Wii Fit Plus

As previously mentioned on my daily blog, Dave and I bought a Wii this past weekend. The Wii Sports package has proven to be a very good workout - particularly the boxing. I was able to work muscles I haven't felt in quite some time, I also broke a really good sweat. You don't however, have to work so hard to play the games effectively. So today, I set up the Wii Fit Plus, which we also bought when we got the console system.After a quick start up session I was able to get my Mii going in the Wii Fit world and was informed of just how out of shape and in need of weight loss I really was, not that I didn't know this already. The Wii Fit Plus differs from the Wii Fit in that it has a few extra activities you can perform. I tried out one activity from each of the five categories (aerobics, strength, yoga, balance and plus games) and got a pretty decent workout considering I tried the easier ones.
The majority of the activities in the game have you focus on not only performing the exercise shown to you on screen, but also having you keep your balance maintained as centred as possible throughout.
I am pretty happy with the Wii Fit Plus system so far - but will have to wait to review it further until I have tried more of the activities and really gotten a good workout from it.

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New Beginning

Saturday marks the beginning of a new challenge on my weight loss forum. This one is a little different than others since you had to pay to get into it (well there was the option of not paying, but I decided to opt into the big cash prize). Whoever loses the highest percentage of weight wins the money. The contest is based on the Biggest Loser the tv program that I love so much (though I haven't been watching due to lack of time and energy) but without the eliminations. It is the longest challenge I will have participated in on this forum. Usually I drift out of the challenge as it progresses and I therefore was a little hesistant to pay into this one, but I finished our last challenge with full participation (though very little weight loss). I am not expecting to win this competition or even really come close to it, but I want to do my best and try to hit my 20lbs loss goal by the end of it. Wish me luck!

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Monday, October 20, 2008

Weight Loss: 11lbs
Mood: still sick
I did well with my food while I was sick – didn’t overeat for comfort sake too much. I wasn’t able to exercise as my breathing was hindered by my stupid blocked nosed, but that will pass.I am going to work on the basement this week(end) and hopefully it will be mostly up and running sometime next week. The only thing I am missing for it is a TV as my old one has been sent to the landfill (not a big deal really as it was old and broken in several ways). I will have to find other ways to do my DVDs and tapes until I have enough money to get a better TV for the living room or bedroom and therefore one of those can go to the basement. There is always music.

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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Weight loss: 10 lbs lost
Mood: uplifted

This morning on the drive into work I realized my life is pretty good. The few areas in which improvement are really possible at this point are in fact few. One of the major areas though is my weight.

I have stated my reasons for losing weight before and for the most part they are the same now as they were when I started this blog: I want to be healthier, happier and prettier. I realize the latter one isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things, but I am being honest and that is something that is driving all this, though not as much as the other two factors.

Though I was able to eat properly yesterday, I was not able to get in my exercise. One thing hurting me in this area is the fact that I am not getting enough sleep. I don’t go to bed until 11pm and am awake at 5am and out of bed at 5:45am to drive Dave to work. I am a person who needs at least 8 full hours of sleep to be at my best and I am just not getting that right now. So I am going to have to learn how to work our ‘new’ VCR and tape anything that can’t be watched online and get to bed earlier. The other factor in all this is that I have lost my elliptical. We have someone living in our basement which was supposed to be my gym and I just can’t use it right now. This factor will be gone soon though and hopefully then I will be able to get back on track. I am also hoping that, having not been able to use my elliptical for so long now, it will be like I just bought it again – when I couldn’t stop using it, now that would be really advantageous.

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008
Weight Loss: 10 lbs
Mood: bored and tired

Last week was pretty good - got a lot checked off on my to do list. I also got a bunch of exercise in which made me pretty happy.

The Biggest Loser (BL) back on again and I am even happier about it now then I was before because the other shows that are on at the same time, like Beverly Hills 90210, are available online so I can watch BL without missing my 'stories'. Just like last year, it is nearly impossible to sit there and just watch this show. Watching the contestants exercise and hearing them talk about their immense weight loss, I feel it necessary to do some exercise of my own. I missed the first episode, but while watching the second episode I worked out for over 30 minutes and tomorrow when I watch the next episode I am hoping to do at least 1 hour. Eventually I will be back to working out for the whole 2 hours of the show like I was at the end of last season. I am looking forward to that.

In under two weeks I will have my basement back and will be able to set up the gym. I was talking to C about it last night and she was asking about the equipment I have and whether or not there would be enough for her, myself and her roommate (J), to all workout together. I definitely think there would be as I have the elliptical, step block, weights, yoga mat, yoga balls and of course quite a few DVDs. I am excited about the possibility of setting up a workout session with them maybe once a week or so - that would definitely get me going in the right direction. Not to mention the fact that having a workout session like that with other people would mean that my equipment would really get used and be worth the money I paid for all of it.

I am starting to get the hang of my food again - or rather I am starting to get used to eating smaller portions. The type of food isn't a massive problem with my diet, it is more quantity that is a problem, but I am once again working on that - trying to shrink my stomach, again, to be used to less food. Though the water isn't coming as easily as it did last time.

I finally bit the bullet and updated the tickers on the sidebar - it is a little disappointing to say the least, but it is honest and I am hoping that they will go back down as soon as possible.

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The Biggest Loser

Biggest Loser history was made last night when Ali from the pink team became the first female biggest loser. Ali started out at a whopping 234 pounds and ended the show with a weight loss of 112lbs, losing 47.86% of her initial weight! She is totally inspiring and I will admit taht I was emotional when she won. At 122lbs she looks absolutely amazing. I can only dream that I am able to followin her footsteps - although my pound losses are a bit more spread out than hers. She lost that weight in about 6 months - pretty amazing. Congratulations Ali - you totally deserved it!

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Inspiration

To me inspiration for my weight loss comes in many forms. Recently I have been watching the new season of The Biggest Loser to inspire myself. Watching the show makes me very sad at first because I feel many of the same things that they do and want the same things for my future. Once I am done being sad (which doesn't take very long - especially as the season progresses and the contestants are less sad themselves) I am very motivated and full of energy. I tend to workout throughout the show (or at least part of it) as it really isn't a show you should watch while sitting on the couch with a bag of chips. I wish the show was on earlier in the day so that I would have more time to workout and use all that motivation and energy - but since it is on Tuesday nights at 8 or 9 (I forget which right now) I have to shower and head to bed shortly after it is done to be able to get up and go to work the next day. Maybe I should tape it and save it for the weekend where I would have enough time, but sometimes lack the motivation, to workout for an extended period of time.
I am also a little inspired despite people - to prove to those who may not believe I can do it that I truly can, that I am a strong, healthy, good person. I don't have many in my life that I would put in this box, and some are in my past but I am trying not to be so hurt by others negativity towards me and instead feed off of it for motivation and drive to succeed. Is that healthy?
I tend not to be inspired by other people's success, not because it isn't a good thing or even that I am jealous but rather because I don't want to be comparing myself to others, even if they are or were in similar situations. I am however, inspired by people close (aka family and friends) to me if not through their battles with weight then through other situations in which they have conquered something unimaginable (like my mom - she inspires me immensely).
I have many inspiring things, people or moments in my life and things like television shows, though as tacky and predictable as they are, help me for at least a short period of time and that is a good thing.

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