Finger Lickin'

Well, we're still going strong on week three of this crazy "lifestyle change". Note I'm still calling it crazy, but I'm also still in it til the end (which is exactly 40 workouts from now, in case you're counting along with me!).

Last weekend proved to be the most difficult test yet- Major League Baseball. Now, I personally believe that attending a baseball game without eating a hot dog, even if it's the local little league practice game, is un-American to the point that I'm pretty sure it qualifies as treason. So imagine my dismay when I realized our tickets to the Twins game coincided with the end of our first week of "the challenge". We couldn't back out - Lawrence's sister Courtney was meeting us there and LC was super excited to see the Twins- so we dutifully packed a cooler full of (healthy) snacks (plus water, can't forget water!) for the roadtrip up to the Cities and went on our way. The bathroom break we had to take 1 1/2 hours into the trip should have been a tip that this wasn't going to be easy (can you believe we had to stop on a 3 hour drive?!? I typically only stop once on my way to Denver- I'm SCREWED for my next trek across Nebraska... and just how many rest stops do you think they have along I-80 in Nebraska... Aaarrggghhhh!).

It wasn't that bad until we got into the stadium and sat down. We had eaten breakfast before we left and snack # 1 and light lunch #1 on the road, so we were on target. But then I truly believe that God wanted a little bit more Saturday afternoon entertainment to pass the day away, because it wasn't one inning into the game when the lady directly behind us came back to her seat holding the largest platter of cheesy goodness she called "Macho Nachos" and passed them around the row, the scent of mexican deliciousness wafting through the air. Gulp. Another water, please? Not 10 minutes later the two guys sitting next to me decided to celebrate the beginning of the 3rd inning with a sundae and a coke float. AAaaahhhh! More water? Yup, thanks. And then the icing, well, sugar, really, on the cake. There was a man in front of us with three little boys, all eagerly taking in all that MLB has to offer with wide eyes and empty stomachs, apparently. First they got snow-cones. No worries, I don't even like snow cones that much. You can keep your surupy ice to yourself. Then came the popcorn. Again, our will power is stronger than any little popped corn kernels. We're from Iowa, after all. But then came the true test of will power and might. They got three hot and steamy bags of mini donuts delivered straight to them from the mini-donut man who kept proclaiming the heavenly delight that are mini-donuts up and down the aisle- as if we needed convincing?? And there they were, three little boys digging into what is possibly Lawrence's favorite food of all time, dashing their little hands in and out of the bags getting covered with sugary goodness more and more. Subconciously Lawrence started leaning closer and closer to the row in front of us, bending his head over to better view the little donut trip from bags to mouths. As he licked his lips, stopping the bead of drool that had started to form, he leaned over to me and asked "Do you think they would mind if I just licked their fingers?" Nope, I'm sure that wouldn't be creepy at all, honey. Here, have another water.

Surprise Revealed

Thanks to Lawrence's mom, Patti, we are now the proud new owners of a vintage tandem banana yellow Schwin bike! It's a beaut, and after a little air in the tires, it rides like a dream (as long as the ride is very flat and smooth- this baby only has two gears!).

Here's a close up pic but click below to see some more of it in action - if you scroll through really fast it'll be like we're whizzing by your screen! Wheeeee.......

Tandem Banana

Days Completed: 4 Days Left: 50

So here it is...the real explanation of our Goals in Motion Program.

Over the past year or so I've been hearing lots about these little private workout studio's that promise with a "little" hard work they will sculpt you into your own living version of Atlas.

I've heard the ads on the radio, I've seen them on TV, I even noticed a flier on my car one day when I was drifting out of Wallyworld with my favorite frozen pizza selection. I knew I shouldn't be eating it but I wanted it.

And, as soon as I saw the flier it reminded me of this place in Denver called the Anti-Gym. I was deathly afraid that someone was going to jump out from behind the bushes and yell at me. Seriously this gym has workout areas based on body fat percentage. You can't be use certain areas of the gym if you are above 10% (or so) body fat. It promotes pretty people to the front windows. Same rules apply for the sauna and hot tubs.

Crazy I know. But check this commercial out if you don't believe me! They also have a stand with cupcakes and Twinkies and whip them at you across the room to publicly humiliate you if you are not working out hard or if your trainer does the flashlight check through your car windows and sees fast food wrappers! To each their own...

Yes, that is a severe example of these studios but similar (albeit not deranged) versions seem to be popping up all over the place. And, maybe I'm just noticing them because I've been trying to find ways to get into better shape and are more tuned in. (Kind of like I notice how many Ford Escapes are on the road now that I drive one).

So back to GIM...My boss's wife and a co-worker of mine have gone through the Goals in Motion program and have tremendous success. One lost nearly 30 pounds in 90 days and the other is down 80 pounds in about a year.

It's a 9 week ultra intense exercise and nutrition regiment to help you live a healthier lifestyle. You must work out 6 days a week (Sundays off). You alternate days of the week between resistance training and kickboxing and the programs are tweaked every 3 weeks so you don't build much muscle memory.

The key to the GIM program...and why we ultimately decided to do this was the nutrition component. You have a personal food coach and you have to keep a food journal all day long and you send it to them at the end of every night. Before the next morning they will respond and help you understand the good and bad things you ate that day. They help you to find a calorie and nutrition balance and they do it within the lifestyle you live. It's a very realistic approach which I believe sets them apart from the other studio.

So the biggest reason I can give you for putting ourselves through this madness is that both Brandy and I turn the big 3-0 this year. I think we both find that we are in shape right now...roughly the shape of a pear...and we wanted to change that before the party cruise we plan to take next summer.

If you continue to read the blog you'll be sure to read the updates. We'll tell you the truth and it probably won't be pretty. Sometimes it'll be entertaining and sometimes it'll be just plain pathetic. But hopefully you'll have fun joining us on the ride!

Newest Addition to the Cunningham Casa- Clue #1

Okay, everyone- we have had a recent addition to Casa de Cunningham in the past few weeks. Here's a sneak peek...

Our Bounty Harvest... Almost

Lawrence planted a garden this year (just to clarify, in our household we loosely define 'garden' as four tomato plants) and it is almost time to harvest our first tomatos! Thought you'd enjoy a few photos. FYI- Lawrence is SUPER proud of how well the plants are doing (as well he should be) so if you see him or talk to him, you should probably congratulate him on his master gardening skills.

Goals In Motion - Day 2

So needless to say I was waiting for "more time" in my schedule before I posted about our latest personal challenge. But, as any of you who actually read this (seriously does anyone actually read this?) can attest to I don't get around to this thing as much as I should.

Below Brandy spelled out the maddness she experienced yesterday. I totally agree with every word from "Must. Work. On. Core." to drinking more water than I ever thought possible.

So yes, we are taking part in a 9 week fitness challenge. Until I can further explain it go here to read about it: http://www.goalsinmotionfitness.com/. And, be sure to check out people's before and after pictures. Pretty sure you won't get to see ours unless we really get cut!

As for today we did kickboxing. Seriously, who's bright idea was this challenge thing anyway. I kicked and punched my way into oblivion. As usual there were much older, much fitter, and much stronger people in the room. I wasn't the worst but my stamina left something to be desired. (No jokes you jerks!) More on this whole thing coming soon...I promise.

Day 2 coming to a close...and I'm oddly hungry. Good thing I took Pizza Hut off my speed dial or I'd order a cheese stuffed crust mushroom and pepperoni pie right fricken' now.

"Lifestyle Change"

Lawrence and I started a workout program this past weekend. He likes to refer to it as a "lifestyle change", I, on the other hand, refer to it as hell. I'm pretty sure he'll share the specifics with you but it's 1-hour workouts, 6 days a week, for 9 weeks. Oh, and you have a "coach" (I call her the Nazi) with whom you have to share every morsel that you eat each day and every sip of water you take. Not kidding. Every sip. And I only mention water because that's pretty much the only liquid we can have. Goodbye tailgating, see you next year!

Saturday morning was our pre-fitness test which included timed sit-ups, timed push-ups, and a timed mile run. Oh, and if that isn't bad enough you also have to get your pictures taken in your underwear (!) or a swimsuit (double !!) - front, side and rear so they can see your flab in all its glory from every angle. I haven't run a timed mile since high school and for a very good reason. I suck at running. Now, not Lawrence. He kept his nice little pace the entire time, never once stopping to walk or take a break or slow down. He ran a mile in a little over 8 minutes without breaking a sweat and one of the coaches even asked him afterwards "Are you a runner? You looked pretty comfortable out there?" Now, me on the other hand they did not ask that. They didn't ask me anything after I got done (a handful of minutes after Lawrence), but I'm pretty sure they wanted to ask me "Have you had open heart surgery recently? Did you start chain-smoking when you were four? Do we need to call the EMT?" because it wasn't pretty. I was red-faced, sweating, wheezing, and I didn't make it to the half-way point before I had to stop and walk for a minute. WTF? When did I get so out of shape?!? My only redemption is that we did this little jog at noon in Iowa where the humidity was 100% and the temperature was 94 degrees. Lawrence must have been running in his own little world of cool.

This morning at 6:30am was our first "workout". I won't go into the details, mainly because just like with any other traumatic life event I don't want to relive the pain, but here are a few lessons learned/thoughts pondered today:

1. I've completely lost my core. I'm not sure when or where or how, but somehow I've completely lost it. I'm not sure what is holding my bottom half to my top half, but I'm pretty sure it's a lot of what looks like cottage cheese and not a lot of muscle. I cannot do a plank to save my life. My planks look like they have been left out in the elements too long. They are either sagging with my stomach almost rubbing the ground, or I'm confusing the plank with downward dog and my butt sticks up in the air. Must. work. on. core.

2. Speaking of cottage cheese. It is NOT the ideal protein snack to have before working out, particularly at 6am. I was in a rush, at a loss, and panicked. Never. again.

3. In addition to fitting in the workouts and the food journaling into my daily routine, I also now have to fit in about a dozen extra bathroom breaks because with drinking an additional 100 ounces of water a day comes a need to pee. A lot.

4. I must figure out a different way to wash my hair in the morning after workouts because I literally cried in pain this morning from having to life my arm above my shoulder in the shower. Luckily, I was well-hydrated (see point 3).

5. I'm desperately looking for an in-house masseuse that will work for table scraps. They're very healthy table scraps, if that helps. Any takers?

6. And finally, I'm one day closer to being done with this crazy business, although I still don't know how I got talked into it in the first place. Lawrence should get a raise. His sales and negotiating skills have gotten much better. Obviously.

STATUS: 1 workout down, 53 to go.