THE END....

Or is it just the beginning?

Well, it's the end of our six week challenge! What a journey it has been...but it flew by so fast! I have learned a lot in the past few weeks and now I am going to share them with you!

BODY:
So, the obvious change...body. In set out this challenge wanting to lose about 15 pounds. I knew this was unrealistic from the beginning, but that is my ultimate goal. I have made amazing progress though that I am absolutely thrilled about! Below are some pictures. The one in the white shirt is a pic I took only about 10 minutes ago, the other pic is the pic I took about one week into our challenge. See, only five weeks later and VISIBLE results! The tummy is less round and the posture has improved! WOOHOO!
So here are my before and after measurements:
Then:
Chest: 36
Waist: 31
Below belly button:35
Weight: 149

Now:
Chest: 35
Waist: 29
Below Belly Button: 33
Weight: 143













So I have lost 6 pounds and 2 inches!! Not bad at all!!
Not only that, but I have noticed that I am stronger and more stable! I can balance easier and I am starting to be able to do more exercises on one foot, something that was pretty much impossible before for me. I have gotten a lot better at all the exercises and have even moved up skill levels on many exercises.

MIND:

Okay, this is less obvious...but there have been other changes, too. I mentioned before that when you do the Wii Fit it measures your "Wii Fit Age" by testing a combination of physical and mental exercises. When I started I averaged close to 50! Now I am averaging about 23! What an amazing difference! Also, the wii fit measures your center of balance. When I started I was way off center, and now I am very close to center everyday! I am also more aware of my center of balance then I used to be. POSTURE....I have always had bad posture, I think it was my attempt at trying to hide when I was younger, but now my posture has improved immensely and I find myself checking myself and readjusting my posture several times a day. I have also noticed that I am taking more even steps than I used. Overall I just feel more....balanced and less wobbly.

SPIRIT:

I have noticed that I am way more energetic then I used to be, especially on days I work out. When I work out I find that I spend more time on my feet the rest of the day, I get dressed sooner in the day, I spend more time cleaning, I get homework done earlier. I am just overall more efficient. Conversely...when I declare a "Lazy Day" I sit around in my pj's all day, the house stays a mess, I get lazy on my cooking and I don't do anything really. I have also noticed that I have had far less instances of insomnia. In fact, if you take out the nights I was having GERD problems I think I can recall only two nights that I had trouble sleeping. This is really good for me! I also feel better about myself in general. I feel less "frumpy" LOL.

FOOD:

I have learned a lot about food! I have made several new meals that are low-fat, low-calorie and even vegetarian! I am also more aware of fat and calories while planning meals. I learned that I naturally eat around 1400-1500 calories a day, which is how I have managed to maintain my weight, but I need to cut back to 1200 to see some changes. This has turned out to be harder than I thought!

So those are the big changes I have noticed in 6 weeks. We started out this challenge thinking it would be done in only 6 weeks and instead we made lifestyle changes that hopefully will stick for months and months to come. If I have lost 6 pounds in 6 weeks, I should be at my goal weight in no time! Just in time for Summer!

Now that our challenge is over I have some new goals in mind. First of all...I am changing my goal date to May 1st, this is a bit more realistic. From now on I will try to post measurements on the 1st and 15th of every month. I am also going to try to reward myself every two weeks with something fitness related to encourage me to not give in to old habits. Here are some rewards I am thinking of : a hula hoop...I do a hula hoop exercise without a hula hoop and it is one of the best workouts I do, if I had a hula hoop I might do it more often, like when I am watching tv! A jump rope...like the hula hoop, this is a great workout and when It gets warm outside I can do this when I take Harliegh to the park to play. New workout videos (I am really liking Jillian Michaels) this will prevent me from getting bored with my routine. A pedometer, just to remind me to keep moving. New running shoes...for when I start jogging outside when it gets warm out...and when I reach my goal...NEW CLOTHES!
I hope all you bloggers out there continue to read my blog and write your own. I read all of yours on a daily basis and it is still my number one driving force! Keep it up....or as Jillian Michaels would say, "Don't phone it in!"