Eliminating the Unnecessary: Weight Loss-Just breaking the ice

Thanks to Pinterest, I have been able to find lots and lots of quotes to keep me motivating toward working out. And not just quotes, pictures.  I mean, looking at a 100 lbs girl in her bathing suit will motivate you. At least it motivates me. I don’t want to be the one standing next to her–in my bathing suit. And you don’t want that either.

One of my favorite quotes so far has been this one:

It has been two weeks of regularly working out at the gym and I feel no different. I haven’t lost a pound, but I guess my doctor’s theory could be right–I’m not going to lose any weight, just live healthier. That’s what I’m trying to do.

My husband claims that he can see a difference. He said my butt and legs look a lot tighter, which actually makes sense. A shoulder injury has sidelined me from any Zumba (and most activities that require punching, lifting my arms over my head, etc) and I’m also not allowed to lift any weights or work out my arms until I’m done with physical therapy in several weeks. So all of my gym work-outs have involved my lower body.

I usually plan to spend about an hour at the gym. I start with the leg machines. I do three sets of 15 reps on every leg machine I can find. Then I get a mat and do some sit-ups and crunches. Once I get through that, I head over to the treadmill of the bikes. I try to do 20 minutes of cardio work. I usually do a steady incline at a decent speed. I try to keep my heart rate above 140 bpm.

This gives me a pretty good work out. I have no idea how to calculate exactly how many calories I burn, but I figured if i hurt the next day, it was a good work out.

So what is your gym routine?