Working Girl...Burn, Baby, Burn!

So with my new Polar heart rate monitor, I thought I'd start testing out how many calories I burn just during everyday activities.  Today, I wore it to work!

I work at a video store so I'm always on my feet and constantly moving and doing something.  In 4 hours, I burned 969 calories! I had an average heart rate of 103 BPM (I even got up to 142 BPM).

It's so neat to learn these little things, but, hey, if I miss a work out because I have to go to work, now I feel better about it!

Workout Hiatus

So, I realize it's been awhile since I wrote, but I've been taking the month of December to relax.  I've spent 2 years hitting it hard with my workouts 5-6 days a week and decided that a month off might be good for me.  You don't ever need to feel bad for taking a hiatus from exercising, because sometimes the body just needs a break (sometimes your mind just needs a break).  The most important thing about working out is having the desire to do so and enjoying it, mental motivation leads to physical motivation, so if you don't have the mental motivation, step back, relax, and take some time off.  (I do, however, suggest not taking more than 4 weeks off because it takes 45 days to develop a habit, it also takes 45 days to get rid of a habit so much more than 30 days is going to hurt you.)

I'm also hoping that the shock of going from a month without working out back to 6 days a week of circuit training will shock my body into losing those last few pounds and inches!  I'm also hoping for Jillian Michael's 360 armband/heart rate monitor (the one from Biggest Loser) for Christmas so I can keep track of the calories I burn and let you all know which workouts give you the best bang for your buck...and your time and energy!

So far, in order to not gain weight, I've cut my calories a lot and I don't eat after 8 p.m. (but I go to bed at midnight, so adjust accordingly).  I haven't lost any weight but I haven't gained anything either, so I'm fine with that.  I've stayed at the same weight the whole time- maybe my scale is stuck! LOL

Anyways, as soon as I get back to working out--aka January 1st--I'm going to be starting Shaun T & Beachbody's Hip Hop Abs.  I already did month 1 in November and it didn't do anything for me because I think my fitness level is higher, so I'm jumping into month 2 in January...I'll let you know how it goes!!

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!!!  Talk to you next year! (Oh, and enjoy the Christmas feast.  It's okay!)