lynnskin's Journal

Day 5: Zumba on XBox Kinnect with a 10 Year Old & Laughing the Whole Time

Try Groupon and Do a 30 Minute Workout No Matter What

If you haven't tried zumba yet, I highly recommend it. It's fun, it's fast, a great way to burn calories and lose weight, which is what interested me at first. Now, I like the music, the moves and dancing with Vana who's 10 years old.

Overslept through pilates this morning, saw a Groupon coupon for $59 for a three month membership to a gym with machines, classes and two personal training sessions, and got lost finding the place. I am committed to working out every day to reach my goals and even though Vana stayed home from school today, she was up for zumba at medium intensity for an hour.

Groupon is a great source to get good deals on gyms and exercise classes for not a lot of money. Try a new class just for the fun of it. Make sure you move every day no mater what.

Day 4: Sisters Beaching & Bitching on the Boardwalk Sunday Mornings

50 Shades of Grey Roots

It's that time of the year again when my sister and I walk the boardwalk at Jones Beach. We started walking last spring for a fundraiser and just kept going. The temperature is still in the 60's, so we are walking briskly. A few weeks ago, we took a break and sat on the chaises in the Senior Citizens Lounge. We giggled about the sign and what a great windbreaker it was. We caught some rays.

We are both motivated to lose weight for a special occasion next month. With our pedometers on, we time our 4 mile walk and it takes about an hour, which will be our baseline. We talk about everything and the time flies by. We are sweating and laughing. No topic escapes us, however, the tone has changed. We are not complaining about anything in our lives. We are upbeat, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Must be the endorphins.

The sport of shopping and retail therapy can be another way to burn calories while we're together. We stop at the computer store, pick up the computer for my son and fight over who will carry it to the car. I'm talking about sisterly love, sharing and caring. Sundays are a great day.

By the afternoon, I'm ready to crash and I realize that my insatiable hunger is really exhaustion. I will not give in to binging and make a hair appointment to immediately take care of my grey roots. Since I'm doing a video tonight, I have my hair blown out at the salon. I may be tired but I look good. That gives me energy too.

No matter what age, it is better to look good and feel good, whatever it takes.

Day 3: Weigh In & Work out with My Son & Trainer


Saturdays start with a weigh in at Weight Watchers and I am happy to say that I am back on track, within my lifetime membership range and therefore free. I buy an Ultimate 3 Month Tracker since I am committed to writing down whatever I eat, calculating my points, how much I've exercised and my thoughts for the day. There are also tips and recipes.

Today's topic was about self talk, how we beat ourselves up when we go off plan and what we would say to a friend or a child if they did the same.

We can choose our thoughts and they create our actions.

Later in the afternoon, my son and I go to EvolveExercise in Merrick, NY, to work out with personal trainer and owner, Rick Sullivan. He sets us up on dueling stationary bikes and works with us individually on the machines while the other one cycles. It's fun to work out with my son and we get gnarly, throwing insults at each other lovingly and compete to get the most mileage in the best time. Rick is a master trainer and his taste in music is excellent, spanning decades and always rocking.

Rick is an incredible athlete and has recently changed his diet to vegetarian with no animal products and his family is moving in that direction too. He feels fine, has more energy, and is passionate about the benefits. I encourage him to blog about it.

My son and I shop for new computers and we watch an action movie together. I love spending time with my family and make a point to spend more quality time with them instead of heading into my room.

Dusted off some Thomas Leonard coaching tapes and had to dig to find electronics that plays cassettes. It will be a treat to listen to since his genius is long gone. There is a new, brighter perspective to all things.

Love and respect others and self love. It's what I teach my children and hope others do too.

Day 2 of Lose 20 lbs by June 30 '12 (2 Months)

Taming the Beast with a 3 Day Detox Jump Start

As much as I love Weight Watchers and their guidelines, sometimes I go to this 3 Day detox diet to get back on track quickly.

Here's the link: http://www.more.com/lose-weight-fast-detox-diet

Here's a link for a water calculator that helps determine how much water your body needs: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

The better I take care of myself, the more improvements I start to see in other areas of my life, for example, reading self improvement books, listening to motivational CDs, cleaning out my closets, and journaling.

So far so good.

Day 1
My plan is to lose 20 lbs by June 30, 2012.

I spent four hours last night preparing food to help me stay on track. Now, I just have to eat that nutritious food and not be swayed by food my kids eat, sugar and carbs.

I know I'm an emotional eater and that stress plays a big part in my choices. Today, I commit to making choices that lead me to success in my weight loss goals. I will ask myself that question each time I eat. I am letting go of immediate gratification for the big picture.

Tracking is very important to keep me accountable as well as exercising. Today, I did a pilates video for an hour and am wearing my pedometer to get in my 10,000 steps.

My plan is to plan.