It's Time To Sweat

A couple of weeks ago I was released to start doing core workouts again.  Why am I bothering to mention this?  For those of you who don't know, I had a bouncing baby boy about 3 1/2 months ago.  He was delivered via c-section and I figured, since I was having surgery, I might as well get that umbilical hernia repaired that has been with me for about 3 years.

Well, the surgery left me with pretty much no abdominal muscle tone.  Guess that happens when they turn you inside out during surgery.  This is a big deal for me.  As a former gymnast, I've always taken great pride in having respectable ab muscles.  It makes me cry that they are now a bowl full of jelly.

I was under doctor's orders to wait 12 weeks before I could do any exercises to get my firm stomach back.  Boooo!  Not to mention, I still have 10 to 15 lbs to get off in post baby weight.  Something that is extremely difficult for me to do while breast feeding.

I have a plan though.

It's still cold here and I can't really take my 3 month old out in the running stroller. I need something I can do at home that will get me good results. Good enough to get me back in running shape so I can complete at least one half marathon this summer. I decided to do Insanity. Some of you may not know what this is. It is an insane cardio workout done over 60 days with the goal of getting impressive results.   If you want to know more, check it out here.

One more thing I need to do is improve my diet a bit.  I can't cut back that severely on calories without hurting my ability to feed Jack, but I figured I could do something.  You know those cleaning products from Shaklee?  Well, I pretty much love them and their organic approach to cleaning.  They happen to have a weight loss program called Cinch that I figured I can alter to suit my needs.  It is also something I can fit in my budget.  Here is the shake that I ordered.

I decided to start with the strawberry flavor.  If I like it and the results, I may order more.  I got this through Sarah over at Three Boys.  Check out her Shaklee shop for all of the products they have.  The plan says you should do one of these shakes and a snack bar in place of two meals and then have a healthy dinner.  I'm just going to be replacing one meal per day to make sure I'm getting enough calories.  Another reason I'm doing this is because I've been having a hard time eating healthily around my Home Health Nurse job.  The drive through has been my friend a bit too much.  This seems like the perfect, easy solution.

I figure that I may not lose weight very fast but I'll be toning and leading a healthier life.

I'm about a week into Insanity and it's kicking my butt!  You know where I hurt the most?  The love handle area!  What's up with that?  It is a V.E.R.Y demanding workout routine, so it better work.  I'm in pain here!  I haven't gotten the Cinch shake mix yet, but am excited to give it a try.  I'll keep you updated on my progress, but don't expect to see a huge before and after photo...that would be a bit embarassing.

Do any of you have great fitness/healthy eating routines that have worked for you?

Linking to:

The Shabby Creek Cottage