Pin 127

Where have you been?? Where have I been? I'll tell you where--I took the 300/30 day ab challenge.

Original pin:

http://www.lifeafteridew.com/2012/05/300-ab-challenge-results.html which is a link to http://kayciesantics.blogspot.com/2012/03/300-ultimate-ab-and-core-challenge_22.html which is the workout from another link taken from another blog and another. . . I don't know how far it goes. I followed the directions on the second link.

I can't believe I am actually posting pictures of myself like this on the internet. I am a little embarrassed so don't say anything too harsh about it, okay?

I don't consider myself to be totally out of shape, but I have never really had any core strength. Having two children pretty much ruins that for you. Here is my before shots, I had to soften them up a little bit to be brave enough to post them to the world. . .

Don't look at my misshapen belly button. :)

 

And then I started the challenge. It is 300 ab exercise moves daily for 30 days. Check out the links above if you want to see what exercises they are. From reading the comments on the above blogs it seems that these exercises are very similar to P90X--which I have never done so I can't really say.

I started this August 1st. I also did at least 30 minutes of cardio 2-3 times per week and ate a healthy diet.  I started out with a yoga mat on the floor. I couldn't do them all without assistance so I took my time--however long it took to get all 300 in.  Here is the journal I kept during this experience:

Day one: It took me one hour to complete the entire routine. Tough, but not impossible.

Day two: Finished in 25 minutes with the kids acting like maniacs all around. My tailbone is sore so I padded the mat with a folded towel.

Day three: OUCH. Hard. 25 minutes to complete. My tailbone is raw. I can't stand up straight because my inner hips are so sore. People are telling me to quit. I looked at the other links and many people commented that day four is the worst then it gets better.

Day four:  SO MUCH BETTER! i started feeling better early this morning. I padded the floor well. Exercises are getting significantly easier. Even did a few of the roll up-v-ups full out. But my tailbone is BLEEDING!!!! (That's an official pinjury.)

Day five: Bought some friction block for my tailbone. Using lots of padding on the floor. My tailbone is still sore, but not bleeding.  Exercises getting easier but it still took a long time because I keep watching those Olympic gymnasts. 

Day six & seven:  Continuing to get easier. Lots of padding but no more bleeding.

Day eight: Right flank felt tight when I started and then shooting pain when I started the wide leg sit-ups.  Couldn't go on without fear of injury.  Warm soak and icy hot. Don't know why I am not warming up before this. I should warm up and stretch first. 

Day nine: Warmed up with 2 mile run and some good stretching.  A little scared about how this is going to go. Started smooth, skipped all the hard ones for the end.  Made it through 23 roll up-v-ups before starting to have some pain.  So I did everything but the wide leg sit ups.  Pretty respectable. Will rest and icy hot and try again tomorrow.

Day ten: Well warmed up. Changed up the order again. Only made 15 roll up-v ups before pain and quitting.  Feel good though. Taking it slow and easy.

Day twelve:  Did all wide leg sit ups and roll up-v ups at the end of the workout. No pain!!

Day fourteen: Did full work out in original order. Did all exercises with no assistance (i.e., using furniture to help me keep my feet/legs down). Getting close to completing in 20 minutes. Warming up with jumping jacks and stretches. Stretching between exercises.

And it just got easier from there! By day 30 I was doing the full sequence in 15-20 minutes including my warm up. I used the friction block every day and my mountain of padding:

I don't know why the other posts don't mention warming up. This is a strenuous workout (well for me at least) and you SHOULD warm up first. Unless I had just finished my cardio then I did a warm up of 25 jumping jacks. I always stretched first doing some side bends, forward folds, and some cat/cow stretches. One post said to not do it after your workout because it will be harder, but I always found it much easier to do after a workout.

It works a lot in your thighs as well as your abs so don't be surprised if you feel it there too!

Here are the shots you are dying to see. . .the afters:

Still not ready to show the world that belly button one of those boys distorted.

I still have a ways to go, but I have never had definition like this before. I am proud of myself for sticking with it even though I had people telling me to quit at day three. Look at what I can do! I would like to continue to do core work but I don't think I want to keep doing this one every day. My tailbone might just turn gangrenous and fall off. I really slimmed down in my love handles too.

Total cost: $5.26 for friction block

Total time: 20 minutes-1 hour daily. I can totally whip this out now. By week 2 I was pretty proficient at it.

Final verdict: It feels like such an accomplishment to have completed it. It is amazing what we can make our bodies do. I would definitely recommend doing some sort of warm up and stretching before starting each time. Looking to change up the routine. What core routine do you like?

Top Ten Favorite Pinterest Pins

As I promised yesterday, here are my top 10 pins.  These are MY favorite either because I have used them over and over again, or because they were just awesome to begin with.

10. Pin 80: Knitted swiffer cover. I have already received requests for these for Christmas gifts. Better get started now!

9.  Pin 49: Mommy dress.  I wear this all the time and always get compliments on the color combo. I did go back and fix the sleeves, just in case you were wondering.

8.  Pin 31: Frozen yogurt dots. We can't walk by the yogurt at the grocery store without my kids asking to make these.

7. Pin 71: Lemon slices and daisies. I am still amazed at how long these flowers stayed beautiful and fresh. Weeks.

6.  Pin 53: Homemade pita bread. Simple and delicious. So many ways to stuff the leftovers never last long. But best right as they are coming out of the oven hot.

5.  Pin 35: Honey Almond Sugar Scrub. I love this as a facial scrub and use it nearly every day. I have used this basic formula to create other varieties by using flavored teas and different extracts.

4.  Pin 23: Sock bun. A pinterest legacy. I don't get super awesome curls but I think it is a fun way to wear my hair up and out of the way. A change from the boring ponytail, a comfortable way to sleep, and a great way to hide hot-mess-mommy hair. I still think its weird when people know I'm wearing a sock on my head though.

3. Pin 12: Glow bath. My kids ask for this all the time. I use it as a reward for good behavior or as a trick to get them into a bath when I am just too exhausted to fight.

2.  Pin 5: Make your own foaming soap. Genius. I will never buy foaming soap for my children ever again. You can create this for pennies.

1. Pin 37 & Pin 90: Technically two projects but they came from the same pin so I am considering them one. The tank maxi and short dresses. I always get compliments on these when I wear them out.

My top five posts based on YOU! Ranked by popularity & views:

5. Pin 69: Microwave corn to remove silks & husks lickety-split

4.  Pin 89: Cafe Rio Chicken: Made in the slow cooker with so many uses.

3.  Pin 92: Classic Baby Blanket Crochet Tutorial. Almost done with number 2.

2.  Pin 90: Short tank dress

1. Pin 91: Jillian Michaels Detox Drink. Aren't we all looking for a quick way to lose weight?

Pin 91

Original pin:

http://www.theitmom.com/2012/03/pinterest-need-to-lose-5-lbs-of-water-weight-take-the-jillian-michaels-challenge-with-me/

After our vacation, I really needed to kick start my diet back. Ever since Easter the scale has been a-creepin' up and I had hit and surpassed that number that told me to start reigning it in. The website has this really good video on it too. It really is Jillian Michaels and my favorite part is where she tells me I can drink caffeine. YESSSSSSS!

I drank this for 7 days. I ate a healthy diet--nothing crazy but just stuck to my regular My Fitness Pal app goals. I will sheepishly admit I didn't even exercise. I didn't mind the taste. I like water with lemon and when it was cold, to me that is what it tasted like. If it came to room temperature, the dandelion root flavor was more noticeable and it tasted remeniscent of hose water. Not really preferable, but something I can drink anyway.

This is what 60 oz looks like.

After the first 24 hours, I was down three pounds.  When my husband heard this, he got in on the action, too. I kind of plateaued there for a few days. On day 6 I was down 6.2 pounds and then I went out for fondue for my girlfriend's birthday celebration. After the 7th day, and after a night of fonude and wine, I was still down a total of 4.4 pounds.

Yes, I know it is just water weight. I know it will come back easily. However, it was a fabulous way to get me going on my diet again. I have never, ever felt less bloated--especially in my belly. This really flattened out my belly like no ab circut ever has. This would be a great way to slim down before a big event.

So now, a few days off the drink, I am still down 5 pounds. My belly is not as flat as it was on day 7, but the weight is staying off--for now. I am trying to keep up my water consumption. I was curious all along if you would have the same results with a dedicated 60 oz per day of straight water, but I don't think so. I don't know how this small amount of additives really works, I figured it would be so diluted that the effect couldn't really be that strong.

It is a diuretic. I'm not going to get all nurse-y on you and tell you all the signs and symptoms that led me to that conclusion, but I am going to get a little nurse-y on you and tell you that you should not do this if you are already taking diuretics or have kidney disease. If you have any health problems for which you take medications, you should check with your doctor before adding anything with diuretic effects to your regimen and before adding any alternative medicine (like herbal tea). Okay. Nursely advice over.

Total cost: $10 (Dandelion root tea was around $8 for 30 bags) You could do this 5 times with the amount of supplies, so really it is more like $2

Total time: Easily fit into my daily routine. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix it up daily for 7 days.

Final verdict: I wouldn't recommend this to everyone for reasons stated above. However, it was amazingly awesome. Best kick start to a diet ever. I will do this again. Either before a big event or as a post-vacation detox.

UPDATE 7/18/12:

There have been tons of questions in the comments so I will try to address these here:

1.  Where can I find dandelion root tea?
I found it at Vitamin Shoppe and GNC. Many people reported finding it at Wal-Mart and Target with the teas/coffees.

2. Can I do this everyday instead of just 7 days?
I would not recommend that. It is a diuretic drink. Doing this everyday could mess up your electrolyte balance. After seven days, switch to plain water. Reserved this treatment for once every few months or so.

3. Do you eat while doing this?
Absolutely!! Eat a normal, balanced, healthy diet. I ate exactly the same quality/quantity of food as I do every other day of the month.

4. Do you drink anything else while doing this?
Absolutely! I, personally, tried to stay away from anything with artificial ingredients and sugary drinks. I drank coffee in the morning, black, no sugar or cream. After 60 oz of this, I drank as much plain water or unsweetened tea as I wanted.

5.  I did not have any side effects other than increased urination and weight loss while doing this. If you experience any concerning side effects stop drinking this immediately!

Information below from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
( http://nccam.nih.gov/health/dandelion)

Side Effects and Cautions

• Dandelion use is generally considered safe. However, there have been rare reports of upset stomach and diarrhea, and some people are allergic to the plant.
• People with an inflamed or infected gallbladder, or blocked bile ducts, should avoid using dandelion.
• Tell all your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care. For tips about talking with your health care providers about CAM, see NCCAM's Time to Talk campaign.

I would also recommend this information from the National Institute of Health on dandelion use.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/706.html

A few excerpt from the link above:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of dandelion during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Ragweed allergy: Dandelion can cause allergic reactions when taken by mouth or applied to the skin of sensitive people. People who are allergic to ragweed and related plants (daisies, chrysanthemums, marigolds) are likely to be allergic to dandelion. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking dandelion.

Be cautious using dandelion while also taking antibiotics, lithium, any medications changed by the liver (click the link above to see a list of these), and diuretics or "water-pills." 

6.  Can I substitute...?
I did not create the detox or study the recipe and results. Jillian Michaels did. I followed the directions exactly, but substitutions may work. If you substitute and it works or doesn't work, leave a comment here so we can share the information.