My new workout

Well, I did it! I've been wanting a Malibu Pilates chair for awhile and I finally bought one!  I've only had it a few days but so far I love it...and so does my daughter!  It's a great workout, I can really feel it in my legs, abs and arms!  In addition to doing the 20 minute workout I find I can sneak in some additional time while I'm watching TV.  I'll keep you updated on my results!

Also, an update on my weight loss...I'm now down over 60 lbs!  It's taken me a couple years but I'm fine with that! I could have easily put on more weight in those two years so I'm happy to see the scale going in the right direction!  I lost 50 lbs and kept that off for over a year and then I was ready to get serious and lose the rest of it!  I have 16 more pounds to go to reach my goal! I'm hoping to be there by my 52 birthday on September 24, 2012! 

Two products I LOVE!

A few months ago I finally bought a Clarisonic Plus Skin Care Cleansing system. I've wanted one for so long!  At first, I didn't want to spend that much money so I bought the cheaper copy by Olay. I was happy with that but I knew that the Clarisonic was probably better and I have to say it is!  My skin is smoother than it's ever been my whole adult life, which says a lot since I'm 51 years old!  I decided to buy the most expensive model with the body brush because my neck and chest was showing my age more than my face!  I bought mine through QVC and it came with a lot of different cleansers. I really love the refining skin polish! It exfoliates your skin and it really does make your skin look polished. 

About the same time I bought the Clarisonic I also bought this...

Lancome Visionnaire! It is expensive but you don't use very much and it's lasted months.  I just wish I could see how much I have left but you can't see through the bottle. Honestly that's the only complaint I have about it!  They are both really great products (and no, they aren't paying me to say this) and I just wanted to share some great products with you!

Really great products! My skin actually looks firmer now!  

Greek Yogurt Breakfast

This is my favorite quick breakfast!  

Greek yogurt and berries!  I love the FAGE Greek yogurt. I've tried other brands but this is the best in my opinion.  I use the fat free variety, it's only 100 calories and NO FAT!! 

I just layer the Greek yogurt with berries and drizzle a little honey over it.  When I first started eating this I was so used to eating yogurt that was full of sugar that it took me awhile to get used to it.  I would mix in Splenda with the yogurt but now I eat it without sweetening it or I just drizzle a little honey over the fruit if the fruit isn't sweet enough.

As I eat it I like to smash up the berries and it turns the white yogurt this pretty purple color.

Before I was unemployed I used to just take a carton of the yogurt to work and a bag of berries and I didn't even have to put it in another bowl! When I would eat this at my desk, people would always comment on how good it looked! It really is yummy and so much healthier than that sugary yogurt.

Skin Care

Any one else tried one of these wonderful little Olay Pro X Cleansing Systems?  I bought mine about 6 or 7 months ago and I LOVE it! I really wanted a Clarisonic system but they are so expensive. This seems to do about the same thing for a whole lot less money! I haven't owned a Clarisonic so in all fairness, I can't really make a comparison. I do love what this has done to my skin! It's really made a difference. My skin feels brighter and firmer and the pores on my nose look smaller!  I've noticed that at this time in my life that it is really important to exfoliate my skin!  If I don't, my skin becomes very dull looking (and old).  I've been really happy with the difference this has made!  (this is not a paid advertisement, I just wanted to share another great product that I use regularly with you).

Find Your Thing!

I LOVE this TV commercial! I think we can all see our self in her!  I think it's a good reminder that we may not love everything we try but if we continue to try new things then we have a good chance of finding something we love!  I'm always trying new forms of exercise in hope of finding something I'm passionate about! If you are passionate about something, you want to do it!

I did the gym thing for awhile and had to force myself to go, it's just not "my thing".  I tried hiking and loved it and I've been hiking 10 miles every Saturday morning since January 2011. 

I started walking a mile on my lunch hour and find that it really does break up my day and makes my afternoon more pleasant. When it's too hot or too cold or raining, I go to the mall that is close by and walk around there.

I tried mountain biking when I met my boyfriend and now I love that too! 

This week I joined a spin class that is held at my gym at work! I tried spinning years ago when I was totally out of shape and it was just too hard. I'm glad I gave it another chance because I loved it. Not only could I feel it in my legs but the next day my arms and abs were a little sore too! 

So, now my workouts will include Spinning on Monday and Wednesdays (45 minutes each day), Hiking 10 miles on Saturdays (about 4 hours),  walking 1 mile on my lunch hour 3 days a week (about 20 minutes) and an occasional bike ride. I also do arm exercises with resistance bands a few minutes each day while sitting at my desk at work. This is a great exercise if you sit in front of a computer all day!

Just how many calories am I burning?

I'm always wondering how many calories I'm burning!  While I'm working out my thoughts are getting a workout of their own....Did I burn off that bagel that I shouldn't have eaten for breakfast? What about that candy bar that I ate yesterday and regret today?  I also wonder what is better: running, biking or hiking?  Luckily, there are lots of calories-burned calculators on the internet! I get inspired just plugging in different activities and seeing just how many calories I can burn doing different activities!  Here is a link to one on the Glamour website.

That's me hiking with my hike leaders last Spring.  That was a tough hike! We burn over 1,000 calories in a 4 hour hike! You have to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound!  Makes sense to me...eat less, exercise more!

Pore Elimination

I haven't tried this yet but it looks easy!  This guy has some really good make-up videos on YouTube!