Sweatsuit to Swimsuit Bootcamp Challenge: Week 3/4/and Beyond!

I didn't quit the last two weeks of bootcamp, I just didn't have the time to post about them. This past Saturday was the final day! I went all four weeks!

Exercise has officially become a habit, which is what I was hoping would happen by the end of the bootcamp. I'm going to keep sticking to the cardio for five days a week plan, since that's what I'm used to. It seems to be working for me, and it's nice to have a couple of days off. I've found myself actually wanting to do something on the two days off even if it's just a walk for 20 minutes.

This past week I replaced the last week of strength videos on the bootcamp with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred video. Holy hell, that thing kicks some serious butt (mine) in 20 minutes. I started doing it every other day last week b/c it involves some light weights, but this week I'm going to do it M-F for the month of June. There are three different levels, so I'll do each one for 10 days, and we'll see what happens. I'm doing cardio in addition to this, and have boosted my daily goals from 30 minutes to 45 minutes, since I was going longer anyway.

I also started a bollywood dance class this past Monday. Money depends on whether or not I'll be able to keep it up (my friend and I are thinking of doing a hip hop class...FUN!), but I had a pretty good time on Monday. I've found that while I've been running lately, that I mostly just want to start dancing in the middle of the sidewalk to my music. While it's motivating to make me run faster/longer, I needed something to get out the dancing bug. So, I went to a zumba class this morning for the first time. I don't know if you've ever taken one of those classes, but they don't mess around. I had a pretty good time, burned a good chunk of calories, and avoided looking at myself in the mirrored walls as much as possible. It was certainly reaffirming that I am a total spazz when it comes to dancing, and I am in no way graceful. Maybe it was the tennis shoes... However, I did find myself smiling a few times during the class, and really enjoyed it.

I won't say these are the "final results" of the bootcamp, but here is my progress so far, b/c I'm going to keep going!

Inches Shed:
Waist: 1.5 inches
Hips: 1.5 inches
Bust: 2 inches
Neck: 1 inch
Total: 6 inches!

I've noticed that my clothes are fitting better, and I'm feeling a lot better in general. Having lots of energy is also a plus, and its become a relaxing part of my day during my workouts even though they're intense. I didn't lose a single pound(maybe 2 or 3, but it's hard to say, my scale is wacky), so I know I'm replacing fat with muscle, which is awesome. I've pretty much given up on even looking at the scale, and I've just stuck to measuring myself every week or two. It's a lot more satisfying to see that inches are gone rather than pounds anyway. The biggest reward of the past four weeks was trying on a dress I bought back in January (it was on sale for $12 from Target. Okay, I should say "they" since I bought two in different colors), which has an envelope back...

...even though I had ordered it in my size, I couldn't button that pesky button in the back b/c the dress ran a little small. Well, NOW I can button it, and it fits perfectly! Hooray!

And, as for before/after photos, I have them, but I'm not posting them b/c the before pictures are somewhat horrifying. However, I can see a pretty major difference just in the past 4 or 5 weeks, and I'm getting a more defined waist (and bootay if I'm being honest), which is motivating me to keep going! I'm excited to see the difference in the next four weeks!