So it’s been a month.

As you can see I didn’t stick to my wanting to workout every day on the Wii Fit. I did great for 10 days! Then I started skipping here and there. I also started out following the Body for Life program and then stopped. Then I went with South Beach for about ten days then stopped that too.

But I’m back to working out every day! It’s about not giving up and at least doing something. My workout schdule is

• 10 minutes free walking
• 3-4 balance games
• 3-4 yoga
• 2-3 strength

This is just the minimum of what I do. If I feel like I want to keep going, I do – but I don’t stop until I’m done with at least these. It has made it easier to keep going – I’ll jump on intending to get the exercises out of the way then finish with the walk but end up adding extra workouts or doing 20 minutes of walking instead of 10.

And I am back to loving the Wii Fit! Yesterday (when I took the screen shot) it told me I was 20 years old. How awesome is that! The youngest I’d been til that point was 27 so I was shocked. (Yes, I have been telling everyone I know or see about this wonderful number.)

Both of my kids put their mii’s into the Wii Fit recently. They did the initial test and laughed at being told they were in their 20s, then have had fun playing the balance games. They love that all the mii’s on our Wii are included in the games. When I start the soccer ball game they always name off who is in the line up – and are very excited if they are the coach that time.

This week my husband finally joined in on the fun. He’s only done his initial test so far but that’s something. I can’t remember how old it told him he is but I question the Wii Fit standards because it told him he was overweight – and sure he’s softer then when he graduated Officer Candidate School last spring, but overweight? Then he showed me how to really do a push up.

Even if I’m only down a pound and a half since I got on the Wii, I know that number is going to change. The number has gone down and up and down and down and up again. I am loving the Wii Fit Mommies forum and blog. Everyone is excited to lose weight this way and if I am having a blah day I can read and get some encouragement.

After working out on the WiiFit for seven days in a row, according to the daily body test, I’ve lost three pounds!

photo credit: Chris_J

I started out on the first day figuring my way around the game and trying a few of the workouts. Within three or four days I went from working out for 20 minutes to working out for 40 minutes. I was sticking with the beginner workouts and getting the high score every time I played, just getting a little bit better each day. By this morning’s (day seven) workout I did just under a half hour and I did all the advanced of the ones I picked. I stopped at a half hour because it took that little time to get me tired! I know I won’t be sore because I didn’t push myself but I definitely felt the workout.

I’ve unlocked several games – more games as well as more reps and the advanced portions. I’ve made it a goal to try one new thing each time I work out and from now on I will be doing the advanced workouts. I also want to go walking around the neighborhood, easy to do since my kids both have bikes they can ride!

How are your workout sessions going?

Today the Wii Fit told me I was 28! This was fantastic news considering the past few days it said I was 37. I chalk it up to being up for a handful of hours before attempting to work out, and losing a tiny bit of weight. I think I am down a pound and a half since starting on the Wii Fit. My goal on there is to lose I think 15 pounds in two months, completely do-able.

Today on South Beach was good! I had eggs, cheese, veggies, peanut butter and chicken throughout the day. I need to go grocery shopping and have a slight headache at the end of the day, but I know that will go away and I’ll feel great in a few days.

Today I did 42 minutes of working out on the Wii Fit. I have been doing just any of the games, not really thinking of a plan for working out. But today I did four of each of the games and went from easy to harder – I completely two of the suggested workouts (combining strength training and yoga) and even ran. I really do not like running at all, but it wasn’t that bad so I will probably keep it up. I liked the workout, I had a good warm up and then a good workout.

Today is the end of the first week of the year – what have you accomplished?

All I’ve been talking about for the past few days is the Wii Fit! Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

• if you want to work out first thing in the morning, eat a little something, drink some water and wake up. Not-quite-awake me ends up older then the day before from being a bit unbalanced!
• it is a little board and a video game but you will be sore! Day three means I’ve done three workouts, 20 minutes each, and I am sore!
• while your mii character may be chubby, you can lock your account so no one can see your details (weight) and when you do the actual workouts, you are just watching the trainer do it. And when you play the games with your mii, they aren’t chubby. (I realize I am caring about this part of the game way too much!)
• I haven’t figured out what it takes to open new games or advanced games, but it is happening fairly fast! Sixty minutes into it and I’ve unlocked two more in everything available (if I’m remembering right).

I won’t do updates every day but I was a little surprised to wake up this morning and be sore. It is going to be cooler here today so I plan on getting the kids out on their bikes this afternoon. I am interested in a good walk outside. The weather flucuates so much here (from 80 degrees for two days down to 50 for two days and then back to high 70s) that I’m annoyed with it. I’d like it to be cooler just because it is winter, but also because it is more comfortable to walk around.

So I’ve worked out for three days in a row! It is easy to get this done since it is in my house. I can wake up and do a workout before the kids are even out of bed! I like working out at the workout area we have here but it requires the kids being up and of course leaving the house. Somedays that’s tough to do!

So many people say they are going to lose weight or get healthy for their new year resolution/goal – is that one of yours? What are you doing to stick to it? Today is also when I’m back on an eating plan, which I am excited about!

The Wii Fit questions I had – if my chubby Mii character would follow me around the Wii – have been answered! And they were answered because I finally opened the package and set the game up.

After calculating my weight (three pounds less then I thought I was! – or at least three pounds less then my bathroom scale) and BMI, my character is a little chubby mii. I figured that’s okay because I will make it so I am the only one to play the Wii Fit game, so noone else will see her. Then the Wii Fit gave me the chance to set up a password! I didn’t know this was even an option. So I put in a four digit code and now the code has to be entered before the details of my character can be seen. Yay for that!

I played a few games just to see what it was all about and had a blast! I did a couple of balance games (and opened the hula hoop game) and a couple of the strength training ones, in addition to the daily thing it wants you to do.Oh and my Wii Fit age is 29! Sure that’s just a year less then what I really am, but I was happy.

photo credit: dreamshoot

I’m excited to have joined the Wii Fit Mommies group. The first twitter party is tonight and I can’t wait! I wanted to set up my game before tonight so if something was said regarding the game I would have an idea of what they are talking about. There are also a handful of prizes being given out during the twitter party which is always fun.

Do you have the Wii Fit? What is your favorite game? I only unlocked the hula hoop game so far but I’ll probably play again later and see if I can unlock anything else.

Happy New Year!

Let’s start off the new year with new ways to get fit! Or at least, it’s a new way to me. I got a Wii Fit for Christmas (actually I bought it before and was saving it for Christmas, and then forgot about it and didn’t wrap it for Christmas. Oops!) and have yet to open it from the box.

photo credit: silangel

My reasons for not opening it yet are not smart ones, and I didn’t even want to tell anyone but I finally told Chris ~ and now I have questions. I know (I think I know anyway) that Wii Fit will change my Mii character to being a little chubby one (I need to lose weight, I’m okay saying I’m chubby). However I’m still wondering

• if we have friends Wii consoles registered on our Wii, do they see our Miis as we’ve created them? Or the new chubby Mii?
• does the chubby Mii play all the various games? Or does it stay within WiiFit?

Basically I don’t want anyone seeing my little chubby Mii character.

I actually wonder how playing together on the Wii even works. We’ve registered two other consoles that belong to friends of ours but they haven’t added us yet. Can we play games that only one of us have? I know we can send messages to each other through the Wii, but I don’t know much else.

I’m sure this info is all easily found online! A quick google search is in my future – but if you have experience with WiiFit I would love if you shared! I did start following wiimoms on twitter (are you on twitter? Follow me! I’m @Tsoniki) and they are going to do a kickoff party this weekend so we’ll see how this works out. I look foward to trying to workout on the WiiFit!

Do you have a new way to get fit?

I feel great.

After being back on the south beach plan for the past week, I am doing so good. I had a plan and have stuck to it. Sure I may have given in here or there, but it’s like a half a bagel vs the entire thing so I forgive myself. Or I don’t hold it against myself, whichever.

I still haven’t made it to the Y but I’ve been active with the kids – I made up a fun run for them last week. We ran around a section of the yard and did funny things like pick up a big leaf and then drop it and watch it fall, or stopped at the gate and counted the bars on it, and when we ran by the truck we had to touch the mirror – my short three year old nephew couldn’t do it though so he was frustrated. But it was fun! The weather goes from cold one day to really nice the next so we are just taking advantage when we can.

I am going to the Y tomorrow and will have a scale check. It’s been a while for that! But my clothes are fitting awesome. Nothing is tight and a couple pairs of jeans are loose/baggy. It really annoys me to have baggy clothes, not that I want them super tight, but they need to fit right! I’m not going shopping for at least another week or so – I doubt I’ll lose a size or such by then, but I don’t want to continue losing weight and have whatever I wear to Chris’ graduation be too big or not look right.

So yay! I’m doing awesome – I feel great – I’m getting exercise even if it isn’t at the Y. I am interested in seeing the scale because I know the number has moved but really, I’m excited to go shopping later. I love trying on clothes after having lost weight.

How are you doing?

I have felt discouraged since last week. I have no idea why since I have lost a few pounds and I was doing great working out every day. But I ended up skipping the Y three of five days last week – effectively only working out twice. Well three times if you count walking a mile here at Dad’s place. I made great time on that one because I was upset so I walked as fast as I could without running and burned that energy rather then acting out.

I weighed in today to find I have gained three pounds. I was very disappointed – for a few minutes. My pants are still loose (if not looser then last Monday) and maybe it’s muscle I’m gaining and fat I’m losing. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I had to force myself to go to the Y today. I just did not want to go at all and did not have any interest in working out, getting sweaty, none of it. Once there I did twenty minutes on the treadmill – a good, slow warm up, and then running for six minutes (yay one more then last time I ran!) and a good cool down. Today was also a strength training day and I had a good workout on the machines. Even though I stretched afterward, I feel a little bit sore this evening. That may be because I did two reps rather then just one after a long time since last doing any or because I didn’t play basketball like I was. After I was done I just wanted to get out of there so I skipped the sauna/steam room though I wanted to sit in one of them today.

Starting tomorrow I am cutting out bread from my diet. I had a hard time following South Beach simply because I was restricted and for some reason when I am told no you can’t have that – all of a sudden that’s what I want! I know I will lose weight following the plan but making up meals or a menu plan was too much for me to handle while thinking about working out and running and taking care of kids.

At least I am going back to workout out every day. I’m going to reevaluate next Monday because I know I am not eating poorly.

After a week of doing what I thought would work with running on the treadmill, I finally realized maybe this isn’t the way to do it. Sometimes it’s trial and error right?

Well I did what anyone with a track coach for a college roommate would do – emailed her, then bugged her on IM until she said she’d call me. After catching up on the latest gossip in each others lives she gave me a workout routine to follow.

I was supposed to start yesterday, but I skipped the Y, so I started today instead. I figure I’ll make up for skipping over the weekend. I’m running on the treadmill and I figure I’ll work my way up to running on the indoor track they have, but the family run I am shooting for is outside.

So my routine is to warm up for a few minutes, three to four, and then run at whatever pace I can do for five minutes. I am just starting out so today I ran for five minutes at a 4 mph – which I think is a 15 minute mile. I did great the first 3 – 3:30 minutes – then I started thinking I am not giving up, I am doing five minutes because I will run that family run.

After the five minutes was up I did a four minute cool down then moved on to strength training. I’m not sure when I am going to up my minutes running or the mph but I’m set to email her tonight so I’ll keep you posted.

I do need a new pair of shoes – I’ve been running/working out with the shoes I wear every day and I know that’s not smart. I’m going looking this week for cross trainers – I’d like to be able to run/walk and play basketball and I don’t want a specific shoe for any of those activities.

I am still so happy over losing four pounds!

I also have been

doing cardio every day
strength training three times a week
drinking plenty of water
only having one portion at meals (no seconds)
only weighing myself once a week
more active with my kids
telling others what I am doing and having them motivate me

And I gave my college roommate a call to ask about how to train to make that mile and a half in fifteen minutes. She’s a track coach now and ran track since at least high school (if not before) through college. She had some great tips for me and I’m emailing her every day to let her know my progress, how I feel, etc. I will run that mile and a half!