Work It Out Wednesday -- Week 5

Well, it's week five for WIOW. I hope that all of you are continuing to see results from all of your hard work and effort. And -- a genuine thank you to those who are faithfully commenting and participating. I'll admit...I've thought about just canning the Meme because participation isn't all that great, but I won't. If anything...I need to do this for ME! So, I will continue to post each week. :)
Brian and I are still doing our cardio and weight training. We have good days and bad days. There are days when we don't fee like doing anything, and I'll admit...sometimes we don't. But -- we try to pick ourselves back up and do something the next day.
I'm really trying to push myself in the area of cardio. I started out doing 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the treadmill. This week, I've mainly done it all on the elliptical. The first day I did 3 miles on the elliptical nearly killed me. But -- I got right back on the next time and I even improved. I was able to do 3 miles in 47.5 minutes. That took a lot of effort on my part, but I did it! I'm really hoping to start pushing myself on the elliptical...I'm hoping to get 4 miles in soon. The elliptical is better for me because I've been having some issues with my left ankle. Brian teases me because he says that I need a brace for every joint in my body. LOL! He's partly right though...I've got a few wrist splints and a knee brace that I'll wear from time to time. LOL! So, adding an ankle brace may not be a bad idea. :) But -- I'm still going...that's what counts, right?!!?
Fitness Tip #4

Stick to Your New Beginner Fitness ProgramNow that you have made the commitment to start a new fitness program, you will want to make sure that you can stick with it. Since statistics show that close to 50% of people who start an exercise program are likely to drop out after six months, countless studies have been performed about exercise adherence. Here are some of the findings:

Have Fun! -- At the risk of stating the obvious, choosing an enjoyable activity has a strong influence on exercise adherence. Many people embark on a particular type of fitness program because they have heard that “it’s the best.” However, the best exercise routine is the one that you personally will enjoy doing.
Love the Location -- Choose a fitness center that is near your favorite bookstore, clothing store or healthy restaurant. Avoid locations in neighborhoods that you think are either unsafe or depressing. Some studies show that a facilities proximity to your home or workplace has a strong influence on exercise adherence.
It’s all in the Timing -- While experts may argue about the best time of the day to exercise, everyone’s biorhythms tend to differ. Choose the time of the day whenyou have the most energy, and choose the time that you will least likely feel that you need to rush through your routine.
Buddy Up -- Some people find that exercising with a friend helps them stick to their routine. However, it works best if you and your friend are at similar levels of fitness.
Read Up -- You can get excited about exercise by reading women’s fitness magazines as well as beginner fitness books such as Fitness for Dummies.
Set Your Goals Beyond Weight Loss and Appearance -- Not that these aren’t admirable goals. However, they are subjective. Why not take up a new sport, and plan a training program that will improve your athletic skill?
This tip and others can be found HERE!
Okay, now on to the results of all of the effort I've put in this week... This week: -0.5lbs TOTAL: -7lbs Body Fat: +1%
So, how did you do? How close are you to reaching your goal? What are you finding the hardest about the whole weight loss challenge? I'll admit...I'm really ticked at the scale. They should just be outlawed. LOL! I hate getting on the thing expecting to see a HUGE drop and then being disappointed. It's even harder to come here and post the results when they don't meet MY expectations. But -- I have to keep going. I know I'm losing inches because I can see it. The scale just isn't cooperating. :(

Here are the rules for participating:

1. Post your own Work It Out Wednesday post on your blog. Then, come back here and sign Mr. Linky below linking to yourWIOWpost...don't link directly to your blog please.
2. Add the WIOW button to your blog. This will increase participation by spreading the word throughout bloggy land. :) **This isnotmandatory, but I'd appreciate it if you'd do this.**
3. Stop by and drop some comment love and encouragement to at least 2 fellowWIOWparticipants. Weight loss is a hard battle, and we can all use a little extra encouragement.
4. Be sure to include your weekly weight loss and total weight loss in your post. You do NOT have to include your weight. I, for one, will NOT share my weight with the blogosphere, and I will NOT ask you to do so either.

I look forward to reading all about your results this week. So, come on and share how it's going.