Biggest Loser: Anniversary Edition

My boyfriend Jared and I have become quite motivated recently to lose weight and get in shape, and just improving our overall health. I’m not grossly overweight, but I AM in the overweight category, and I can tell that just this little bit (plus being out of shape) has affected me health-wise. Jared is worse… he has all the symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and I didn’t notice them our first year together (when he was about 30+ pounds lighter). As he has been gaining weight over the past couple years, it has become so bad it actually affects *my* sleep (and I’m a heavy sleeper)… among other things. I told him that something has to be done soon, not just for his sake but mine too. So he began getting his butt up super early in the morning to do P90X with one of his work buddies before his shift starts. He does it 4 times a week… and I’m VERY proud of him, because he has been keeping it up for 2 weeks now!

As for me, I noticed that I had less energy, my joints bothered me a bit, and I felt “jiggly”. Ick. So I started working out and paying attention to what I eat about a month ago. I’ve only had subtle changes so far, but any changes in the right direction are good. My pants are a little looser and I have a LOT more energy. I usually wake up with our 9 month old daughter Hayley in the morning, around 6:30am or so, and when she goes down for her morning nap, I go down too! But ever since I began working out, I almost never need a nap. Unless I didn’t get at least 6 hours the night before… then I may take a 30-45 minute snooze. Otherwise, I’ve actually had the energy to not only stay awake, but to work out and clean up the house. Not complaining. Basically I've been doing a little bit of everything... Hip Hop Abs, Turbo Jam, P90X, Jason Yun's Online Fitness Bootcamps, and using equipment my employer provides at the in-house gym. Keeps me on my toes and keeps me from getting tired of the same routine. Plus I can do more than one workout a day if I want to! :-)

Anyway, Jared and I decided to step it up a notch when it comes to motivating each other. From August 1st until October 7th (the day before our 3rd anniversary), we will be competing to see who can lose the most pounds/inches. Whoever wins gets to pick the restaurant we are going to celebrate at. The loser has to pay for the meal. Jared is already thinking he is going to win because men lose weight easier than women (supposedly). BUT, inches count too. The winner will be determined by the best overall weight loss average. If it’s close, we may have people vote on our before/after pics.

And here we go… may the best man/woman win! :-)