I've gotten up at the crack-o-dawn now for a whopping two weeks! I have to say...I'm a little proud of myself. It hasn't been easy, but I'm doing it. I did sleep in one morning over the two weeks after my daughter woke me up in the middle of the night to cuddle after a bad dream....I decided I needed the extra hour of sleep and then regretted it the rest of the day.
To stay positive, here are some things I like about the 5am workout...
1. The first hour of the day is the one I give myself. I've put on my own oxygen mask before putting on others.
2. I get to wear makeup and jeans. Because I shower and change in the morning, I'm not walking around in my workout gear with a stark face until my workout time.
3. I eat better. If I'm getting my hiney out of bed at 4:30, I'm not about to sabotage what I've done with junk or large portions.
4. It takes less to achieve more. Because I haven't eaten prior to exercising, my blood sugar is low and my workout is more productive at increasing my metabolism throughout the morning and the rest of the day.
5. The gym crowd is different. The crowd is older, dedicated, focused, and consistent. This is especially true now that the New Year's Resolutioners are trailing off.
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
I've Done The Unthinkable
Many of you know that I swam for years competitively. It was the only sport in which I was any good, and thank goodness I found it at age 10...after I'd already realized I was a slow runner, had no hand-eye coordination, and my body dances as if I'm having convulsions. I'd love to have been that pretty ballerina. Nope.
So, swimming it was. One of the benefits, or drawbacks, to swimming is the amount of time spent practicing the craft in the wee hours of the morning. Seriously...crack-of-dawn...still-asleep-when-doing-flip-turns...5:30 am workouts three times weekly...year after year after year.
I swore off morning practices, and early morning exercise-sessions in general for years. So, last week when I found myself setting my alarm so that I could begin working out in the wee-hours, I thought I must've gone mad.
This semester is gonna be a little crazy, but that's okay. It's not forever, and it is manageable. However, my priorities, organizational skills, and study habits are coming to the forefront. I'm not willing to give up exercising, and I'm not going to have time to do it during the day. I'm not willing to sacrifice my evening family time or study sessions to exercise, so I'm getting up at 4:30 each weekday and joining the die-hards in the gym at 5. This past week was my first week, and I must say that I've gotta talk myself into it each morning when my alarm goes off, but it feels really good when it's done and I've showered, put on makeup & clothes, and am greeting the sunrise with a hot cup-o-joe. I finally feel as dedicated as my best friend who has had this workout schedule since we were 14 and on the swim team together....even if this is my schedule only for the next 4 months. It helps that I belong to an accountability group of women led by my P90X coach, Rhonda. I could also use your support, as well, because getting up that early is very difficult for me to do.
I wanna thank all of you who have voted for my hubby. If you still wanna vote, go here. I'm super-thankful. I hope that all your New Years workouts are coming along fantastic and you are making dents in your 2012 goals.
So, swimming it was. One of the benefits, or drawbacks, to swimming is the amount of time spent practicing the craft in the wee hours of the morning. Seriously...crack-of-dawn...still-asleep-when-doing-flip-turns...5:30 am workouts three times weekly...year after year after year.
I swore off morning practices, and early morning exercise-sessions in general for years. So, last week when I found myself setting my alarm so that I could begin working out in the wee-hours, I thought I must've gone mad.
This semester is gonna be a little crazy, but that's okay. It's not forever, and it is manageable. However, my priorities, organizational skills, and study habits are coming to the forefront. I'm not willing to give up exercising, and I'm not going to have time to do it during the day. I'm not willing to sacrifice my evening family time or study sessions to exercise, so I'm getting up at 4:30 each weekday and joining the die-hards in the gym at 5. This past week was my first week, and I must say that I've gotta talk myself into it each morning when my alarm goes off, but it feels really good when it's done and I've showered, put on makeup & clothes, and am greeting the sunrise with a hot cup-o-joe. I finally feel as dedicated as my best friend who has had this workout schedule since we were 14 and on the swim team together....even if this is my schedule only for the next 4 months. It helps that I belong to an accountability group of women led by my P90X coach, Rhonda. I could also use your support, as well, because getting up that early is very difficult for me to do.
I wanna thank all of you who have voted for my hubby. If you still wanna vote, go here. I'm super-thankful. I hope that all your New Years workouts are coming along fantastic and you are making dents in your 2012 goals.
Allowing Ourselves The Journey
So often, we look at Before & After Shots of people who have lost magnitudes of weight as they smile from the cover of People Magazine while we're in the checkout line. "Without surgery....I lost 110 pounds in a year and a half!!"
That's AWESOME, but what we don't see is the journey. Snap on "The Biggest Loser", and you'll know what I'm talking about.
In the beginning, there's shame. There's addiction. There is using food to cope with feelings of insecurity or loss. There is heavy, labored breathing when we climb a flight of stairs, acid reflux, and poor sleep. There's heart palpations, a feeling of anxiety in the pit of our stomach when it's time to shop for clothes, and refusal to wear a swimsuit.
As difficult as the beginning is, the middle is harder.
The middle is LONG. We have emotional moments on the treadmill. All of the reasons why we should finish the workout go to war with all the desires about why we shouldn't. We can get lost, forgetting why we're making a commitment to our health. We can get sidestepped when we see doughnuts or get in a fight with someone and search out a brownie. The middle is where we go awry.
As you probably guessed, there is no end. There is never a day that we stop investing in health. If we do, we go right back to where we started. If we have emotional issues with food, we should consider seeing a counselor to address those underlying problems of our food addiction. We learn to make the gym part of our daily self-care regimen, like brushing our teeth. We learn to make different nutritional choices, educating ourselves properly. And, we don't stop. The key to health is consistency.
Our journey is never alone. We have fitness professionals who invest time, energy, and soul into us. They often understand us because they once stood in our shoes. Our journey is never easy, it is never cheap, it is never quick. Losing the weight properly often takes years, going for a quick fix never works because we didn't fix what was broken to begin with. Eating healthy is expensive. It requires reprogramming our relationship with food, and that takes time and confronting our demons. It requires that we change our environment, choosing no longer to belong to a food culture and instead to find a new healthy community, the same way that an addict has to change their previous environment when they get out of rehab.
Exercise is not easy. I was a collegiate scholarship swimmer and I've done some of the most difficult exercise programs known, yet I always get sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and a tingling sensation all over when I walk into the gym or jump into a swimming pool....fear combined with excitement. We know what we're about to do to ourselves, and it's normal to get a little scared. We're about to put stress on our bodies and push them to the point where they cannot be pushed any more.
I want to share with you my journey, and I encourage you to share yours. Know that although the middle is long, we're in it together. Allow yourself the journey. Know that some things really do get better with time.
September 2008
December 2008
March 2009 (left), April 2009 (rt)
October 2009 on a hike.
I started learning that I could go on a walk with a
friend or as a date instead of out to eat. I had already
begun to change the way I view
exercise and togetherness.
October 2009 (left), Christmas Eve 2009 (right)
Not only did my body change, but my hair and skin both
began undergoing serious rejuvenation. My eyes brightened,
my smile widened.
Christmas Morning 2009 - I was elated when I was given this
pair of running shoes that were expensive. They were the best gift.
Christmas 2010 - I had just finished my first round of P90X.
Thank you, Tony Horton.
March 2011 on a hike with our children, my husband, and my mother in law.
November 2011
Tracy Anderson Method Review
In a nutshell, I found many pro's and con's to Tracy's method. I didn't order a DVD, in fact I didn't invest a dime....I found Tracy's webinars uploaded for free on YouTube, and was able to use this info entirely for free. BAM!! I now understand why the reviews are mixed. Below, you'll find a description of my findings.
The Jist:
* 30-45 Minutes of Cardio per day - "Dance Aerobics"
* 10 Minutes of Abs - "Standing Abs" and "Lying Abs"
* 10-12 Minutes of Arms
* 16-20 Minutes of Butt/ Thighs
The Routine:
I love cardio. I don't really like the butt/thighs. I do the butt/thighs first. This makes for punishment...then...reward. Some people are just the opposite. If you're going to do this method, do what you hate first, what you love last. The routine I followed was: warm-up, stretch, butt-thighs, arms, abs, cardio.
Arms, Butt-Thighs:
Tracy believes in using "accessory muscles". What this means is that the biceps and triceps (for arms), quads and hamstrings (for legs) never become mesomorphic (meaning that they don't grow to exponential "man-ly" sizes). Her method is to exhaust large muscle groups first, then utilize accessory muscles that lift and rotate the limb to sometimes-uncomfortable or awkward positions. She utilizes one's own body weight. This is nothing new....if you've done your yoga, you realize that lifting your own body weight can really be difficult, and can result in toning and elongation of muscle structure.
Abs
The ab-workouts are more along the lines of female version of "Shaun-T". I felt like a dancer. Much of the ab workout is standing, meaning that one shifts from side-to-side while keeping hips stationary. The lying abs are mostly with straight legs versus a bent-leg.
Dance-Cardio
Is she genious? This is retro to those of us who are are now in our 30's. She kinda-reaches the pole-dancer / feminine woman inside of all of us. Really, this is only a throw-back to the 80/90s - pre step-aerobics (and step-aerobics are now pretty old-fashioned, although I LOVE them). Basically, you memorize a routine. You put it to a song/songs that are 130 BMP or so, and you do this for about 30-45 minutes. You perform. The muscles are hit from all different angles versus a repetitive angle, and it's kinda FUN. There are multiple routines uploaded onto Youtube by her, just do a search for "Tracy Anderson Cardio Breakdown". This is WAY MORE FUN than running for 30 minutes, and really does hit the muscle from various angles. I can see how the theory works as far as it limiting a mesomorphic structure.
The Diet
I won't be following her diet strategy.
Her diets have modified tremendously from her earliest workout routines and/or materials made public until now. However, it's basically low-carb, low-fat. There are multiple nutrients missed, and my primary concern is with metabolismic changes (when the caloric intake drops too low, the body shifts the metabolism into survival-mode to preserve caloric expenditure). I would also be concerned with electrolyte imbalances. I believe in a 1200-1500 daily caloric intake that is high in fiber, water, fruits/veggies, and lean proteins. I believe that the most healthy diet is a vegan diet (although I'm not a vegan nor a vegetarian), and the best sources of nutrition for our bodies come in the form of nuts, beans, fruits, and veggies. The initial diet she put forth is most equated to a starvation-diet (700-1000 calories).
The Opinion
I would absolutely follow her workout routine for some fun change-up to the norm. I do believe that if I were to do her routines for 90 days, I'd probably get the results that she promises with longer and learner muscles due to utilization of multiple accessory muscles. When it comes to the diet, I believe the P90X/Insanity/Beachbody approach is much more gentle and less toxic to the system, and considerably more sustainable. It may take longer to lose the weight with their approach, but I believe that it's a much healthier approach.
If you're interested in ordering her material, her website is here. Also, this is a fun link for a video with her and Kelly Ripa.
Day Six: Move Your Butt
Running, hiking, jogging, yoga, weight lifting, kick boxing, stairmaster, pilates, bicycling, walking, cross fit training, swimming, step aerobics, skateboarding, ripstick riding, skydiving, base jumping, paragliding, snorkeling, scuba diving, strip tease dancing....if there are 50 ways to leave your lover, then there are at least 150 ways to get in shape.
Exercise gives us cardiovascular fitness (our heart, lungs, & circulation), improved strength (muscle), bone density, and flexibility. It is important that we educate ourselves on how to exercise properly when beginning a fitness routine. Depending on your fitness goals, all exercise programs are not equal. I'd like to think that some exercise is better than none at all. However, if you can carry on a 15 minute conversation on your cell phone while on the treadmill, then you probably need to kick it up a notch.
The best hour of my day is the one that I spend on myself. I used to feel guilty about this, but I don't anymore. You're not a bad mother, wife, or employee if you love to go out for a run all alone with nothing but the road, the music in your ears, and the feel of your heart pumping. That time daily is essential, like a battery getting re-charged. Here's the thing...if you've only got one hour, why not make it count? Why not sweat like a pig, feel the fat melt away, and make your muscles so tired that they are sore?
I challenge you to try a new exercise, one that you may be afraid of or have always wanted to do. I challenge you to kick up your workout a notch or two...sweat more, work harder, get that heart rate up, increase the intensity.
Your body will thank you for it.
CDC Report
Source: msn.com on 10/22/2010...Article by Amanda Chan
In the United States, 1 in 3 people will have Type 2 diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The projections, released today, are alarming to U.S. health officials, who say the numbers highlight the need for interventions to keep the number of new cases from climbing.
Currently, 1 in 10 Americans has Type 2 diabetes. But if new cases develop as projected, its prevalence could double or triple over the next 40 years, said Ann Albright, director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC.
"We can't have that, it's unsustainable," Albright told MyHealthNewsDaily.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and is triggered by a combination of unchangeable factors, such as family history and race, and controllable factors, such as obesity and inactivity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
..It's also the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2007 data, and is the leading cause of leg and foot amputations, kidney failure and new cases of blindness in adults under age 75, according to the CDC.
The costs of diabetes add up to about $174 billion a year, the CDC said.
My thoughts...tax the hell out of fast foods at restaurants and unhealthy foods found at grocery stores (like we do cigarrettes and alcohol). Use that income to subsidize healthy foods, gym memberships, and the inevitable healthcare costs that these individuals will incur.
In the United States, 1 in 3 people will have Type 2 diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The projections, released today, are alarming to U.S. health officials, who say the numbers highlight the need for interventions to keep the number of new cases from climbing.
Currently, 1 in 10 Americans has Type 2 diabetes. But if new cases develop as projected, its prevalence could double or triple over the next 40 years, said Ann Albright, director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC.
"We can't have that, it's unsustainable," Albright told MyHealthNewsDaily.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and is triggered by a combination of unchangeable factors, such as family history and race, and controllable factors, such as obesity and inactivity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
..It's also the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2007 data, and is the leading cause of leg and foot amputations, kidney failure and new cases of blindness in adults under age 75, according to the CDC.
The costs of diabetes add up to about $174 billion a year, the CDC said.
My thoughts...tax the hell out of fast foods at restaurants and unhealthy foods found at grocery stores (like we do cigarrettes and alcohol). Use that income to subsidize healthy foods, gym memberships, and the inevitable healthcare costs that these individuals will incur.
Spark
Did you know that the more educated one is, the more likely they are to exercise.....or the more one exercises, the smarter they tend to be. Yep, actual statistics.This book explains why. It talks about the biochemistry that occurs within the brain: the neurotransmitters, the gas exchange, everything that occurs that causes our brains and bodies to benefit from physical activity and nutrition. It also talks about why these things are so important for our children, citing scientific studies.
Fascinating.
..."It was already known that exercise increases levels of seratonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine - important neurotransmitters that traffic in thoughts & emotions. You've probably heard of seratonin, & maybe you know that a lack of it is associated with depression....most don't know that toxic levels of stress erode the connections between the billions of nerve cells in the brain or that chronic depression shrinks certain areas of the brain. Conversely, exercise unleashes a cascade of neurochemicals and growth factors that can reverse this process, physically bolstering the brain's infrastructure. In fact, the brain responds like the muscles do, growing with use, withering with inactivity. Neurons in the brain connect to one another through "leaves" on treelike branches, exercise causes those branches to grow and bloom with new buds, enhancing brain function."
Highly recommend. Many thanks to the friend who recommended the book to me.
This Is Why You're Fat
Jackie Warner is one of my fitness heros. Many of the principles that I apply & incorporate in blogs come straight from her. Her focus is on balance, nutrition that supports the body, and exercising to intensity. She has a new book out, with her same trademark straight-talk called This Is Why You're Fat. An excerpt is below, and it's available on Amazon.com. I highly recommend....
"We are a nation of sick, unhealthy people wasting away & mutating into sad, fat, & lethargic people, just getting fatter & sadder by the second. We are an out-of-control nation with out-of-control waistlines. I have noticed that a mass panic is setting in. I see it every day in the faces of people and desperate emails from around the country. So many people are tired, always dragging, and feeling exhausted. Many are a walking medicine chest, dependent on pills to control everything from high blood pressure to sleep deprivation, and are chronically fatigued and depressed. Others can't climb a flight of stairs or walk a block without gasping for air. Millions of people are alive, but hardly living.
I realize you care mostly about getting thin, not about cholesterol levels. But who wants to be sick, tired, and depressed when you don't have to be? Bagfuls of doughnuts or chips are not worth lessening the quality of your life or shortening it.
The effects of poor nutrition and lack of exercise not only are visible on the outside, but will wipe you out on the inside. It's time to take responsibility and treat your body as the greatest gift you have. It is your calling card to life, and through its energy, you can shine as the person you were always meant to be. The foods you'll learn to eat here and the exercise you'll do will help transform your life in every way."
Day Fifty-Nine: Keeping It Real
Are you keeping it real?
I've been looking at everyone's blogs, at it seems as though many of you are. One person tried body pump & yoga for the first time, another had her whole family run the Cowtown 5k, and amazing Megan Rencher still has her awesome blog going...www.personalchallengefitness.blogspot.com. I've been swimming three times a week this semester, & have been enjoying the variety. I forgot how hungry it makes me, though. With consuming extra calories, I have to be wise about what I eat. Fruit & nuts are always in my book bag, along with my water bottle.
I've been looking at everyone's blogs, at it seems as though many of you are. One person tried body pump & yoga for the first time, another had her whole family run the Cowtown 5k, and amazing Megan Rencher still has her awesome blog going...www.personalchallengefitness.blogspot.com. I've been swimming three times a week this semester, & have been enjoying the variety. I forgot how hungry it makes me, though. With consuming extra calories, I have to be wise about what I eat. Fruit & nuts are always in my book bag, along with my water bottle.We're almost to spring break, & our courseload this semester has caused a lot of studying around our household as of late. Kimber started school & she's loving it. We think that both Jet & Kimber will be doing Spring Break camp from 8:30-11:30 each day M-F during the spring break week. That will give them a chance to be kids & us a chance to spend some time together. I've also got a Psychobiology exam the Monday we come back from Spring Break, so I can't have too much fun!
Jet & Kimber have been enjoying the zoo, the park, & spending time with extended family when we're not too busy with school & our responsibilities. Here's a photo of Jet with the Sea Lion & Kimber with Grandpops.
Day Fourty-Five: Every Day, One Day At A Time
I saw the movie, Julie and Julia several weeks ago. The idea is that Julie is cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook one meal at a time, one day at a time...365 days and over 400 recipes. She has a bad day at work, but it all seems to be made right when she combines egg yolks, sugar and butter with cocoa and condensed milk.There's something to be said for that.
When we do something every day one day at a time, there is a certain sense of calmness in the predictable. This is especially true when the predictable is something we enjoy, something that is selfish even if others reap the benefits, and something in which we take solace. I feel the same way when I put my iPod & sports bra on or when I climb into my swimsuit & pull my goggles down over my eyes. There's just something about it that cannot be put into words.
Today is day 45, half-way to day 90. And, today is the last post I'll be doing for the 2010 Nutrition & Fitness blog for New Year's Resolutioners.
All of the material is here. Now, it's just taking it day-by-day, every day, one day at a time. You've got all of the information you need about nutrition, water, sleep, exercise, and balance - the 5 basics to losing weight and getting healthy. The first 30 days included all of the basics. The last 15 days focused more on the "why" behind weight gain and emotional eating. I also included more advanced material on vegetarianism, veganism, social eating, junk food & factory farming, and raw food fasting. There's also fitness & nutrition tips from the experts. My advice is for the next 45 days, repeat the posts in order until you've done them each twice.
The steps, as I found them of importance in my journey...in order:
#1) Stop doing the bad, start doing the good. Break the cycle. Eat right, drink water, sleep well, balance, learn how to feel human without bingeing or emotional eating.
#2) Get your needs met. Learn how to be selfish and why it's important. Learn that its okay, no matter how guilty you might feel at first. It will come to feel natural in time.
#3) Understand the science behind what you're doing and why. Educate yourself on what you should eat & why you should eat it. Understanding the science helps you to avoid fad dieting & horrible pitfalls.
#4) Take a deep, introspective look inside yourself to find out why you eat bad food, why you eat emotionally (if you do), what the triggers are, & how you can refocus, journal, and love yourself enough to make different choices.
#5) Quit vices that are bad for you. Tobacco, excessive drinking, and illegal drugs should have no place in your life.
#6) Learn how to forgive yourself & hold yourself accountable.
#7) Grow your network of people with the same goals. Ask them to go run with you, take new classes, learn new things. Surround yourself with people with whom you've got nutrition & fitness in common to stay in the right frame of mind.
#8) Understand it's okay to be afraid of success. Learn how to walk on the bridge.
#9) Be a real woman in a fake world. Encourage other women, let them know that they are worth it. Be direct, straight talk. Understand that we all have fears, insecurities, wants, & desires. We all need a sense of balance, even if what that balance means is different for every one of us. Refuse to play games.
#10) Turn every negative into a positive. Be thankful that you hit rock bottom, for if it wasn't for that, you wouldn't be determined. Love your body for bearing children, be thankful for your acid reflux, take every single insecurity and find something about it that you're thankful for. This is what takes us from a place of denial to a place of acceptance and gratitude. For, until we are in a place of acceptance, we are not yet growing. Send loveletters to yourself, make amends & be direct with others. When it's ugly, ask for forgiveness. Remember that you're beautiful & beautiful things are happening.
Do: Never give up. Wake up every morning and recommit yourself to living your life as fully as possible. Take it every day, one day at a time.
Try: Read The New Rules Of Lifting: Lift Like A Man, Look Like A Goddess. http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/
Day Thirty-Eight: Mariah's Tips
I've posted some tips by some of the pros, but I'm posting some of the things I've learned through trial & error that work for me...
- Never leave the house without food. Always have an apple in your purse, a stash of raw almonds in your car, something healthy on hand. You might be stuck somewhere when your blood sugar drops, & you should always have something healthy handy. It will also make your children good snackers.
- Never leave the house without your water bottle. Again, in your purse or bag...
- Pack your lunch for work or school. Craft calories account for empty calories, plus buying your lunch is expensive. When you've made your food, you know exactly what's in it.
- Never have breakfast for a cheat meal...unless it's Christmas. When you eat poorly early in the day, you'll feel crummy all day long. On cheat meal days, eat your cheat meal for late lunch or dinner.
- Take holidays off. The day of the holiday (Your Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter) try to mix in some good food, watch your portions, and enjoy some of the traditions...just don't go crazy.
- Eat 5 meals a day...breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Meals should be 400 calories & snacks around 150 calories.
- Eat a good breakfast that combines protein, fat, & carbs. Spinach omelette with fruit on the side, whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, etc...
- Listen to your body, not your taste buds. Learn to differentiate between the two.
- When you see someone eating something that looks tempting, observe them for a couple of hours after they've eaten it. Don't indulge in it right away. Often, you'll find that they're complaining about the way they feel (tired, indigestion, headache). This is especially true at the office with chinese food, burgers & fries, fast food, and heavy meals.
- Strive for all of your meals to have 3-5 distinct colors, even if it's just a sandwich.
Day Twenty-Nine: Jackie Warner's Fitness Tips
1. Be a smart consumer & read labels carefully. Fat free products are loaded with sugar. Fat does not make you fat, sugar does.2. No overcomplicated diets. They have high failure rates because they don't teach you how to eat properly.
3. Never skip meals. When you start to feel hunger pangs, you become a fat storing machine. Eat 3 small meals & 2 snacks a day.
4. Don't juice. Blend fruit instead. Juicing takes out the fiber & leaves you with the sugary juices.
5. Sugar is the devil. Sugar throws our body into an immune suppressed, non-working state of chronic fatigue, depression, & hormonal imbalance. It is the leading cause of disease & depression in the US. To break the addiction, remove all refined sugar from the diet for 5 days straight, & have 2 cheat meals on the weekends.
6. Clean house to remove junk. Stop buying addictive junk food & then hating yourself for not resisting it.
7. Deprivation doesn't work. When beginning a diet, add healthy foods for the first two weeks. Your body will begin to naturally reject the bad food.
8. Crunches are a waste of time. If you carry a large amount of weight in your mid-section, you will just build muscle under fat, thus making you appear bigger. To lose belly fat, combine a healthy diet with resistance training.
9. Eat the good, then the bad, then the ugly. Good = fruits/veggies/lean protein, Bad=starches/bread, Ugly=dessert/alcohol
10. Satisfy oral fixation with herbal teas. Late night munchies? Brew a cup of decaf tea, it will satisfy that oral fixation.
11. Water helps you lose weight. Three liters daily doubles your energy, increases your metabolism, & clears your skin.
12. Eat whole, natural foods.
13. Don't be afraid to lift weights. Cardio is the slowest way to lose weight. Resistance training burns more calories & speeds up your metabolism.
14. ONLY do intensity cardio. Forget the heart rate monitor, unless you have a heart condition, your cardio should be intense enough to feel your muscles burning. Raise ramp to max uphill incline & do a slow walk for 2 minutes, then lower ramp & run hard for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring your heart rate down. Repeat 4 times for a 20 minute session.
Day Twenty-Seven: Having The Right Tools
The other day, I was 1/2 a mile into a 4.2 mile run. Slowly, under my shirt, my sports bra started riding up. Before I knew it, my nips were coming out of the bottom. I pulled it down in irritation. About half a mile later, it happened again. This repeated itself for the entire run. I remembered, "Oh yeah, this is the one that doesn't fit...I was supposed to throw it away..." It's no wonder the elastic was shot, I think I bought the thing 10 years ago.I hate spending money on myself. I feel guilty, always have & probably always will. I love getting beautiful gifts from people & wear them with pride. But, when it comes to forking out money on myself, I freeze up. There's some sort of psychology behind that, & one day I'll dig deeper into it. You may find that you do the same.
We wouldn't expect a surgeon to perform great surgery without a scalpel, strong light, and a generous amount of antibacterial soap...a $100K education would also help. We wouldn't feel confident if a the person building our home didn't own a hammer, a tape measure, a calculator...and probably a good truck. Yet, so many of us go into the gym with equipment that is substandard. I know, I'm the number one culprit.
If we take our health seriously and want to remain injury-free, it is important that we use the right equipment. Here are some imperative investments that I urge anyone seeking a healthy lifestyle to make.
- Shoes - Shoes are super-individualistic. Every foot is different, if you don't know if you're a pronator or supinator, you need to visit a running store where they look at your wear from old shoes, watch how you walk & measure your width and arches. Good shoes aren't cheap. Expect to spend between $85-$120 or so.
- Gym Membership - When I started out, I had a gym that included child care. It was the only way I could fit in time at the gym. It also had a spa, towel service, & an amazing pool for the kids on weekends. Find one in the right price range in the right location - imperative.
- Sports Bras - We all appreciate our "perk", so these are important. I've found quality sports bras for $16.99 at Target. You need at least 7 of these. I currently own 5.
- Water Bottle - Mine goes everywhere with me, it was a gift someone purchased at Starbucks that runs about $12-$15. It should always be in your purse or bag. I like ones that completely screw on, like a thermos. That way, there's no leaking when it turns over in your bag.
- Blender - Blending fruit is my favorite way to eat it in the morning. Juicing removes imperative fiber, blending keeps it. You need that fiber. There's nothing worse than a cheap blender. I use a KitchenAid that was a gift that retails at $179.95 from Williams Sonoma. Again, not cheap but very much worth it.
- iPod - What would we ever do without workout music? If music motivates you to burn calories, put this at the top of your list. Depending on the iPod you choose, this can run $70-$200.
- Antibacterial Soap - If you're like me, you break out easily if sweat stays on the skin. I wash my face before working out to remove the makeup. I take a hot shower after to get the sweat off my skin. Dial Gold Liquid Antibacterial soap is my fav that retails a couple of bucks at any grocery store.
- Massage - I find very good, cheap, massage therapists. I'm a fan of Massage Envy, where it's $45 for a 1-hour session. Initially, I got a massage every other week as a reward during the toughest time, the first 3 months. After about 3-4 months, I dropped to once monthly. Now, I get them only as needed because I no longer need them as a reward.
- Wrench System - I call this "wrench" because it's what happens when a wrench gets thrown into the mix. This is a home system for back-up when you can't make it to the gym for whatever reason. It includes weights, fitness magazines & DVD's with good workouts, a yoga mat, & a jumprope. I suggest buying every piece of this second-hand. You'll find people that spent a lot of money & never used it at all at garage sales & on Craig's List.
- Sunscreen - If you do outdoor activities like running or hiking, you need to protect your skin. I use a moisturizer that has SPF in it that runs about $8-$10 a bottle.
- Flattering Workout Clothing - This is one I'm still working on. It's hard for me to invest in something I'm just gonna get sweaty, but I know I feel better when I'm wearing something cute. This can be expensive, so it may take time.
- Exercise-Specific Equipment - Swimmers need goggles, a cap, & a suit. Weightlifters often wear gloves (I don't). Each sport or activity has its own equipment that it requires.
- Personal Trainer - If you don't know proper technique, have never spent time in the gym, or think you know what you're doing, but really don't...get a trainer. They are experienced, licensed professionals.
Day Twenty-Three: Right Frame Of Mind
We've been at this for three weeks. That's a long time to stick to a New Year's Resolution. If you're still here, pat yourself on the back. You're sticking to one of the most important commitments you could ever make. I found that when I made this commitment, a switch had flipped. It was a switch that had been tripping for some time, making inconsistent sparks. That was good, but it wasn't enough. Once the switch had finally flipped, I felt that nothing could stop me. Chinese food at the office looked disgusting to me. McDonalds & Burger King looked like dogfood. It's probably because they pretty much are with a little sugar added in for addictive effects. I took my tennis shoes to the office & walked during lunch. I didn't care that I went alone much of the time. I was motivated all by myself. I was on a mission to take care of myself and live the rest of my life as healthy as I possibly could.
Are you in that frame of mind? If you are, then it makes sticking to it very easy. It doesn't mean you're a health freak or nut, it means that you're tired of taking care of everyone else & not yourself. Rejoice.
Give thanks to the many people who encouraged you to get to this place. I had two: Megan Rencher http://personalchallengefitness.blogspot.com/ & Beth Belk. Both women were super-fit. Both women encouraged me & talked straight to me. Both were trained professionals in fitness instruction. Both were friends who cared about me.
Expand on this network. There are so many dieticians, personal trainers, fitness instructors, & running partners out there. Join a running group, meet people in your aerobics class, go to Farmer's Markets, talk to your instructor - they're human & like having friends. Meet other people who are in the right frame of mind, it will encourage you, it will hold you accountable. It will motivate you to remain in the right frame of mind as well.
Do: Check out The Rudd Center For Food Policy & Obesity at http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/. This is a great source of information & resources that can help you remain in the right frame of mind.
Day Nineteen: Alicia Marie's Fitness Tips
1. Set both wight loss & atletic goals (i.e. lose 20 pounds & complete a 10K) 2. Tell the world - we're more likely to stick to something if we've told others we're doing it
3. Procrastination is the enemy. Your diet doesn't begin next week, it begins now.
4. Do a refrigerator clean out day to get rid of the junk
5. Stuff refrigerator with good, nutritious foods & snacks
5. Stuff refrigerator with good, nutritious foods & snacks
6. Find workout buddies or partners
7. Get the facts. Fruit is not bad for you, do your research & educate yourself.
8. Use a food journal
9. Lift heavy - it will boost your metabolism, builds lean muscle, & burns more calories than cardio
10. Never EVER go to a party starving. Eat healthy before you go.
11. Join a gym close to home or work.
12. Don't be afraid to experiment with new activities like a cardio pole-dancing or trapeze class.
13. Pre-workout meals should be light & provide carbs.
14. Post-workout should consist of protein & carbs.
15. Invest in cute or flattering workout clothing.
16. Keep your gym bag packed at all times.
17. Dining out - substitute veggies for fries, go w/ healthy options. It will cost more, but it's worth it.
18. Challenge yourself - do the triathlon, make lofty long-term goals.
19. If you don't know, hire a pro. A good personal trainer can be one of your best investments.
20. Get used to drinking lots of water. Eight 8-ounce glasses a day will support your bodily functions, including fat burning.
Do: Lift heavy at your next session, 3 sets of 15-20 reps. You should be sore the day after. If you don't know proper technique or are a little afraid, sign up for a body-sculpt weight class or get a personal trainer. You'll burn more calories & build more lean muscle.
Day Seventeen: Planning For The Wrench
Establishing & maintaining structure is extremely important in changing our health. A KEY component of achieving our goals is consistency with our nutrition & exercise. Anyone can diet & exercise for a week, but that won't get us anywhere. It is only through changing our life that we become healthy & fit. We must FOREVER abandon that lifestyle which hasn't been working...it's what got us to this place.When you establish structure, your spouse knows what to expect, your children are comfortable with your schedule. It's easier to pack your lunch for work, make your breakfast in the morning, and know what workout classes you're going to take at the gym with your favorite trainers. It also lets you plan around birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, days when your children are off school, & travel. Planning is important, especially early-on.
I plan out my weeks this way. When Christmas or New Year's Eve falls on a weeknight, I already know that my cheat meal days are changing that week. However, I plan my week, but allow for an element of flexibility in my schedule. I realize that there are hiccups that occur...that birthday party you forgot about, or a child throwing up at 2 am...Knowing that there will always be life's wrenches thrown into the mix, we must plan for them.
It's okay if you have to miss a Thursday workout, just move it to a workout on Sunday when you were planning a day off. Pull out the gym schedule, see what classes are offered on that day instead, and change it up that week. You can also get a system for at-home workouts, but make sure that it's a system that will get a good, strong workout in & your heart-rate up. Working out at home should be just as productive as working out at the gym.
What you don't want to do is throw the baby out with the bathwater & say..."Well, I already blew it because my daughter got sick, I'll try again next week." Become creative, move stuff around, negotiate with others if there are responsibilities involved so that they're getting their needs met as well, and get a fantastic workout in on a day you'd normally take off. Treat it like it's a priority in your life because it is.
Do: Plan for the wrench. Buy some GREAT workout DVD's for home, a jumprope, & a weight set - used weights work just as well as new ones & can be found cheap at garage sales. My favorite DVDs include Jackie Warner's "Work Out" and P90X. Keep an updated copy of your gym's schedule at home & work. Keep your workout bag packed with a water bottle, a workout magazine with great weight exercises that make you sore (Fitness RX is my fav), your iPod, clothes, & shoes. You'll never know when you need to work out today instead of tomorrow.
Day Eleven: Motivation
It's not about how you look...or is it? We all want to live a healthy, happy, balanced life. That is exactly what we are striving for. However, when it comes to motivation, is there anything more motivating to a woman than to positively change the way we look?Today is day eleven, which means that half of the New Year's Resolutioners have already begun to taper off, the gyms are starting to slim back down to the dedicated few. Right now is when all the bad food at the office your coworkers are eating starts calling your name. Right about now is when it gets difficult. That's why we need to inject some motivation.
Go buy that swimsuit now, make it the expensive one...the really hot one that you think you cannot afford. Splurge a little on yourself, put it somewhere where you will see it every time you pull on your workout clothes between now & bikini season.
Sign up for that 5K, 10K, or triathlon now. Stretch yourself...it might not be for 3 months, but it will kick your butt into gear to train harder & eat nutritiously. Find a running partner to hold you accountable between now & the race.
Find a picture of you at the weight you used to be, or a pair of jeans you can't wait to be able to get into. Figure out what it is that motivates you & use it to influence your mind in the right direction.
Do: Go buy that outfit, swimsuit, pair of jeans now. Hang it where you'll see it & try it on frequently. Sign up for a local fun run that is 2-3 months out, make sure you pay in advance. Read your love letter to yourself, remind yourself why you made this commitment.
Try: Ezekiel Bread - Located in the freezer section of the grocery store, this organic sprouted wheat bread is made from 6 grains & legumes, which form a complete protein that parallels the protein found in milk & eggs. I like to toast my Ezekiel Bread & eat it with Earth Balance Buttery Spread or natural peanut butter.
Day Five: Move Your Butt
Running, hiking, jogging, yoga, weight lifting, kick boxing, stairmaster, pilates, bicycling, walking, cross fit training, swimming, step aerobics, skateboarding, ripstick riding, skydiving, base jumping, paragliding, snorkeling, scuba diving, strip tease dancing....if there are 50 ways to leave your lover, then there are at least 150 ways to get in shape.
Exercise gives us cardiovascular fitness (our heart, lungs, & circulation), improved strength (muscle), and flexibility. It is important that we educate ourselves on how to exercise properly when beginning a fitness routine. Depending on your fitness goals, all exercise programs are not equal. I'd like to think that some exercise is better than none at all. However, if you can carry on a 15 minute conversation on your cell phone while on the treadmill, then you probably need to kick it up a notch.
The best hour of my day is the one that I spend on myself. I used to feel guilty about this, but I don't anymore. You're not a bad mother, wife, or employee if you love to go out for a run all alone with nothing but the road, the music in your ears, and the feel of your heart pumping. That time daily is essential, like a battery getting re-charged. Here's the thing...if you've only got one hour, why not make it count? Why not sweat like a pig, feel the fat melt away, and make your muscles so tired that they are sore?
I like to do a bunch of different things, alternating cardio with weight training & flexibility. I incorporate INTENSITY cardio (muscles burning, alternating between 7-9 on a scale of 1-10 after a good warm-up/stretch with alternating cool-down periods). I alternate the cardio with days of weight training, where I work the muscle to failure (3 sets of 15-20 reps at a weight where the last 5 reps are VERY difficult). I work in yoga and stretching for mind/body connection, improved flexibility, & strength using body-weight. These are key elements in not getting injured and emotional health & balance.
Do: Try a new exercise, one that you may be afraid of or have always wanted to do. If it's at the gym, take a class. If at home, buy a DVD or workout magazine. This month my favorite trainer, Jackie Warner, has a great article with a kick-butt multi-joint body shaping workout in Fitness Rx magazine.
Day Two: The Essential 5
Weight loss essentially means putting down the box of cookies and going for a walk...then doing that daily. However, I've found that for me, changing my health was composed of five main categories. Over the next several weeks, I'll go into more detail about each.
- Nutrition - Eating natural foods, incorporating the right multi-vitamin, reducing processed sugar, eliminating fast food completely
- Water - Three liters a day, not exceeding one liter in an hour
- Sleep - Good, deep, natural sleep
- Exercise - Healthy amounts of rigorous exercise on a consistent basis
- Balance - Rest/repair days, cheat meals, massage
Do: Pull out the love letter you wrote to yourself on Dec 31st (go to the 12/31 post if you didn't write it). Review the love letter, make any additions that may have come to mind since you first wrote it. Find pictures of role models & post them. My celebrity role models include Kelly Ripa, Madonna, and P!NK.
Fitness Tips From The Guru Herself
Jackie Warner is a celebrity trainer and owner of Sky Sport & Spa. She's also the star of Bravo's Show, "Work Out". Here's her story & fitness tips.
I am a small town girl that was raised on fast food and sugar. By my early 20’s, I was depressed, overstressed and not sleeping. While trying to find my own cure for being tired and miserable, I embarked on a life-changing journey. I found that I was a hard- core junk food addict which left me feeling too lethargic to do any kind of exercise. After failing at every complicated diet and exercise regiment out there, I started adhering to a few common sense rules for myself. These simple lifestyle changes have stuck with me and countless clients throughout the years.
1. Be a smart consumer and read labels carefully.
Fat free products are loaded with sugar. Fat does not make you fat – SUGAR DOES! When grocery shopping, meals should have no more than 400 calories and snacks 150 calories – buy nothing with over 9 grams of sugar.
2. No overcomplicated routines/no overcomplicated diets.
They have the highest failure rate because they don’t teach you how to live in the real world. Get back to the basic, common sense principles.
3. Never skip meals.
All of my morbidly obese clients have one thing in common – skipping meals. The moment you allow your blood sugar to drop (when you feel hunger pangs) you become a fat storing machine. You must eat small meals or snacks every few hours.
4. Don’t ever juice-blend.
Always eat the whole fruit, not just its sugary juices. Juicing takes out the fiber but leaves you with the sugars. However, blending fills you with the whole fruit (fiber) and a lot more nutrients.
5. Sugar is the devil.
Sugar throws our body into an immune suppressed, non-working state of chronic fatigue, depression, and hormonal imbalance. It is the leading cause of disease and depression in this country. To break the sugar addiction, get rid of refined sugar (anything that isn’t fruit or veggies) for 5 days in a row, then allow yourself to have one cheat meal on Saturday and one on Sunday. You will have curbed the chemical addiction for sugar and your brain will desire less.
6. Clean House - remove ALL junk from your kitchen.
Stop buying addictive junk foods, then hating yourself for not being able to resist.
7. Deprivation does not work.
When starting a diet, for the first two weeks add healthy, nutrient filled foods (low sugar fruit/veggies/lean protein and a multivitamin). Your body will begin to naturally reject sugars and processed foods.
8. Crunches are a waste of time.
If you carry weight in your midsection, you will just build muscle under fat – thus making you appear bigger! The only way to get a true 6-pack is to combine a healthy diet with resistance training.
9. Eat the Good, the Bad, then the Ugly.
Classify the food on your plate in the following: Good = veggies/fruit/lean meats, Bad = starches/bread, Ugly = dessert/alcohol. Be sure to fill up on the good first.
10. Satisfy oral fixation with herbal teas.
Curb late night cravings with your favorite flavored herbal teas. They have anti-oxidants and will satisfy oral fixations.
11. Water helps you lose weight.
Three liters per day can burn 50-75 calories and double your energy, as well as clear your skin.
12. Eat natural foods.
Research connects food additives that are present in many diet products with increased sugar and carb cravings.
13. Don’t be afraid to lift weights.
Cardio is the slowest way to lose weight. It’s all about resistance training. This will burn more calories faster, and also add much needed muscle to speed up metabolism. Concentrate working out on the bigger muscle groups like the chest, back, gluteus, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
14. ONLY do intensity cardio.
Forget about the heart rate monitor. Unless you have a heart condition, your cardio should be intense enough to feel your muscles burning. Raise ramp to maximum uphill and slow walk (almost a lunge) for 2 minutes. Then lower the ramp and run for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring your heart rate down and then start over. Repeat 4 more times (equals a 20 minute session). It’s less boring too!
I am a small town girl that was raised on fast food and sugar. By my early 20’s, I was depressed, overstressed and not sleeping. While trying to find my own cure for being tired and miserable, I embarked on a life-changing journey. I found that I was a hard- core junk food addict which left me feeling too lethargic to do any kind of exercise. After failing at every complicated diet and exercise regiment out there, I started adhering to a few common sense rules for myself. These simple lifestyle changes have stuck with me and countless clients throughout the years.1. Be a smart consumer and read labels carefully.
Fat free products are loaded with sugar. Fat does not make you fat – SUGAR DOES! When grocery shopping, meals should have no more than 400 calories and snacks 150 calories – buy nothing with over 9 grams of sugar.
2. No overcomplicated routines/no overcomplicated diets.
They have the highest failure rate because they don’t teach you how to live in the real world. Get back to the basic, common sense principles.
3. Never skip meals.
All of my morbidly obese clients have one thing in common – skipping meals. The moment you allow your blood sugar to drop (when you feel hunger pangs) you become a fat storing machine. You must eat small meals or snacks every few hours.
4. Don’t ever juice-blend.
Always eat the whole fruit, not just its sugary juices. Juicing takes out the fiber but leaves you with the sugars. However, blending fills you with the whole fruit (fiber) and a lot more nutrients.
5. Sugar is the devil.
Sugar throws our body into an immune suppressed, non-working state of chronic fatigue, depression, and hormonal imbalance. It is the leading cause of disease and depression in this country. To break the sugar addiction, get rid of refined sugar (anything that isn’t fruit or veggies) for 5 days in a row, then allow yourself to have one cheat meal on Saturday and one on Sunday. You will have curbed the chemical addiction for sugar and your brain will desire less.
6. Clean House - remove ALL junk from your kitchen.
Stop buying addictive junk foods, then hating yourself for not being able to resist.
7. Deprivation does not work.
When starting a diet, for the first two weeks add healthy, nutrient filled foods (low sugar fruit/veggies/lean protein and a multivitamin). Your body will begin to naturally reject sugars and processed foods.
8. Crunches are a waste of time.
If you carry weight in your midsection, you will just build muscle under fat – thus making you appear bigger! The only way to get a true 6-pack is to combine a healthy diet with resistance training.
9. Eat the Good, the Bad, then the Ugly.
Classify the food on your plate in the following: Good = veggies/fruit/lean meats, Bad = starches/bread, Ugly = dessert/alcohol. Be sure to fill up on the good first.
10. Satisfy oral fixation with herbal teas.
Curb late night cravings with your favorite flavored herbal teas. They have anti-oxidants and will satisfy oral fixations.
11. Water helps you lose weight.
Three liters per day can burn 50-75 calories and double your energy, as well as clear your skin.
12. Eat natural foods.
Research connects food additives that are present in many diet products with increased sugar and carb cravings.
13. Don’t be afraid to lift weights.
Cardio is the slowest way to lose weight. It’s all about resistance training. This will burn more calories faster, and also add much needed muscle to speed up metabolism. Concentrate working out on the bigger muscle groups like the chest, back, gluteus, hamstrings, and quadriceps.
14. ONLY do intensity cardio.
Forget about the heart rate monitor. Unless you have a heart condition, your cardio should be intense enough to feel your muscles burning. Raise ramp to maximum uphill and slow walk (almost a lunge) for 2 minutes. Then lower the ramp and run for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring your heart rate down and then start over. Repeat 4 more times (equals a 20 minute session). It’s less boring too!
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