Rachel and I both want you to do what is best for you and your overall health. So don't do anything we say to do simply because we think it's a good idea. None of these things are my ideas anyway. I'm totally stealing them from people that actually know what they are talking about. The real experts, if you will.
Ok, now that we've gotten that out of the way...
I've been working pretty hard to lose some weight for the past, I don't know, 25 years? I'm 32 now so I'm going to go ahead and add "weight issues" to the list of things that I've just kind of been dealing with as long as I can remember. And if I look back on my life as a whole, there was not one time period that I can pinpoint as my "I'd like to be that size again" era. I've just always been heavier than I wanted to be.
But I wasn't terribly willing to do anything about it. I mean, I love a cookie. And if being smaller meant no cookies, well, what kind of life was that?
Until the day that hit my lowest point. I remember it pretty vividly. I was getting ready for my sweet friend Jaime's bridal shower. I was getting increasingly agitated as I stood in my closet among piles of clothes that didn't fit me. Funny, they fit me just a few months, maybe even a few weeks, ago. I looked at myself in the mirror and at the size I had let myself become and got so upset that I just started crying. And I cried so hard that I got sick. And that was my rock bottom. That was the day that I decided I would not live like that any more.
And over the next six months, I lost 40 pounds.
Then I got pregnant.
And I gained 39. But I didn't gain back the whole 40!
After I had Jack (Almost three years ago this May. Let's not talk about it. My baby is most definitely not a baby anymore.) it took me a while to get back on the weight loss bandwagon. I lost about 30 of the 39 that I put on. And then I gained 15, then I lost 10, then I gained...
Well, you see where this was headed. Nowhere. Circles. Fat Circles. sigh*
But then one day I got angry again. Oddly enough it was when I was trying to find something to wear. Clothes must be a real motivator for me. Hey, whatever works. Between that and the thought of raising a child that didn't know how to be healthy (one of my biggest fears in this life) I snapped out of my "phone it in" approach to my health and fitness.
I got up off my rear end and started moving. I started looking for ways to eat better. I read up on the right way to work out. And how to work out more efficiently. More often. I don't have a lot of time. If you are like me, you don't either. But, so what? I bet you have ten minutes. And in those ten minutes you can do this little number:
You do each exercise as hard as you can for 45 seconds, resting for 15 seconds between each. Let me tell you, 45 seconds is a lot longer than you think. And 15 seconds is a hell of a lot shorter. Funny how that works out.
The first time I did this, I spent longer on You Tube watching videos of how to properly do Mountain Climbers and Burpees than I actually did doing the exercises. When you don't know how to do something, Google it! Just make sure you're doing it right! It's very easy to hurt yourself and that defeats the whole purpose.
Also, I don't do lunges. I have terrible knees and just about every list of "Exercises You Should Not Do If You Have Bad Knees" will include lunges. They are wonderful and really work. So if you can do them, go for it!
Why HIIT? Look, I don't know all the science behind it, and I won't even try to repeat to you all the stuff I've read from the people that actually went to school to learn it. But this is the most effective form of exercise for burning fat.
Drink your water (lots of it), eat your veggies/fruits and lean proteins (in healthy portions), and do High Intensity Interval Training.
It works. This, along with the No Junk Food challenge that we've been doing has helped me take off an additional four pounds in the last week. That's a big deal for the girl that used to be able to put that much ON in a weekend. I told you, cookies are my kryptonite.
To date, I've lost 72 pounds. And I'm not done yet. My ultimate goal is to lose a total of 100. For the first time ever I feel like that is a real possibility.
And let's get something straight. I still eat cookies. But I eat them far less regularly. And I savor every little bite.
-Jessica
And one more thing--we're on Pinterest now!! Come follow Caffeine & Concealer!
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