Belly-Fat... Again.

I figured out why I haven't been gung-ho about working on my "6-pack" - it's the constant up and down off the floor and the ratio of head above heart vs. head below heart thing... Finishing Level 1 is like getting off one of those corkscrew roller coasters after a day of being thrown around.  Sunday I crunched those abs and afterwards I didn't feel better - just sick.  My head was scrambled.  A little bird told me though that Level 2 (although obviously more difficult) is a standing routine.  Maybe I should just crunch forward to that?  All I know is that this belly is never going to fix itself.

On a positive note, my running buddy and I have decided to do short runs 3 early mornings a week.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday are early mornings - we meet at 6:30 and do about 2 miles.  So far, so good!  I foresee some long runs in these next few weeks too!  So, my thought for the day is this:  At what point does running have an effect on belly-fat?  or does it?  Is it running consistently that shows the greatest results or is distance important too?  Also, I'm open to any ab-routine that is intense, quick and that I can do on my living room floor.  I've just got to choose either up or down - a mix plays tricks on my inner ear.

Relay for Life Fluvanna 5k

Yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in the Relay for Life Fluvanna 5k.  Following my usual pattern, after the 10-Miler I kind of fell off the wagon with distance running and have mainly been maintaining around 3 miles a couple times a week (if that).  Aside from raising money for a great cause, the race proved difficult.  There were many steady inclines, the sun was out in all it's glory and it occurred to me that I was a bit out of shape!  I didn't wear a hat (boo) either.  Eek.  I even dared myself to get on the scale today - something that could have been tragic, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been provided that bread and wine have been my vices lately!  In keeping with my 5 days out of 7 rule for the summer, today is a Jillian day.  My abs aren't sore anymore and that to me is an indication that I need to do it.

Another affair...

Well, it's another year gone since I started this blog, and six months since I last posted.   Recently I decided to get back together with Jillian.  This time with the 6-Week 6-Pack.  Whether the 6-pack will happen I don't know, nor do I really care, but if it's one thing that turning 30 does to a woman's body, it's putting on chub around the midsection.  From last summer's 30-Day Shred, I know that a Jillian Michaels video gets results, so long as you stick to the program.  

I started the day before yesterday with level 1.  This video works a bit differently as there are only 2 levels and the workout is pretty basic - do the routine slowly for the first 20 mins then do it all over again at half the speed.    It's not easy, but then again it's Jillian Michaels.  If I wanted easy, I would go back to The Firm's "Wave" which was fun, but offered results at a glacial pace.  Oh, and another thing - working out first thing in the morning is HARD - 6am is very early.  

As far as this years health history goes, I've lost 15 pounds since last summer, kept them off, and toned up quite a bit - particularly my legs.  But then again a steady regimen of running longer distances will do that.  So, my goal for this summer (if I can actually get up the motivation after this very difficult year of school), is to continue running and add in my time with Jillian.  At this point I am aiming to workout every 5 out of 7 days.

Maybe by this time next year I will have lost another 15 pounds.