I only have time for a quick update; I’m on a short break at work. I’m just feeling really awesome this week, and I feel the need to share!

On Sunday, I talked a little bit about the Bikini Body Mommy workout, and how I had tried one of their workouts. The workouts are really pretty basic, and it’s kind of embarrassing how much trouble I had completing them–I think I’ve been in serious denial about just how out of shape I’ve let myself get. Initially I really didn’t want to follow someone else’s workout program because I usually find that the workouts are kind of boring, and I almost always hate the voice of the instructor. I know that’s kind of silly, but when you’re struggling to complete a workout and all you can think about is how much you wish the instructor’s vocal cords would fall out, it can be pretty distracting. I couldn’t get through P90X because I found the instructor so completely annoying I wished I was deaf! Shaun T (Insanity, T25), has been the only video workout instructor that doesn’t grate on my nerves, which is part of why I purchased T25 after I had Baby Boy. I really thought that 25 minutes would be no big deal, and that I’d follow the workout plan without any problem — at least until I finished setting up my “garage gym” and could just workout however I pleased.

In reality, that hasn’t worked at all. We don’t have a TV on our ground floor, so I have to workout in the upstairs loft (which is our TV room/kid play area). If I don’t wake up early enough to workout before work (which I almost never do), then I have to workout when I get home–after my husband has taken over the TV room. Of course, he encourages me to workout, but he also asks really nicely for me to let him finish watching the game most nights. In addition, I REALLY hate letting someone watch me do that type of workout — just because movements are effective doesn’t mean you don’t look completely stupid doing them — so I don’t really push to be able to use the TV. After work I usually cook dinner and then work on homework, all while trying to cram in some time with Baby Boy before bedtime — so I don’t have much time to spare. What I’ve actually found though, is that if I take my computer downstairs and do one of the Bikini Body workouts (they are free, and can be watched on YouTube), I can put Baby Boy in his bouncer and he jumps along — he thinks watching Mommy do squats and push-ups is pretty much the funniest thing he’s ever seen. Honestly, the Bikini Body workouts would not be my first choice if my life were different, but right now it seems like the only thing that’s gotten me to actually stick with working out regularly for more than a day or two. I’ve been doing the 90 day challenge as listed on the website, and today I completed Day 4. That’s not a huge accomplishment, but it’s been a much more sustainable game plan for me, and I see it working out for the next 90 days.

I admit that I do find the instructor annoying (I can’t help it!), but she lists the structure of each workout in the blog post for that day, so you don’t even need the video to do it — or you can mute it, either way. As someone who was certified to be a personal trainer, I also like her choice of exercises, her focus on good form, and her insistence on hydration and good diet. I am choosing not to pay for her diet plan because I have the expertise to make my own, but hers don’t appear to be expensive if someone did need that sort of guidance. I know what it takes to really have success and get in shape, and I like that the instructor doesn’t pull punches about the effect of a bad diet on results.

Even though this has been a slow start, I’m still really proud of my progress so far. I haven’t had the guts to post a before picture (or even take one!), but I’ll post my basic measurements so I can keep you updated on my progress throughout this challenge…

Height — 5’3″

Weight — 162 pounds

Bust — 39″

Waist — 36″

Hips — 41 1/2″

Thigh (7″ above knee) — 23 3/4″

Arm circumference — 12″

Those numbers are awful, but I’m looking forward to posting my progress every two weeks — lets see what these numbers look like on the 23rd!

What goals are you currently working towards, and what workouts are you doing to achieve them?

Does anyone want to join me in this (free) 90 day challenge?