Total Gym Total Mom

Total Gym XLS Giveaway Starts 10/14/11

October 11, 2011 By Virginia 148 Comments

One of the privileges I have, as the winner of the Total Gym Total Mom Challenge, is to give away a Total Gym XLS. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to play a role in someone else’s total fitness quest!

total gym giveaway

I lost over 60 pounds by following a healthy diet, getting regular cardio exercise, and using my Total Gym XLS (11.5 pounds and 8 inches were lost after I started using the Total Gym XLS).

You can check out my Total Gym Total Mom journey on these posts:

About the Total Gym XLS…

No assembly required! You can literally unbox it, and get started!
Click here to watch how easy it is!
Discover how easy it is to get fit and stay in shape with the Total Gym XLS home gym! The Total Gym XLS comes complete with our total fitness system of workouts and workout tools to take all the guesswork out of getting into shape. With our top of the line model you’ll receive the highest quality home gym with unbeatable savings. Order the Total Gym XLS now for the body you’ve always wanted!
The Total Gym XLS, the newest unit in the Total Gym family, sets the standard for fitness excellence. This total fitness system features:

400 lb weight capacity for total strength and stability

Upgraded comfort system

Upgraded pulley and cable system

Flexible nylon strap handles

Upgraded squat stand

Padded glideboard with head support

Chrome package

Exercise capability – over 80 exercises

Dimensions Unfolded: 19″ W x 90″ L x 43″ H
Dimensions Folded: 19″ W x 51″ L x 9″ H

The Total Gym Giveaway will start here on 10/14/11 at 12:01 a.m.

Filed Under: Fitness, Giveaways, Total Gym Total Mom Tagged With: Fitness, giveaway, sweeps, totalgym, totalmom, win

Posts May Contain Compensated or Affiliate Links All Opinions are My Own

Total Gym Total Mom- Fitness Quest Continues

August 24, 2011 By Virginia 23 Comments

***ETA- Enter the Total Gym XLS Giveaway HERE***

It is hard for me to believe that the Total Gym Total Mom Challenge has come to an end. I feel like I just got started…

Perhaps that is because while the challenge has come to an end, my fitness quest continues! I will be using the Total Gym XLS for a LONG time!

While I didn’t do as well as I had hoped in this challenge (I went from losing 8-10 pounds a month to only 5 pounds a month), I AM going to take a moment to brag on myself… I am the type of person that typically brushes off a compliment because they make me uneasy. However, I am learning the fine art of saying “Thank you” without saying something to negate the compliment. It has taken me a while, but I’ve gone from “Thanks, but I have a long way to go” when someone notices my weight loss, to, “Thank you, it means a lot to me that you noticed.”

That being said, let the bragging begin…

I made it down to 163.5 pounds. I’ve lost 11.5 pounds since I started using my Total Gym XLS, and a total of 61.5 pounds. That is over 25% of weight loss since I started this journey.

I have trimmed 1.3% off my BMI since I got the XLS, for a grand total of 10.2% reduction in my BMI since January.

I’ve chiseled 2.3% off my Body Fat Index since the start of this challenge, and 5% since May. Of course, since the percentage of body fat is going down, and the scale didn’t change as much as I had hoped in the challenge, guess what went up? You guessed it… percentage of body muscle! I was curious, so I started looking at my digital photos from when I first got my EatSmart GoFit scale. The first picture I have with the BFI was a whopping 39.4%. That means I have lost OVER 10% body fat since March!

*doing a little dance*

The first photo I have of the percentage of muscle shows it at 34%. It is now nearly 39%!!! I have added almost 5% of muscle. YEAH BABY!

*doing a little dance*

Here is a peak at all of my measures that I list on My Measurement Tracker…

	01/01	03/03	04/06	05/08	06/14	07/19	08/15
Weight	225	199.8	192	178.8	171	168	163.5
BMI	37.4	33.2	31.9	30	28.5	28	27.2
BFI	*NR	39.4	36.7	33.2	30.5	29.8	28.2
Muscle	*NR	34%	34.4	35.0	35.3	37.1	38.7
Neck	*NR	14.5	14	13.5	13.5	13.5	13.5
RUA	*NR	14.5	12.5	12.25	11.5	11.25	11.25
LUA	*NR	14	12.75	12	11.5	11.25	11.25
R wrist	*NR	6.75	6.5	6.25	6	6	6
L wrist	*NR	6.75	6.5	6.25	6	6	6
Bust	*NR	42	40.5	39.5	38	37.75	37
Bra line	*NR	37.5	35.5	34.5	33.25	33	32.5
Waist	*NR	38.5	37.5	36.5	35	35	33.5
Hips	*NR	46.5	44.5	42.5	40.5	40	39.5
R thigh	*NR	29	27.5	25	24	23	22.5
L thigh	*NR	29	27	25.5	24.25	23.5	23
R calf	*NR	16	16	15.75	15.75	15.75	15.25
L calf	*NR	16	16	15.75	15.75	15.75	15.25

*NR= Not Recorded

That, folks, is a total loss of 48.75 inches since I started this journey, and 8 inches since I started using the Total Gym XLS! WOOT!

As you can see, I added the row for muscle and updated the BFI from my old photos.

I had to get a new workout shirt, because the girls weren’t feeling the support they like from the one I started with.

I started to take the pictures with it on, but realized it blends a bit too much with my shower curtain, and you can’t really see my waistline, so I grabbed my old one to put on for the updated pictures.

Side by side comparison…

I swear, my neck looks smaller to me, but it hasn’t changed size in months! And, yup, I do need new shorts, too. LOL.

Whether or not I won the Total Gym Total Mom Challenge is still up in the air, but I can tell you this…

I WON!

I won a new and improved body, improved health, increased energy, and a better self image. I won a reduced risk of developing chronic health conditions– ones that run strongly in my family! Oh yah, and a husband who has also lost 9 pounds using the Total Gym XLS (told you we would be the Total Couple)!

My husband WON!

He won a wife with a better attitude and the ability to DO more.

My kids WON!

They won a Mommy who can now chase them up and down the block while they ride their bicycles, who can go down ridiculously narrow tunnel slides with them, and can play with them without losing her breath!

Yup, we all WON! And thanks to the Total Gym XLS, our winning has just begun!

Check out the other Total Gym Total Mom winners and give them a round of applause…

Angela of MommyPR
Nina of The One Fantastical
Gina of A Wrestling Addicted Mommy
Emilie of Baby Loving Mama
Zippy of Champagne Living

But, before you visit them, take the Total Gym Challenge and order yours today, you will save 15% off when you do! Not only will you save, you will win, and I am fairly certain you will not regret it!

Oh, and my next challenge? I am going to try to get into a size ten in ten weeks. Think I can do it?

The Total Gym XLS was provided to me to facilitate my participation in the Total Gym Total Mom Challenge through Blog Friendly PR. Over the course of the challenge, I will be sharing my experience with, and opinion of, the equipment. All opinions expressed are my own. The Total Gym links contained within this post will net you a 15% savings off your purchase of a Total Gym, and while they are being tracked, I am not being remunerated for purchases made through them.

Filed Under: Fitness, Total Gym Total Mom Tagged With: totalgym, totalmom, weightloss

Posts May Contain Compensated or Affiliate Links All Opinions are My Own

Total Gym Total Mom- A little inspiration

August 9, 2011 By Virginia 12 Comments

***ETA- Enter the Total Gym XLS Giveaway HERE***

Ever hit that point where you just need a little inspiration? With my knee still giving me fits, I am just bored out of my skull with doing upper body and abdominal exercises. You know how it is… you can’t do one thing, so your brain starts to tell you it isn’t worth it to do what you can, because you are limited in your ability…

So, I thought I would go on the Total Gym Website and look for a little inspiration…

And boy did I ever find inspiration! There is one gent, Shawn, on there that lost 177 pounds! He lost a whole me, plus some! That is just phenomenal.

While Shawn’s story is amazing, the story that I found most helpful was Rebecca Kiritsy’s.

Rebecca and her husband used the Total Gym and she lost 80 pounds and he lost 45 pounds.

I just loved that they lost weight together, just as my husband and I are doing. And Rebecca’s comment in her video, “I didn’t start out seventy pounds overweight, it just creeped up on me…” completely resonated with me.

I didn’t start out overweight.

It just creeped up on me.

da dun da dun da dun da dun dun dun…

And grabbed my will power in a choke hold and and tried to strangle the…

da dun da dun da dun da dun dun dun…

Oh wait.

It lost!

Because Total Gym, together with my husband and lifestyle change, has given ME the upper hand.

Bwah ha ha! Take that, Creeper Fat!

Read more about Rebecca’s weight loss, and watch her video, on the Total Gym Website. You can find other amazing success stories there, as well. I hope to one day have mine on there.

While checking out amazing Total Gym weight loss stories, be sure to check out the other Total Gym Total Mom’s…

Angela of MommyPR
Nina of The One Fantastical
Gina of A Wrestling Addicted Mommy
Emilie of Baby Loving Mama
Zippy of Champagne Living

Don’t forget, if you would like to take the Total Gym Challenge, you can save 15% on your Total Gym XLS here.

Filed Under: Fitness, Total Gym Total Mom Tagged With: totalgym, totalmom, weightloss

Posts May Contain Compensated or Affiliate Links All Opinions are My Own

Total Gym Total Mom- Favorite Exercises

August 2, 2011 By Virginia 1 Comment

***ETA- Enter the Total Gym XLS Giveaway HERE***

I find it hard to believe that five weeks have passed of the Total Gym Total Mom challenge! Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

Having had the Total Gym XLS for a while now, I have come to love some of the exercises, and enjoy the rest.

So, which ones do I love the most? Definitely the oblique twister and the bicep curls.

The oblique twister slims and firms your middle, and lends to the hour glass figure. It also helps with core strength.

total gym oblique twister

I must confess, I love that my waist line is shrinking (I wore a pair of Hubs shorts this week, and they were too big in the waist!), but even more than that, I love that other things are easier because my core strength has improved. My center of balance has improved (I tend to be a left leaner, because of years of right hip pain secondary to radiculopathy). I can do household chores more easily and with less effort… think switching loads of laundry, sweeping, putting away groceries. I can also do more with my kids, like wrestle and lift them up, with less effort.

I love the biceps curl exercises, as well, because that is where I can most readily see the results. My thigh and abdominal muscles are still like the part of the iceberg that is submerged… while I know they are there (since I can feel them), they are still covered in a molten layer of fat. However, because most of the fat has been burned off of my arms, my mamaguns are like the tip of the iceberg. They stand proud even when I don’t have my arms flexed, and announce that there is much more beneath the surface. With my arms relaxed, I can see that they have changed shape, which is encouraging. Whether doing seated bicep curls, toe touch bicep curls, or leg curls with biceps curls, I really enjoy this exercise. I FEEL stronger when I do the bicep curls. My favorite of the biceps curls exercises is the toe touch bicep curls because I can stretch, strengthen, and tone in one smooth exercise.

total gym

The Total Gym truly is the ONE machine that does it ALL.

My favorite routine looks like this:

Toe touch row
Toe touch bicep curls
Toe touch upright row
Oblique twisters- left
Chest press
Oblique twisters- right

I have worked up to three sets of fifteen reps each, and at an incline of three. I started at three sets of ten reps each, at an incline of two or less (the chest presses where at a incline of one to start with). So, my strength has certainly improved!

My area of most improvement, I think, is my body fat index. My body fat percentage is down to 28.7! When I started the Total Gym Total Mom challenge, my BFI was 30.5! That is nearly a two percent fat reduction since June 14th! And while my weight has not gone down as much as I had hoped (the scale seems to be stuck, I think I may need a new one… bwah ha ha), I know that since the weight number isn’t changing, the percentage of body muscle is going up! Which is just a whole serving of awesomesauce.

I can’t wait to finish out this challenge, and see who wins the challenge. In my opinion, though, all six of us are winners! Why not check in with the other ladies, to see how they are doing! And be sure to leave them some comment love when you do!

Angela of MommyPR
Nina of The One Fantastical
Gina of A Wrestling Addicted Mommy
Emilie of Baby Loving Mama
Zippy of Champagne Living

You can also follow our progress on Twitter by following the hash tag #totalmom

But, before you visit them, why not make up your mind to take the Total Gym Challenge and order yours today, you will save 15% off when you do!

Filed Under: Fitness, Total Gym Total Mom Tagged With: Fitness, gettingfit, totalgym, totalmom, weightloss

Posts May Contain Compensated or Affiliate Links All Opinions are My Own

Total Gym Total Mom Update

July 19, 2011 By Virginia 6 Comments

***ETA- Enter the Total Gym XLS Giveaway HERE***

Well, it’s been a minute since I posted an update about my Total Gym XLS. Please forgive me, things have been CRAZY busy around here! We went out of town for Independence Day, then we had a family reunion with family in from at least four states, and then my niece asked me for help with printing her wedding invitations… yup, CRAZY busy.

SO, what’s up with my Total Gym? Judging from the “oh my wow’s” and “Dang, you look great’s” I got at the family reunion, my Total Gym XLS rocks pretty hard!

Here is a side by side photo comparison of what I looked like at the 2010 Family Reunion (photo on left) and the 2011 Family Reunion (photo on right).

Yup, I’ve changed a little! And yes, that is the same shirt. LOL.

While my Total Gym XLS totally rocks, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to rock IT for about a week now. In an UNRELATED event, I sustained a left knee injury (acute tendonitis) and was ordered to “take it easy.” The doctor specifically told me “no elliptical, and NO lower body exercises until it heals.”

Bummer, dude!

So, it’s been upper body exercises only for me.

Fortunately, there are plenty of exercises that I can sit on the board for, like the toe touch biceps curl (gotta keep my mamaguns in shape), the toe touch row, upright row, and the oblique twist. I haven’t been able to use the AbCrunch attachment, as I can’t stand to kneel on my knee right now, but the oblique twists and the lying crunches are just as challenging, so I can still work my abs.

Hubs continues to rock the Total Gym XLS like nobodies business. On the weekend of the family reunion, we picked up some weights off of Craig’s List, and Hubs has been loving the added challenge of using the weights on the Total Gym.

He is currently adding four of the five pound discs to the gym, for a total of twenty pounds additional resistance. We also have twenty five pound discs and fifty pound discs.

I love that we can add resistance to the Total Gym XLS, so that Hubs can continue to use it. I do, however, wish that the placement of the weight bar holes were a little higher. I am not sure if we will be able to use the fifty pound discs with the Total Gym XLS, as the place for the weight bar is low on the board, close to the foot stand, and the fifty pound discs are rather large in circumference. Of course, since he uses it at an incline of 5 or 6, that may not even matter. We will see.

Total Gym XLS is so versatile, and I can see us using it for years to come. As I mentioned in another post, the only other thing I would change is I would add deck cards for the AbCrunch attachment.

Take the Total Gym Challenge