Day 18 - No-sir-e-bob

There won't be any working out tonight, or any burpees, that's for sure.

I intentionally wore flat shoes today so I wouldn't aggravate my calves by walking around in heels all day. Unfortunately, I don't think it really mattered b/c my calves are killing me today.

Damn.

So, no burpees.

Right now my game plan is to simply take 3 days off. I'll start right where I left off in 3 days- with 13 burpees remaining from yesterday and on Day 57.

That means my 100-day burpee challenge will end up being "100 burpees in 103 days."

That's at least the plan for right now. We'll see how it goes in 3 days. Bummer!

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Day 17 - Ignorance *was* bliss

I haven't really blogged about this because... well... I was in denial. I was pretending like it wasn't happening and perhaps if I just ignore it, it will go away. Wrong! The past week or so I've been having some calf issues. If you haven't been reading very long, me and calf issues go way back. It started when I was running the PF Chang's Marathon and they never really went away. So I stopped running and sure enough, they stopped too.

...that was of course until this past week. When doing my burpees, I've noticed that when I jump, my calves would feel tight. They wouldn't cramp, but you know that twinge feeling right before a cramp comes on? That's what I was feeling...

Now, you may ask, "KelsaLynn, did you do anything to prevent your calves from getting worse?"

Of course not. That would mean I was actually admitting the calf troubles were indeed resurfacing.

Well, now they are front and center after tonight's workout.

I did the following:
(warm-up with 8 burpees)
 24 mountain climbers
 24 lunges (48 steps)
 24 push-ups (modified)
 24 thrusters (dumbbells, holding onto 15#s)
 24 pull-ups (assisted, level 55)
 24 burpees
2 times through the above

I was doing great until the last set of burpees. Every time I jumped into the air, my calves "twinged". I would do 2 or 3 then go to the side and stretch my calves. On the 11th burpee of the last 24 I had to do, I jumped and my calf cramped *really* bad. Imagine jumping in the air, having your leg cramp up, yet you still have to land on said legs. Not fun!

So, out of 56 burpees today, I have 13 left to do and I have to confess that I have no intention of doing them today.

My body, I'm realizing, just despises repetition. It hated running after doing it too much. And now it's hating burpees because I'm doing 50+ per day. argh.

I limped home from the gym and foam-rolled the shit out of my calf, quad, and hip (since I don't know if the issue is actually in my calf or somewhere else).

I'll see how they feel tomorrow, but don't be surprised if I decide to take a few day rest on my burpee challenge. It may turn out to be my 100-burpee challenge is actually "do 100 days of burpees in 103 days" or something along those lines. Or, my other option if the issue continues is to do the burpees but without the jump at the top. I don't really like either solution but they both beat giving up entirely.

We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Kelsalynn

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Day 16 - Work-Life Balance

When I was loving my job, I had no problem working a long day then coming home and working out. Work was pure enjoyment for me so juggling different things didn't take a lot of effort.

The past few months, as work has become ever more stressful, I'm slowly learning just how important balance is for my personal and professional productivity. Yesterday I got to work early (there by 7 am), worked late (left just before 7 pm), yet didn't feel like I had accomplished enough. I left frustrated and stressed out. I came home and was just plain exhausted, so I didn't go to the gym. I didn't do much of anything, in fact.

This morning I told myself I couldn't get there early. I ended up pulling into the parking lot around 7:45 which is seriously the latest I've arrived to the office in God only knows how long. I worked until noon and took a full hour lunch sitting at the picnic table outside in the sun. I left the office promptly at 5:20. I still have more work than seems possible, but I know in the time I was there, I was completely productive and did everything I could.

I came home excited to workout.

After my workout, I stopped and picked up a card for my sister's birthday in a few days.

Once I got home, I practiced the piano while Michael made dinner.

After dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes.

Talk about a complete 180 from one day to the next! In my opinion, it all depends on my perspective with work that day and how much of my energy I spend there versus my personal endeavors. While I realize there will be days that I need to work late, it's not going to be a regular occurrence.

So here's my workout from tonight-
6 rounds of 4 reps:
Dumbbell bench press 30#s

Barbell shoulder press 60#
superset with
Dips on the bench

Then I did 6 sets of 10 reps of tricep dips but with my feet on a ball.

55 burpees

Cardio- 12 minutes on the stairmill doing intervals - 45 seconds at 80-90 steps/minute then 90 seconds at 60 steps/minute

Until tomorrow,
KelsaLynn

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Day 15 - Burpees only

No workout to report. I worked a long day today and by the time I got home and had dinner, it was too late to go workout.

I did, however, get in 54 burpees.

It's 10:15 PM and I just finished them. Time for bed now.

Good night.

Kelsalynn

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Day 14 - Week two recap

It's been a pretty lazy weekend so far. My coworker celebrated her 30th birthday party last night and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I did push my boss into the pool and in turn, was thrown in myself, but otherwise, it was a fun night! haha

I did the following arm workout tonight - PULL:
2 sets of 10 reps
Superset
Wide grip pull-ups (all unassisted which SUCKED- they were hard!)
with
Wide grip cable rows 70#

Megaset
Narrow lat pull down 70#
with
Dumbbell bent over row 20#s each
with
Max rep barbell curls 30# (5 reps each round)

I also got my 53 burpees done for today. They're getting easier... I did 28 of them as a warm-up tonight and did the other 25 in between sets of my arm workout.

And now it's time for the bad news.

Why oh why can't we see immediate results when we workout? Wouldn't that be great? According to my measurements, I went backwards for the 2nd week in a row- increasing my body fat percentage instead of losing body fat.

Michael wants to punch me right now (not really) because he does not think I should be measuring it weekly like this. He knows it's only going to make me frustrated. My total body fat % increased again and when I look at the individual components, the increase is coming from my arm measurements. I honestly think there's probably a 1% margin of error in using the calipers b/c I don't think it's possible that my tricep could have increased 3 mm in body fat in one week. Not when I worked out 4 times, plus did a bunch of burpees, plus ate healthier than most people (no, not perfect). I kind of wonder if it's water retention or hormonal b/c I'm 5lbs heavier today than I normally am (maybe Aunt Flo needs to go away? I don't really have a period so I don't actually know if this is the case...). I did just get back from the gym where I drank two of my water bottles in water.

Here are the details-
Bicep = 6.83  (it was a "6" last week)
Tricep = 17 (it was a "14" last week so a pretty big difference)
Back = 10.67 (it was a "12" last week)
Hip = 7.33 (it was an "8" last week)

TOTAL = 24.30% BODY FAT (total last week was 23.67%!)

So yeah, I'm trying to tell myself to ignore this but it's not easy.

And for my own records- I took my measurements tonight and came up with the following:
Neck 13
Right arm 11 3/4
Left arm 11 5/8
Chest 35 1/4
Shoulders 40
Waist 29 7/8
Hips 42
Right thigh 22
Left thigh 21 3/4
Right calf 14 1/4
Left calf 14 1/4

Until tomorrow,
KelsaLynn

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Day 13 - nothing to do with my challenge

I didn't workout today. I still have my 52 burpees to do so I'll do those soon. We're heading to my co-worker's 30th birthday party tonight so I need to do them before we leave.

I keep forgetting it's not Sunday...since I had yesterday off, my days are all weird. I feel like this is the 2nd day of my weekend (because it is) but I still have one more day! Gotta love taking Fridays off!

I woke up early and picked up our bountiful basket. Then I had my piano lesson with Sanar. It went really well. Sometimes I play things that I learned back in January, just to remind myself that I have progressed, even if I can't see it from one day to the next when I'm practicing.

As you may recall, I've become obsessed with making our back patio more tranquil. I want to have a relaxing place to read a book or magazine and drink my coffee each morning. Last weekend I bought a few new plants which helped a ton. Ever since then, I've been "window shopping" online for an umbrella. Well, I decided to check out what Bed Bath & Beyond had today, which was just asking for trouble. I knew once I saw one, I wouldn't be able to say no. I ended up spending $120 on a new umbrella and base for our patio! Was it budgeted? NOPE! I am justifying it because we budgeted $100 for clothes that we didn't spend. And we budgeted $75 for garage organization and only spent $51. In other words, we had the money. Regardless, the answer is still "No, it was not budgeted."

Here's the end result:

Today, I sat out there for a solid hour just reading and Michael and I ate our lunch there comfortably.

There are a few other things I'd like to buy (like a fountain and a plant stand), but I'll just have to wait until it's in the budget...  :-o

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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Day 12 - Toughie but goodie

I had the day off work today and it was pretty near perfect!

I met my ex-co-supervisor for coffee and this adorable little coffee shop less than a mile from my house. Seriously, you guys would die if you saw how cute this place was. It's just a one room coffee shop, but in the back is a huge patio with a rose garden, archways of flowres and plants, pots of plants everywhere... it's just so cute. We sat for 3 hours and enjoyed our coffee in the garden while chatting. Liz is leaving in a few days to move back home to NJ/PA area. I'm really going to miss her and this was essentially our goodbye coffee.

The original plan after that was to go on Michael's boss's boat with the rest of his coworkers and their spouses. However, due to unseasonaly "chilly" weather today (the high was only 70 degrees), they rescheduled the boat trip. Instead, I sat on my back patio, finished my book, took a nap, then worked out. was great! I didn't mind at all that it ended up being rescheduled. I would have been happy if we went, but I was totally happy not going too.

So here was my workout-
50 pull-ups (did them ALL UNASSISTED! I'm soooooooooo proud of myself!)
50 push-ups
50 squats
50 knees to elbows (Captain's chair)
51 burpees

Then I did a core block as a workout-
30 seconds of plank on elbows

30 seconds of plank on elbows
20 ab rollouts with elbows on the ball

30 seconds of plank on elbows
20 ab rollouts with elbows on the ball
30 ball slams 12#

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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Day 11 - You try it

I have tomorrow off work- YAY for me!

So tonight after work, I hit up Applebee's with some co-workers and enjoyed their happy hour specials. On my way home, I had just one question-

Who's idea was it to do the burpee challenge again?

You drink one tall beer and 3 Perfect Margaritas then attempt 50 burpees! You'll see what I mean...  

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Day 10 - Wabbly legs

Well, after I slept for 13 hours yesterday, of course I felt refreshed today. Good thing too because I had 97 fricken burpees to do. 48 from yesterday and 49 from today!

I did 10 first thing this morning, then 27 more right after work. When we headed to the gym tonight, I had 60 burpees to add on to the workout! Yikes!

I'm really proud of myself though. Boy, it was a great workout! I really pushed myself and I kept chanting "331" over and over again. Do you recall what 331 is? It's the body fat % I want to lose. Yup, 3.31%!

Here's what I did:
3 rounds of 10 reps
Back Squat 95#
Single leg deadlift 2-25# dumbbells
Step ups 2-12.5# dumbbells

I'm most proud of the back squats. When I first put the 95# on there, I told Michael I didn't think I could do that much weight. And I almost couldn't. It was really hard but I got it done!

Oooh, ooh, oh, I know one more thing. I feel it's necessary to confess that I ate a donut today. Oh, and a White Mocha from Starbucks. But, I didn't go out to eat with everyone at lunch time although I was very tempted.

I feel better now.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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Day 9 - What happened?

Yesterday I was on the road doing audits all day. The branches we traveled to were 3.5 hours away, so I got up at 5am, met my coworkers at 6am and away we went. We traveled 7 hours and audited 3 branches yesterday. In the car ride home, I was half awake/half asleep. Luckily because we left so early, we didn't run into any traffic and had actually made excellent time all day. It was around 4pm when I got home, instead of the normal 6pm or later.

I felt so lucky! It had been a long day but here I was, walking in my door at 4! Michael was still busy with work so I decided to take a quick nap. It was around 4:30 when I laid down with my furbaby.

Guess what time I woke up?

THIS MORNING! Yup, I slept all evening and all night until 5 this morning!

Apparently, I needed the sleep. Michael tried to wake me up once but I just kept right on sleeping. I don't remember him coming to bed or anything.

The only crappy part about it is that I didn't do my burpees, obviously, which means I have 48+49 burpees or 97 to do today! YIKES! I woke up at 5 and did 10 burpees right away. Doing burpees at 5am, regardless of how many hours you slept the night before, sucks. They are like 10 times harder than later in the day, at least for me.

So, 87 more to go!

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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Day 8 - Just kidding

Two days ago, I was tooting my own horn saying something about how I could really push myself at the gym. Apparently that was just a joke. I headed to the gym tonight but didn't push myself nearly as much as I should have.

I did "push"... and before I left, I looked up what weight I used last time. And I did that same weight except tonight it wasn't all that hard.

It wasn't easy. But it wasn't hard either. Not like it should be if I plan to use 3.31% body fat by May 25th.

Here's what I did:
(warmed up with 30 burpees of the 47 I needed to get done today)

Dumbbell bench press: 25#

Superset
Dumbbell shoulder press 20#
with
Handstand pushup variation
(feet on squat rack level 7)

Superset
Bench dips w/ feet on a ball
with
Push-ups

Instead of the push-ups, I did burpees since I still had 17 left to do.

So I guess next time I need to up the weights on the bench press and shoulder press.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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Day 7 - One week recap and pictures

What a wonderful weekend... I truly don't want it to be over because it's been so relaxing and productive- the perfect balance.

As promised, here are today's body fat measurements after one week doing my challenge.
Bicep = 6
Tricep = 14
Back = 12
Hip = 8

TOTAL = 23.67% body fat (an increase of .36%)

Like I said earlier, I was not expecting it to change much. I only worked out three times and while my eating habits were better than they were, I wasn't as disciplined as I hope to be this coming week.

I'm also not going to freak out over the slight increase. Michael is actually a little testy about the idea of me even measuring myself each week. He says your body fat is not something you should track weekly. What kind of wife would I be if I actually listened to my husband though? Right ladies? :-P

So, that's it... hopefully next week I'll see a slight improvement!

One thing we accomplished this weekend is potting a few flowers and plants for our back patio. I'm hoping to get a small fountain and also an umbrella, but until then, dressing up with a few plants will have to do.  Here's the before picture...

And here's the after picture... I realize there isn't that much of a difference...but it's getting there! It's also screaming for an outdoor rug and plant stand if you ask me. Maybe I'll be adding a bit of money to the budget for May so I can buy a few things!

We also organized our garage. You'll just have to take my word for it though because I don't have a before picture...only what it looks like now that we're done. All of the things you see on the wall or the shelves were previously on the floor.

So that's it! I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend as well!

KelsaLynn

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Day 6 - Still got it

Yup, I still go it.

Got what? you ask...

The ability to kick my own ass. That's what.

Tonight's workout was KILLER! I really pushed myself and boy, I was DRIPPING sweat. Literally... it was not pretty :)

Anyway, here's what I did-
I started with 15 burpees

2 rounds of 10 reps
Front squats 65#
superset with
15 high jumps (just jump straight up in the air, trying to get as high as you can)

Kettlebell swings 40# (could have done heavier)
5 burpees

Lunge cocktail for 100 feet x 2 with 5 burpees before and after

My legs were already pretty jello-y at this point but then I went to do cardio. I chose the bike because I can't run these days.
1 minute at 95% (level 12)
4 minutes at 75% (level 8) made it 1.3 miles
5 burpees
1 minute at 95% (level 12)
4 minutes at 75% (level 8) made it to 2.75 miles
5 burpees
1 minute at 95% (level 13)
4 minutes at 75% (level 9) made it to 4.3 miles
5 burpees

Like I said, killer workout. I feel great now though. Tomorrow I'll plan take a rest day but I'll take my measurements and see if I made any improvements this week. It's very unlikely considering I only worked out 3 times, but I plan to track it regardless. So check back tomorrow for my body fat % after week 1!

Until tomorrow,
KelsaLynn

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Day 5 - 4 things

1. I worked out! I worked out! My icky feeling yesterday must have been bad allergies, because I felt much better when I woke up this morning. I was excited to get to the gym tonight for only the 2nd time this week. It's amazing what a good workout can do for you!
2. Work was soooo much better both yesterday and today. I think a lot of it has to do with my own approach to everything and me changing my perspective, but also because I took the time to address a number of things with the people I have issues with. It's never easy to do that, but I always feel like progress begins after the lines of communication are opened.
3. I practiced the piano tonight! I've had 3 weeks off because we had guests and were out of town, etc. Tomorrow will be my first piano lesson this month so I had to practice! I'm excited!
4. PayDay Friday which means I get to save more $$$! I transferred $1,600 to our new car fund today! Our total savings so far is $7,624.50 in this account! You want to know what's totally crazy to me? We have over $21,000 in cash in our savings account (including our car fund)! WOW! That's the most we've ever had! To think over a year ago we only had $1,000 in the bank and owed over $60,000 in debt! What a turn around!

 Here's my workout:

2 sets of 4 reps

Pull-ups (regular, unassisted)- did 3 strict the first round + 1 after jumping down, did 2 + 2 the second set

Superset Wide grip pull-ups (regular, unassisted)- did all 4 in one set
with
Reverse Dumbbell curl 10#

Superset Wide grip cable row 75#
with
Bicep Dumbbell curl 20#

Narrow grip cable row 90#

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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Day 4 - Did someone say "challenge?"

So the first few days of my Body Fat % Challenge has been a total bust. I've only worked out one day but I suppose my eating habits have improved slightly.

I had an awesome day at work today...had a conversation that needed to happen and I definitely know what I need to do to move forward. Like I said yesterday, they picked the wrong gal to mess with and now I'm fired up. I got shit taken care of today and plan to continue my kick-ass approach going forward. Watch out!

I was all excited to come home and workout but that all changed around 3:30. You know right before you get sick how your throat starts to hurt, not bad, but just a little bit so you keep swallowing but it doesn't help?  That's what I've been doing... I still plan to do my 43 burpees but that's probably going to be it for tonight. I really wish I wasn't getting sick, but when Michael fell ill earlier this week, I pretty much knew I'd be next. It's pretty inevitable.

I plan to take my body fat % again on Sunday (and every Sunday until the end) but I don't anticipate it's going to change a whole lot! I am really disappointed about this...it's not exactly the way I was hoping to jump start my new challenge! Darn!

Kelsalynn

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Day 3 - Crap

I had another really crummy day at work. I talked to my sister on the way home from the office and I cried. I got home and had a really long conversation with my hubby...and I cried.

I cried AT work EVEN- to a colleague and also to one of my bosses (which I regret, but oh well).

It's just really hard right now and I'm questioning what my role is and even if I want to continue playing that role.

I realized something tonight though... 2 months ago when we all interviewed to keep our jobs, I was chosen to stay. They kept me and they did that for a reason. I honestly think it's because they knew I was strong enough to put up with the bull shit that's going on right now. I know for certain that the other 2 supervisors who were let go could not handle what I'm currently facing... they were frustrated when things were "easy" so what's going on now would have pushed them over the edge for sure.

I fell for the mind games that a few of the people are playing right now- where they put me down in order to pump themselves up...and shame on me for falling for it!  What was I thinking?

Those idiots have nothing on me. I'm smarter, more adaptable, and more respected by my team because I'm not a total jackass nor do I treat people that way.

They messed with the wrong girl.

KelsaLynn

PS: No, I didn't workout. (I WILL do my 42 burpees before I go to bed though) I'm pretty sure I lost weight in tears though. :-P

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Day 2 - "rest" day

Day 2 of my Body Fat Loss Challenge and it's a rest day.

Actually, it feels weird calling it a rest day after doing 41 burpees, but you know what I mean- There will be no workout before or after the workout :-P

We met some friends for dinner tonight and we had a blast. We're actually going to try and do it more often because we live really close to each other and love hanging out with them.

I'm glad we had plans to mingle with friends tonight because work was a disaster. If I had come home, I would have thought about it all night long, I know it. I would have dwelled on things I currently have no control over and only stressed myself out. Instead, I pretended to be "chipper" when we met our friends and wouldn't you know, it actually made me feel better! My fake-smiles ended up turning into real smiles...it turned out to be just what I needed!

I hope tomorrow is better. I'm looking forward to working out again! My husband is sick right now so I'm hoping and praying and then hoping and praying some more that I don't get it from him!

Kelsalynn

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Day 1- awesome workout!

If you're a day behind, you may want to read the post before this. I'm giving myself a body fat % challenge! I have until May 25th to lose 3.31% body fat.

Tonight was my first workout in quite a while. With a friend in town, then family visiting, unfortunately it just hasn't been a priority. Let me reverse that ... I HAVE been doing my burpees, I promise! But since it's the beginning, I just don't consider it a workout per se. But tonight marks Day 40 of my burpee challenge and let me tell you, 40 burpees ARE starting to become a workout!

In addition to my 40 burpees, I did the following:
3 sets of 10 push-ups
3 sets of 8 dumbbell shoulder press 20#
3 sets of 8 tricep dips

I started out the night with a 2-mile run. It makes me sad to report, though, that the run was not fun. It hurt like hell. The first mile was great, like a teaser on how enjoyable running COULD be. I realized how much I've missed it. But the second mile was painful. First my hip started to feel tight. I just ran through it. After about a 1/2 mile, the tightness kept moving lower and hit my knee.

I made it to a corner about a 1/2 mile away and decided to just stop. It's not like I'm training for anything so running in pain simply makes no sense. I sure do miss it though.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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My New Challenge

A few days ago, I eluded to a new challenge I'm setting for myself.

Here's the scoop!

I am 5'4", I weigh 135 lbs and I'm a size 6. Overall, I'm perfectly content with this size.

And that's exactly the problem- my contentment. I know, I know, it should be a good thing right? Well, I think strong motivation comes from a certain level of disgust with something, and I don't have it. So how can I get the same level of motivation while maintaining a healthy level of happiness with myself? I don't want to wait until I get to the point of absolute disgust before I take action.

So, I'm giving myself a challenge!

My challenge is to lower my body fat percentage. In order to do this, I'll have to eat right AND exercise AND make all around good decisions. These days, I make "pretty good" decisions, not as good as I used to, that's for sure. So I am looking forward to being more disciplined for this challenge.

Here's some old data for ya-
6/18/2008:
25.9% body fat
146lbs

7/3/2009:
21.1% body fat
133lbs

In January, Michael got that fat-grabber device and if you remember, I blogged about it. They are called "skin fold callipers" and they measure your body fat % by grabbing your fat. Ugh, sounds terrible right?

Here were my measurements back in January when I first took them:
Bicep = 7

Tricep = 13
Subscaplar = 13 (my back)
Suprailiac = 10 (hip area)

My body fat %? 24.69%!

Here are my measurements today (which is what I will consider my "starting" point for this challenge):
Bicep = 5

Tricep = 15
Subscaplar = 11 (my back)
Suprailiac = 8 (hip area)

My body fat %? 23.31%!  (current)
(I use this website to plug in those measurements and get my body fat %).

Since January, I've made some improvements but it's been more by accident.

According to the website, I'm in the "Fitness" category for woman which goes from 21-24%. So, my goal is to get into the next category, or get to 20%. A body fat % of 20% would put me in the "Athletic" category.

Therefore, my challenge is to lose 3.31% body fat! Since I weigh 135 lbs, that equals 4.5lbs of body fat to lose (3.31% of 135). And I'm giving myself until May 25th to do it!

Anyone want to go balls-out with me until May 25th? Strength training... eating right... cardio...

Who's with me?

PS: I'm still on track with my burpees. I'm on day 39 today and I've done 26 of them...I'll have no problem getting the other 13 done !

Until tomorrow,
KelsaLynn

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Probably won't make any friends...

Today I got up at 5:00 and worked for 5+ hours on rebuilding a house. The project is called "Rebuilding Together" and companies act as sponsors. The place I work had to find volunteers and organize the rehabbing of an individual's house.

I worked the morning shift and already the house is amazingly better! We painted the outside, tore down the carport and rebuilt it, replaced windows and trim, and that's just the exterior.

The inside was a different story. The owners were supposed to have everything off the walls, curtains down, and all the closets emptied before we arrived. But they didn't. The kitchen was completely filthy. We spent part of the morning cleaning all the walls, baseboards, and the kitchen from top to bottom. Then we painted, changed out all light fixtures, put in new appliances, and even replaced the flooring. This is all before noon!

I was exhausted when my shift was finally over at noon.

One thing I don't understand is how the house could have been as dirty as it was. The owner was there helping us, she was very able-bodied, not disabled, etc. She was simply poor but how does that translate to dirty? I realize I'm not going to make any friends with this, but I seriously just don't get it. It looked as if someone opened a can of pop and it exploded, dripping all down the walls. Instead of running to grab a rag like I feel like most people would do, the owner just walked away and never cleaned. (??? This is a question b/c obviously I don't know where half the crap came from on the walls/floors/etc).

The kitchen was gross-bugs in the cabinets, dirty dishes everywhere, etc. I'm glad we're able to help rebuild your home if you don't have the money... but why did we have to clean everything too?  We didn't have a lot of money growing up and I'll admit, our house wasn't very clean. I think about it now and get grossed out. I could never live in the house I grew up in. No way. One explanation is that my mom was a single parent to three hellians. The other explanation is that she was just plain lazy and rarely did I see her even attempt to clean. Nor did she give us chores or teach us that cleaning was important. It's amazing to me that my sisters and I are all clean people... I guess we got that from my dad.

It just bugs me. I love the idea of "Rebuilding Together"- that we are able to give someone a better place to live when they can't afford it. But I don't like when people take advantage of programs like this... or like we're going to leave and then if the person isn't willing to pick up after herself, our hard work will have been for nothing. I'm sure there are families out there who don't have a lot of money but have a clean house.

Rant over.

Kelsalynn

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Hope ya'll are having more fun than me!

Oh my gosh, is this week over yet? Seriously!

It's been rough.

I've been at work until 7 PM most nights. Then I come home and get to enjoy the company of my in-laws who are visiting. I'm just exhausted.

I've been keeping up on my burpees and even did some before work! Today I did 36 of those little pains in my ass :)

I am excited about a new challenge I've set for myself...but you'll just have to check back for that one! I have to iron out a few details before I officially start, but I plan to figure all that out this weekend.

...after I get some sleep though.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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I'm here! I'm here!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I'm still here, we've just been busy!

This past weekend we were out of town. We woke up early Saturday morning and drove about an hour to our friend Dawn & Marc's house. They bought it about 6 months ago and the yard was all dirt. Last weekend they had pavers laid for a patio section with benches and a fire pit, but that only took up about 1/3 of their yard. They held a "rock party" on Saturday only it's not what you're thinking... it was actually a party to shovel rocks. They had 24 tons of rocks dumped in their driveway and we all got together to shovel it into wheel barrels and put in the backyard. We also moved dirt, leveled it, and laid sod as well. It was one HELL of a workout and I'm incredibly sore from it! I loved it though!

I'm still on track with my burpees. In fact, at Dawn & Marc's place on Saturday morning I had a bunch of people doing them with me! It was awesome! Today will be Day 33 and I must admit, they are getting much easier. I can do 15 without stopping for a break at this point ...

We took showers at Marc & Dawn's then drove up to Wickenburg, AZ from there- another 1.5 hours away. We stayed the night at his Aunt Sheri's house, ate dinner, played games, went hiking, and visited with family who was also staying there. It was a wonderful Easter!

We didn't get home until after 9 pm last night and we're both very exhausted. Traffic was terrible on the way home so it took forever.

I'm also stressed about getting home so late because Michael's parents arrive tonight for the week. I don't have sheets on the guest bed, haven't cleaned the guest bathroom, haven't gone grocery shopping, let alone just general cleaning that needs to happen too. I'm also stressed because if you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know that Michael's mom requires extensive patience and self-control on my part. It's almost like the fact that I'm so tired going into this week and so ill-prepared makes me nervous that I'll be at the end of my rope sooner than normal.

So I might be a little quiet with blogging this week too since they'll be here but it just depends on what they have planned. I know they're talking about taking a trip up to the Grand Canyon so if that's the case, it will be life-as-normal in our household until they get back.

Until tomorrow,
KelsaLynn

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Make it a priority...

You know that budget I posted yesterday?  You should probably just ignore it...

Since today is the 1st of the month, I feel like I can still make changes and it's not really cheating.

So that's what I'm doing.

I took my car in to get the brakes done today. I've known for a very long time that they needed to get done. I swear it's been 5 years! Oops! I have 130,000 miles on the Alero so I'm not surprised that it needs some maintenance right now, especially considering I barely did any maintenance to it while we were paying off debt or when we lived in Michigan.

I budgeted $200 for "vehicle repair" this month but when I took my car in, the total came to $733! Wow! Note to self- delaying car repairs is not smart. It doesn't prevent the expense entirely, it only delays it temporarily. 

Back to the numbers- $200 budgeted, $200 in one savings account for no real reason, $137 in our vehicle repair savings fund... the end result is that I need to budget some extra funds in April. Instead of $200, my total budget is $388.

We've decided to delay the purchase of new phones as a result. Below is our updated budgeted for April.

In other financial news- I transferred $1,404 to our New Car Savings today!

Total Saved = $6,024.50

% Saved = 60%

We always have a little extra cushion in our checking account for some reason. I tend to forget it's there to be honest. This month, we could probably just add the extra car repair expense AND still get new phones and be able to afford it but I'd rather budget properly!
Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

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