Fitness Chalenge Week 2

With a lot of work, maybe these abs can be mine!

It's week 2 of my fitness challenge and so far, so good. In the past week I went to a stretching class, Pilates class and yoga class at Equinox. (The stretching class was a little lame.) I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy working out. Not only am I starting to see small changes on my body, I feel so much more open--meaning not tight when I bend down to pick something up or get out of my chair after sitting for a few hours. As another bonus, I'm starting to feel a little bit friskier (though that may be a result of see Priscilla Queen of the Desert!).

With about 2 weeks to go before Miami, crunch time is on. Here are my goals between now and then:

• No desserts or candy, fruit is OK. (One exception: I'm headed to tea at the Plaza on Friday.)
• Continue to cut back on crackers, white rice and bread.
• Amp up my cardio. My specific goal is to get to a point where I can run fast enough that my pup actually has to jog to keep up. As it is now, my jog equals his fast walk.
• Continue to make it to the gym at least 3x per week. 

Check back to see how I'm doing. And don't forget to vote on which dress I should wear in Miami from Rent the Runway!

Read week one of the fitness challenge.

The Liquid Strength Six Week Challenge

That's me! After 3 weeks at the gym, I'm starting to see the tiniest hint of definition in my arms.

After years of not belonging to a gym, I finally rejoined Equinox to start getting my butt in shape. My goal is to tone up my flabby arms and actually see muscle definition in my thighs again. At the very start of my quest to get in shape, I stopped by Story Von Holzhausen's Liquid Strength Class.

Story is a busy new mom who created the class for women who want to get in shape fast--fast because they don't have time to fool around. (You can check out her exercise videos on YouTube.) By the end of the class, not only were my butt muscles burning, I was so inspired by Story's positive attitude, I found myself signing up for her 6-Week Challenge, without even really knowing what was involved. I just know I want to be in shape for our trip to Miami on April 8 and Story seemed like just the woman to get me there. 

The 6-Week Challenge kicked off on Monday with three days of clean eating, meaning no processed foods (crackers, cookies), grains, dairy, booze or excess sugar. I'm personally committing to going to the gym 3 times a week (for Story's class, Pilates, and body conditioning classes).

Check back in weekly to hear my progress. For more specifics on the Challenge and Liquid Strength, check out Story's blog.