! :)

Buff It Up

I started Booty Camp again on Tuesday. My friend and I went in feeling cocky: "It's only the first class, it won't be that hard." "I hope it's not too easy." We were expecting something along the lines of the first class back in January, and after being through 8 weeks of Booty Camp (and then one month off), we thought we would be fine.

Well, my friends, it was NOT too easy. It was brutal! I was beyond sweaty by the end of it. My butt and thighs are still super sore, two days later.

Our instructor reminded us that to see the results we want, we need to do the DVD once a week, as well. I started thinking about this. During my last session of Booty Camp, I did the DVD a few times, but not regularly. I usually did work out at least one extra time each week (besides Booty Camp), but not as much as I could have. So, I challenged my friend to do the third DVD workout each week with me (but not physically... our schedules don't sync up THAT well).

I want to kick it up a notch! I really need to push myself out of my comfort/lazy zone. Here is my plan:

• 2 Booty Camp sessions per week (Tuesday & Thursday)
• 1 at-home strength workout (Booty Camp DVD or 30-Day Shred), at least 40 minutes per week (Saturday or Sunday)
• 1 cardio workout, at least 30 minutes per week
• green monster OR a big salad every day (if I get my greens in, much of my diet seems to fall into place...)

I finish this session of Booty Camp in four weeks, on April 29. I may continue for the second four weeks (I would like to), but I'm not sure yet if my schedule will permit it. So I will say, for now, that this challenge ends on Sunday, May 2. I will call it...

My rewards for completing this challenge:

• probably a magazine subscription (I've never had one but always wanted one)
• ultimate buffness

If you want to come up with your own Operation: Buff and join me, feel free!