Insanity - Day 1
Well, today I started the Insanity workout and I am hoping that the results are huge!
Last week was not a very good week for me when it came to eating well and working out. I was just in a slump and needed to take a break. I did workout three days, so even during a slump, I got something done!
I have planned my entire week’s worth of meals loosely based off the Insanity nutrition guide. The thing with programs and nutrition plans like Insanity is that they are clearly not made for working individuals. I have a regular old desk job with no refrigerator at work, so my food has to be able to stay packed in a lunch box with ice packs. That said, I can’t enjoy an Ai Tuna wrap at 2:30pm for my afternoon snack. I am making due with yogurt, some wheat crackers with cheese and my protein shake and hopefully that will help me through the plan and get the same results.
Also, they are trying to push their Shakeology mix and while I think that would be a great add, I am not going to pay $120 for a 30 day supply of protein shakes. Maybe once I actually see some results and find that it is worth it, but at this point, I think I can manage without it.
For dinners, I am just trying to lighten up the meals by using “better for you” foods. Tomorrow I am making spaghetti and meatballs with whole wheat pasta and turkey meatballs. I am also making my own sauce because 1) it tastes better and 2) I can control what I put into it for flavor.
For Insanity today I had to take my fit test which I was pleased with. I would say mostly the fit test is caging your recovery and how quickly you can slow you heart rate down after each burst of cardio (1 minute on, 1 minute off). In that respect, I have, for some reason, always had a pretty decent recovery. I will mostly blame that on dance and cheerleader as you go out and are doing pretty intense “cardio” for about two and half minutes, then you are done. Somehow I have been able to maintain a good recovery so I am ready to go full force with the next exercise in a minute, which is helping.
I will say that my upper body is beyond weak. There were really only two segments of some sort of push up and I just struggle with those in any facet. I am hoping that I will be able to get better as time goes.
Hopefully I will be able to keep my blogging up, last week was pretty crazy so I just never got to it.
Have a great day!!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Well this morning SUCKED!! I didn’t want to get out of bed and with it being so cold now the motivation to go to the gym was just not there. I managed to drag myself to the gym, but the workout was mediocre at best! I just didn’t want to be there and although I did most of what I had planned, I could tell that my lack of motivation was creating a miserable workout.
Trying to stay positive, at least I went! I have also realized that I need to be a lot more accountable for my food consumption, so bring on the photo food log. I am going to try, emphasis on try, to take pictures of everything I am eating that day and share the results. If I don’t get to take a picture, at the very least I want to record what it is I am eating on the blog. I want to try and do this because I just have no idea how much I am really eating and I am hoping that this will not only make me think twice about putting unnecessary food in my mouth, but also make me more aware of the kinds of foods I am eating and the portions.
This is new for me and I hope it works out. Even though I didn’t love the gym this morning, I am starting to feel the routine come together and that makes me pretty proud. Andrew bought the Insanity workouts and I am pretty excited to get those started. Maybe it will bring more motivation because I won’t have to go out in this cold nasty weather.
Today’s blog is pretty short and I am going to blame it on my lack of motivation to do ANYTHING today. Honestly, I just want to go home, get under the blankets with Skeeter in my nook, watch some stupid show on TV and stay warm!!
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” - Lucille Ball
Trying to stay positive, at least I went! I have also realized that I need to be a lot more accountable for my food consumption, so bring on the photo food log. I am going to try, emphasis on try, to take pictures of everything I am eating that day and share the results. If I don’t get to take a picture, at the very least I want to record what it is I am eating on the blog. I want to try and do this because I just have no idea how much I am really eating and I am hoping that this will not only make me think twice about putting unnecessary food in my mouth, but also make me more aware of the kinds of foods I am eating and the portions.
This is new for me and I hope it works out. Even though I didn’t love the gym this morning, I am starting to feel the routine come together and that makes me pretty proud. Andrew bought the Insanity workouts and I am pretty excited to get those started. Maybe it will bring more motivation because I won’t have to go out in this cold nasty weather.
Today’s blog is pretty short and I am going to blame it on my lack of motivation to do ANYTHING today. Honestly, I just want to go home, get under the blankets with Skeeter in my nook, watch some stupid show on TV and stay warm!!
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” - Lucille Ball
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Good morning!! This morning I had a great workout! It was pretty intense and had me worn out, which I love!!
I did the circuit training room at Planet Fitness. Usually I would just do some variation of stepping from step class on the cardio intervals, but I felt that I just wasn’t getting as much out of the workout as I wanted to. Today I didn’t more of a run or hop or skip (not sure how to describe it really) on the cardio and I was feeling it after the first exercise. It made all the difference in the world! I could feel my heart rate getting faster and the strength intervals were even more challenging because of it!
There are 20 intervals (10 cardio and 10 strength exercises) and I maintained my run step throughout 7 of them and had to take a few breaks on the last three. It was my first time doing the circuit with that level of intensity, so I was pretty pleased that I could do that many! I left feeling a lot more energized and excited about my workout than I have in the past.
I am still a little concerned with how this week will turn out with my weekend extravaganza, but I am still working hard and trying to get back on track. The important thing for me is to not let this get me down too badly, no matter what happens. If it is a gain, then I know why it happened, there won’t be a mystery! You have to learn from your mistakes and work through them. This has been a difficult thing for me in the past and we will see how it all works out Friday. Typically, I will get so discouraged, I will stop working out and eating whatever it is I want to fill that “disappointed” feeling.
It’s tough to stay on track when things don’t necessarily go how you planned or hope for them to go. However, I can’t expect to have a weekend like I did this past one and come away from it guilt free. I knew I was making bad decisions when I made them, so I just need to move on and begin to overcome each bad decision. Learn from the mistake and don’t let it ruin all the effort and progress I have made!
Something I still need to work on is figuring out some healthy recipes that I can make at home! I have been cooking a lot and trying to use low/no fat or reduced calorie options as well as just smaller portions, but eventually I would really like to add a lot of healthy, easy recipes to my belt. I love to cook and have been on Pinterest like it’s my job, but a lot of things on there are high in fat and calories. That will have to be another chapter I suppose!
So long for today!
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” - Willie Nelson
I did the circuit training room at Planet Fitness. Usually I would just do some variation of stepping from step class on the cardio intervals, but I felt that I just wasn’t getting as much out of the workout as I wanted to. Today I didn’t more of a run or hop or skip (not sure how to describe it really) on the cardio and I was feeling it after the first exercise. It made all the difference in the world! I could feel my heart rate getting faster and the strength intervals were even more challenging because of it!
There are 20 intervals (10 cardio and 10 strength exercises) and I maintained my run step throughout 7 of them and had to take a few breaks on the last three. It was my first time doing the circuit with that level of intensity, so I was pretty pleased that I could do that many! I left feeling a lot more energized and excited about my workout than I have in the past.
I am still a little concerned with how this week will turn out with my weekend extravaganza, but I am still working hard and trying to get back on track. The important thing for me is to not let this get me down too badly, no matter what happens. If it is a gain, then I know why it happened, there won’t be a mystery! You have to learn from your mistakes and work through them. This has been a difficult thing for me in the past and we will see how it all works out Friday. Typically, I will get so discouraged, I will stop working out and eating whatever it is I want to fill that “disappointed” feeling.
It’s tough to stay on track when things don’t necessarily go how you planned or hope for them to go. However, I can’t expect to have a weekend like I did this past one and come away from it guilt free. I knew I was making bad decisions when I made them, so I just need to move on and begin to overcome each bad decision. Learn from the mistake and don’t let it ruin all the effort and progress I have made!
Something I still need to work on is figuring out some healthy recipes that I can make at home! I have been cooking a lot and trying to use low/no fat or reduced calorie options as well as just smaller portions, but eventually I would really like to add a lot of healthy, easy recipes to my belt. I love to cook and have been on Pinterest like it’s my job, but a lot of things on there are high in fat and calories. That will have to be another chapter I suppose!
So long for today!
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” - Willie Nelson
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Why do I have such a love/hate relationship with the weekends and holidays? On one hand, I love that I can sleep in (which for me now means 7am) and just relax, but at the same time it’s when I get myself in trouble with my healthy lifestyle.
I did great Saturday morning, got my workout in, treated myself to Panera and head home. I had to run a few errands and on my way back I pick up lunch for Andrew. I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and got a kid’s meal for myself (it’s all about portions). I was proud of myself that I had enough control to get the small version of the kid’s meal. I had plans to have a girl’s night and go to wine tasting that I thought would have a substantial amount of good available. Having eaten a small lunch I should have known better and ate something a little more for dinner. There is always good news and bad news when it comes to me drinking lately. The good news, I just don’t do it that often. Once every month MAYBE I go out and have more than a few drinks. In fact, I would probably say once every other month, if that. The bad news is, due to my lack of drinking regularly, I am finding it difficult to cut back and control my intake, when I do drink. It didn’t help that I had very little to eat, but combine that with not drinking much lately and my trying to keep up with the other girls, I was GONE. It was terrible and I always hate that feeling. All day Sunday was just bad decision after bad decision. Why is it when you are hung over nothing by fast food and crap food seems appealing?
Anyway, I am pretty concerned about my progress this week, although I was able to pull myself together yesterday and today and get my workouts in and eating back on track. My fear is that four days isn’t going to be long enough! My workout Monday was a lower body and abs strength training day and I really pushed hard. Boy do my legs feel like Jell-O today! I had cardio this morning so I did about 20 minutes on the up-right bike then 15 on the treadmill. I wanted to change it up a little bit so I wouldn’t get too bored. I ended up burning about 300 calories. I was pretty shocked how few calories I burnt on the bike versus the treadmill. Even the slightest incline on the treadmill goes a long way for calorie burn which is my goal on my cardio days.
My eating has been pretty good so far this week (outside of Sunday). I pick up some protein powder to drink before I hit the gym. I am hoping this will start helping me develop muscle. I am not very good at eating my daily recommended amount of protein, so we will see how these shakes workout for me.
I am still working on my portion control and eating slower. I am not sure why I eat so fast, but I really think it contributes to my over eating. If I took it slower and savored my foods I am thinking that I might get more out of each meal.
Well that is it for the day. I am feeling a little sleepy today, but I have a feeling my body is still recovering from my evening on Saturday. P.s. Getting old SUCKS!
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right!” - Unknown
I did great Saturday morning, got my workout in, treated myself to Panera and head home. I had to run a few errands and on my way back I pick up lunch for Andrew. I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and got a kid’s meal for myself (it’s all about portions). I was proud of myself that I had enough control to get the small version of the kid’s meal. I had plans to have a girl’s night and go to wine tasting that I thought would have a substantial amount of good available. Having eaten a small lunch I should have known better and ate something a little more for dinner. There is always good news and bad news when it comes to me drinking lately. The good news, I just don’t do it that often. Once every month MAYBE I go out and have more than a few drinks. In fact, I would probably say once every other month, if that. The bad news is, due to my lack of drinking regularly, I am finding it difficult to cut back and control my intake, when I do drink. It didn’t help that I had very little to eat, but combine that with not drinking much lately and my trying to keep up with the other girls, I was GONE. It was terrible and I always hate that feeling. All day Sunday was just bad decision after bad decision. Why is it when you are hung over nothing by fast food and crap food seems appealing?
Anyway, I am pretty concerned about my progress this week, although I was able to pull myself together yesterday and today and get my workouts in and eating back on track. My fear is that four days isn’t going to be long enough! My workout Monday was a lower body and abs strength training day and I really pushed hard. Boy do my legs feel like Jell-O today! I had cardio this morning so I did about 20 minutes on the up-right bike then 15 on the treadmill. I wanted to change it up a little bit so I wouldn’t get too bored. I ended up burning about 300 calories. I was pretty shocked how few calories I burnt on the bike versus the treadmill. Even the slightest incline on the treadmill goes a long way for calorie burn which is my goal on my cardio days.
My eating has been pretty good so far this week (outside of Sunday). I pick up some protein powder to drink before I hit the gym. I am hoping this will start helping me develop muscle. I am not very good at eating my daily recommended amount of protein, so we will see how these shakes workout for me.
I am still working on my portion control and eating slower. I am not sure why I eat so fast, but I really think it contributes to my over eating. If I took it slower and savored my foods I am thinking that I might get more out of each meal.
Well that is it for the day. I am feeling a little sleepy today, but I have a feeling my body is still recovering from my evening on Saturday. P.s. Getting old SUCKS!
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right!” - Unknown
Friday, January 13, 2012
Happy Friday the 13th!! Normally this day might freak people out, but 13 is my lucky number, so I kind of love the hype about it. That said, I can be a little superstitious so the scale was pretty scary this morning. I gave myself a good pep talk before I stepped on it just reminded myself that I have been working hard and no matter what the outcome might be then I will keep moving forward and working hard. Well, no need to worry because this week I am down 2.7! That is a total of 4.1 for the last two weeks. I am very happy with that result, but I am not getting too hyped up because that was a very good week and I know that 1) I still have a long way to go and 2) that won’t happen every week.
I am still very happy with my efforts this week and I am feeling great about next week. I get to rewards myself with Panera tomorrow, so I am going to work on planning my workouts and really upping the intensity a lot! After getting good results this week I am even more motivated to continue on.
I am also going to need to step up my game when it comes to the foods I am eating. I think I have the breakfast thing down, kind of. I have been eating half a grapefruit and a banana with my coffee, but I think I need to get more protein in. I am going to add 1-2 slices of turkey bacon in the mix to have a little more volume to my lunch and hopefully not make me hungry so early.
Lunches are a little trickier because I just never know what to bring. I do enjoy bringing salads, but that doesn’t always so the trick for me and I end up hungry two hours later. I am going to some thinking today and tomorrow to see what else I can add to my salad that might make it a little more exciting and filling.
For dinners, I actually haven’t done too bad, I just need to watch my portions. I love making dinner for Andrew, so I can continue to do that and only take a smaller portion of the food.
Unplanned binge snacking has to be out…ugh!! This will prove to be the hardest thing for me. I don’t know if it is my lack of will power or what, but I have the hardest time getting my snacking under control. If anyone has ideas on how to make this happen, please share because I think I will struggle with this until the day I die!
Well, for now I think that is about it! Yay for a successful week and my treat tomorrow morning! Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will report back on Monday!
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Unknown
I am still very happy with my efforts this week and I am feeling great about next week. I get to rewards myself with Panera tomorrow, so I am going to work on planning my workouts and really upping the intensity a lot! After getting good results this week I am even more motivated to continue on.
I am also going to need to step up my game when it comes to the foods I am eating. I think I have the breakfast thing down, kind of. I have been eating half a grapefruit and a banana with my coffee, but I think I need to get more protein in. I am going to add 1-2 slices of turkey bacon in the mix to have a little more volume to my lunch and hopefully not make me hungry so early.
Lunches are a little trickier because I just never know what to bring. I do enjoy bringing salads, but that doesn’t always so the trick for me and I end up hungry two hours later. I am going to some thinking today and tomorrow to see what else I can add to my salad that might make it a little more exciting and filling.
For dinners, I actually haven’t done too bad, I just need to watch my portions. I love making dinner for Andrew, so I can continue to do that and only take a smaller portion of the food.
Unplanned binge snacking has to be out…ugh!! This will prove to be the hardest thing for me. I don’t know if it is my lack of will power or what, but I have the hardest time getting my snacking under control. If anyone has ideas on how to make this happen, please share because I think I will struggle with this until the day I die!
Well, for now I think that is about it! Yay for a successful week and my treat tomorrow morning! Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will report back on Monday!
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Unknown
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Good Morning! It’s a snowy one out there today, but I still got my butt to the gym early!
There is some good news and some bad news about the gym yesterday. The good news is that I made it to the gym and did an upper body workout that was, I will say, OK. The bad news is that it was PACKED so much so that I couldn’t think! I wasn’t able to concentrate and focus too well, because I am one of those that care about what EVERYONE thinks, especially when I am at the gym. It also doesn’t help that there were two bozo guys on the machines in front of me that were just taking their sweet time working out on the machines so I just wasn’t able to move very fast. I like to keep my workouts, even the strength training ones, at a good pace. When I am strength training I always feel like I am not doing anything, so by moving through the workout with some speed I can also get my heart rate going a bit and sweat some. So I don’t think I got the same kind of workout that I would have if I didn’t over sleep, but oh well, at least I did something!
This morning was pretty good. It started snowing here, which sucks pretty bad seeing as to how it was 50 degrees just yesterday, and I was a little worried that the roads wouldn’t be very good to drive on. They weren’t the best, but being the only car on the road at 4am helped a lot. I did the circuit training workout they have at my gym and really tried to push myself a little harder today. It felt really good and I am already feeling a little “Jello-y” and that is a feeling I love. There is just something about not being able to laugh without hurting due to a workout that makes me happy!
I got in my goal water for the day yesterday too and no unplanned snacking at all! I did bring some planned snacks because I knew that I would get hungry between lunch and the time I got home for dinner, so a few slices of ham did me good and helped me through the weak workout I had.
I have to say that in general I feel a lot better about most things. I know that it has only been two weeks and that realistically I just haven’t changed that much, but working out increases my confidence significantly! I don’t see myself as just worthless and lazy. The fact that I am doing something and have remained committed just makes me think my clothes fit better, and who knows, maybe they do!
That feeling is probably the most important thing for me because in all really I am pretty healthy and not really all that overweight. I went to the doctor for a physical and he even mentioned that if I was happy with where I was weight wise then he would be perfectly fine with it. Well, I am not happy and he gave me a good weight range to shoot for, but it really is about the feeling of confidence!
I am going to weigh myself tomorrow and I really don’t know what to expect. I worry about weighing in sometimes because you just never know what is going to happen. I feel really great and would hope for something, but that is where this blog will be nice. I can read through the other entries about how much better I am feeling and focus on that, not the number. Let’s face it, I am 5’10” with a pretty athletic build (aka huge leg muscles thank you Dance and Gymnastics), I will never see a very small number.
Wish me luck and I will report back tomorrow!
“Aim for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars” - Unknown
There is some good news and some bad news about the gym yesterday. The good news is that I made it to the gym and did an upper body workout that was, I will say, OK. The bad news is that it was PACKED so much so that I couldn’t think! I wasn’t able to concentrate and focus too well, because I am one of those that care about what EVERYONE thinks, especially when I am at the gym. It also doesn’t help that there were two bozo guys on the machines in front of me that were just taking their sweet time working out on the machines so I just wasn’t able to move very fast. I like to keep my workouts, even the strength training ones, at a good pace. When I am strength training I always feel like I am not doing anything, so by moving through the workout with some speed I can also get my heart rate going a bit and sweat some. So I don’t think I got the same kind of workout that I would have if I didn’t over sleep, but oh well, at least I did something!
This morning was pretty good. It started snowing here, which sucks pretty bad seeing as to how it was 50 degrees just yesterday, and I was a little worried that the roads wouldn’t be very good to drive on. They weren’t the best, but being the only car on the road at 4am helped a lot. I did the circuit training workout they have at my gym and really tried to push myself a little harder today. It felt really good and I am already feeling a little “Jello-y” and that is a feeling I love. There is just something about not being able to laugh without hurting due to a workout that makes me happy!
I got in my goal water for the day yesterday too and no unplanned snacking at all! I did bring some planned snacks because I knew that I would get hungry between lunch and the time I got home for dinner, so a few slices of ham did me good and helped me through the weak workout I had.
I have to say that in general I feel a lot better about most things. I know that it has only been two weeks and that realistically I just haven’t changed that much, but working out increases my confidence significantly! I don’t see myself as just worthless and lazy. The fact that I am doing something and have remained committed just makes me think my clothes fit better, and who knows, maybe they do!
That feeling is probably the most important thing for me because in all really I am pretty healthy and not really all that overweight. I went to the doctor for a physical and he even mentioned that if I was happy with where I was weight wise then he would be perfectly fine with it. Well, I am not happy and he gave me a good weight range to shoot for, but it really is about the feeling of confidence!
I am going to weigh myself tomorrow and I really don’t know what to expect. I worry about weighing in sometimes because you just never know what is going to happen. I feel really great and would hope for something, but that is where this blog will be nice. I can read through the other entries about how much better I am feeling and focus on that, not the number. Let’s face it, I am 5’10” with a pretty athletic build (aka huge leg muscles thank you Dance and Gymnastics), I will never see a very small number.
Wish me luck and I will report back tomorrow!
“Aim for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars” - Unknown
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Well, I hit my first snag this morning. I am not 100% sure what happened, but I looked at my alarm and it was 5am! I would have tried to make it to the gym still, but I have plans for this afternoon, so I will have to go to the gym after that. I can’t skip because I don’t want to make it a habit.
I am not overly upset about missing the gym this morning, so long as I get my workout in tonight. I worry that I will get carried away with other things and come up with some excuse to not go. No matter what happens, I am committing right now to make it to the gym and get my scheduled workout in.
Other than my speed bump this morning, things have been going pretty good. I made a delicious dinner last night and resisted the urge to go back for more! That is so huge for me because I could have eaten my weight in dinner last night! I do need to watch out with some of the dessert candy that I am eating. Andrew and I got more chocolate than we could eat for Christmas and it is currently in a drawer in the kitchen. I am pretty good at not eating it until I get a little craving for dessert. I don’t pig out but I will have 2-3 truffles, which just adds to my calorie count.
Aside from that issue, I didn’t snack again yesterday when I got home, not even mixed nuts. I got right to making dinner and it was pretty nice to have that distraction from food. The reason I snack is not because I am hungry but because I am bored. When I don’t have anything to do but watch TV I typically will just rummage through the refrigerator or cupboards to see what might be available.
I didn’t drink as much water as I wanted to yesterday, but I didn’t get two huge cups at water. I probably could have gone for another one, but I got busy with something and didn’t really think about going down to get it.
Since I didn’t get my workout in this morning, there isn’t too much left to talk about L. I will give a full update on how it all went down tomorrow!
“Remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think” – Unknown
I am not overly upset about missing the gym this morning, so long as I get my workout in tonight. I worry that I will get carried away with other things and come up with some excuse to not go. No matter what happens, I am committing right now to make it to the gym and get my scheduled workout in.
Other than my speed bump this morning, things have been going pretty good. I made a delicious dinner last night and resisted the urge to go back for more! That is so huge for me because I could have eaten my weight in dinner last night! I do need to watch out with some of the dessert candy that I am eating. Andrew and I got more chocolate than we could eat for Christmas and it is currently in a drawer in the kitchen. I am pretty good at not eating it until I get a little craving for dessert. I don’t pig out but I will have 2-3 truffles, which just adds to my calorie count.
Aside from that issue, I didn’t snack again yesterday when I got home, not even mixed nuts. I got right to making dinner and it was pretty nice to have that distraction from food. The reason I snack is not because I am hungry but because I am bored. When I don’t have anything to do but watch TV I typically will just rummage through the refrigerator or cupboards to see what might be available.
I didn’t drink as much water as I wanted to yesterday, but I didn’t get two huge cups at water. I probably could have gone for another one, but I got busy with something and didn’t really think about going down to get it.
Since I didn’t get my workout in this morning, there isn’t too much left to talk about L. I will give a full update on how it all went down tomorrow!
“Remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think” – Unknown
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Well, this morning was a little more difficult to get out of bed….I still managed to get up and drag myself to the gym, but it was by no means easy to do. Once I was at the gym I felt pretty good and was able to get a decent workout in. I was on the elliptical for 28 minutes and burned about 280 calories. Definitely not the best workout ever, but it’s better than the alternative of zero calories burnt!
I drank a good amount of water yesterday at work and am trying to get the same thing done today. The good thing about drinking lots of water when you are bored at work is that you have to refill and go to the bathroom a lot more. If you are smart you can extend each trip to about 5 minutes, not that I would ever so that ;).
As far as food goes I am doing pretty well so far. I am having half a grapefruit with Splenda and a banana in the morning and of course my coffee. The only problem with eating so much earlier is that I get hungry a lot earlier. I am bringing healthy snack options like grapes of carrots and radishes with low fat dressing, but I am still finding myself hungry again before lunch. I think I will need to have a more substantial breakfast with more protein to start holding me over. The great news for yesterday was that my snacking was a lot less intense. I had a few mixed nuts when I got home and that was it! Lately, snacking has been my enemy so any success, no matter how small it might seem, is huge for me.
Working on portion control is one of the harder things I have to do, but I am getting better. Last night I made this really good chicken pasta dish for myself and Andrew and even though I used fat free/low fat ingredients, I am sure it wasn’t the best thing to eat. However, I served myself one portion and even though I was tempted to go back in for more, I didn’t. When we were packing it away, I did the same thing for lunch, just one small portion and put the rest away. If I can force myself to realize that smaller portions will still fill me up then maybe it will become a habit to naturally go for feeding my stomach…not my eyes.
I did a lower body and abs workout yesterday and, sounding like a broken record, I could have pushed a little harder. I am still trying to understand where a good starting point is for my body. My legs are RIDICULOUSLY stronger than my upper body (not exaggerating, I think it’s because of dance, gymnastics and cheerleading) so finding that starting point for my strength training is taking sometimes, but I think I am getting close.
After my workout I headed to OfficeMax to get a daily planner than I can begin mapping my workouts in. As I mentioned yesterday, I want to plan my week on Saturdays while I am at Panera and this will be a great help. I can look through all my previous workout plans and see how much progression I am making on my strength and cardio. I will also be able to flag any great workouts that I have had and repeat those more often. My hope is that this will lessen the boredom that I sometimes get at the gym.
That’s enough for now!
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
I drank a good amount of water yesterday at work and am trying to get the same thing done today. The good thing about drinking lots of water when you are bored at work is that you have to refill and go to the bathroom a lot more. If you are smart you can extend each trip to about 5 minutes, not that I would ever so that ;).
As far as food goes I am doing pretty well so far. I am having half a grapefruit with Splenda and a banana in the morning and of course my coffee. The only problem with eating so much earlier is that I get hungry a lot earlier. I am bringing healthy snack options like grapes of carrots and radishes with low fat dressing, but I am still finding myself hungry again before lunch. I think I will need to have a more substantial breakfast with more protein to start holding me over. The great news for yesterday was that my snacking was a lot less intense. I had a few mixed nuts when I got home and that was it! Lately, snacking has been my enemy so any success, no matter how small it might seem, is huge for me.
Working on portion control is one of the harder things I have to do, but I am getting better. Last night I made this really good chicken pasta dish for myself and Andrew and even though I used fat free/low fat ingredients, I am sure it wasn’t the best thing to eat. However, I served myself one portion and even though I was tempted to go back in for more, I didn’t. When we were packing it away, I did the same thing for lunch, just one small portion and put the rest away. If I can force myself to realize that smaller portions will still fill me up then maybe it will become a habit to naturally go for feeding my stomach…not my eyes.
I did a lower body and abs workout yesterday and, sounding like a broken record, I could have pushed a little harder. I am still trying to understand where a good starting point is for my body. My legs are RIDICULOUSLY stronger than my upper body (not exaggerating, I think it’s because of dance, gymnastics and cheerleading) so finding that starting point for my strength training is taking sometimes, but I think I am getting close.
After my workout I headed to OfficeMax to get a daily planner than I can begin mapping my workouts in. As I mentioned yesterday, I want to plan my week on Saturdays while I am at Panera and this will be a great help. I can look through all my previous workout plans and see how much progression I am making on my strength and cardio. I will also be able to flag any great workouts that I have had and repeat those more often. My hope is that this will lessen the boredom that I sometimes get at the gym.
That’s enough for now!
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
Monday, January 9, 2012
Happy Monday! It’s the start of another week and I am finding myself energized and motivated! This is the first Monday I have felt this way in quite some time and I am enjoying it so far.
The weekend was pretty good for the most part. Andrew’s parents got us a really nice grill for Christmas/Housewarming and with the unseasonably warm weather we have been having in Iowa, we are taking FULL advantage of it. The great thing I love about grill is that it is fast, easy and for the most part healthy. There are some definite bad decisions that can be made, but as long as you make the choice to keep it healthy, it can be.
After the gym on Saturday I treated myself to a Panera bagel and coffee. It was so nice to pat myself on the back with a good job for getting my put to the gym in the mornings. I decided, while enjoying my bagel at Panera, that I will only treat myself if I have met my workout goals for the week. This will help give me something to look forward and a tasty goal to reach. Also, if I get to have my “treat” I will take that time to create my workout (and eventually food) plan for the rest of the week. This week I am still trying to reinforce the habit of waking up and working out, so while I want to push myself a little harder for my workouts, I still know that I can’t go to hard and wear myself out so soon.
I am definitely sore from my workouts, which is a good thing and means that even with the less intense session I am still making something happen. It took a few days for my mood to really start improving due to the workouts, but yesterday and today I feel great and can’t help but think that working out is helping that. I have always been a goal oriented person, so having some success is going a long way for me.
After this week I will be starting to work on two major things. First, I want to plan my workouts and make sure that I am getting the most out of each session. I will be alternating strength training and cardio with a few interval sessions in the mix somewhere. Planet Fitness just opened in my town and I was very excited. I went to that gym in College and like the fact that they are open 24 hours during the week. They also have a interval room that is timed and designed for you already. I have 6 days of workouts so I think I will try to work in two days of intervals, two days of strength (upper and lower) and two days of cardio. My hope is that I can continue to find new things to do and change it up so I won’t get bored. I am going to try and look up some exercise and create some plans this week so I can make some decisions during my Panera treat (hopefully).
Second, I need to start working on my eating. I have never been able to conquer both working out and eating right at the same. Usually I go hard care either way and ignore the other. This time I want to take it step by step and strive for a good balance. As I mentioned in a previous blog, my lifestyle just won’t call for health food every day, but I can make good choices everyday and allow myself some slack when a bad choice slips in. The important thing will be to not fall apart. I am starting slowly with this as it is usually my weakest area, so my plan for this week to start preparing for better eating is to drink more water at work. This is a pretty easy thing to do; I just have to make it happen!
Talk to you all tomorrow!!
The weekend was pretty good for the most part. Andrew’s parents got us a really nice grill for Christmas/Housewarming and with the unseasonably warm weather we have been having in Iowa, we are taking FULL advantage of it. The great thing I love about grill is that it is fast, easy and for the most part healthy. There are some definite bad decisions that can be made, but as long as you make the choice to keep it healthy, it can be.
After the gym on Saturday I treated myself to a Panera bagel and coffee. It was so nice to pat myself on the back with a good job for getting my put to the gym in the mornings. I decided, while enjoying my bagel at Panera, that I will only treat myself if I have met my workout goals for the week. This will help give me something to look forward and a tasty goal to reach. Also, if I get to have my “treat” I will take that time to create my workout (and eventually food) plan for the rest of the week. This week I am still trying to reinforce the habit of waking up and working out, so while I want to push myself a little harder for my workouts, I still know that I can’t go to hard and wear myself out so soon.
I am definitely sore from my workouts, which is a good thing and means that even with the less intense session I am still making something happen. It took a few days for my mood to really start improving due to the workouts, but yesterday and today I feel great and can’t help but think that working out is helping that. I have always been a goal oriented person, so having some success is going a long way for me.
After this week I will be starting to work on two major things. First, I want to plan my workouts and make sure that I am getting the most out of each session. I will be alternating strength training and cardio with a few interval sessions in the mix somewhere. Planet Fitness just opened in my town and I was very excited. I went to that gym in College and like the fact that they are open 24 hours during the week. They also have a interval room that is timed and designed for you already. I have 6 days of workouts so I think I will try to work in two days of intervals, two days of strength (upper and lower) and two days of cardio. My hope is that I can continue to find new things to do and change it up so I won’t get bored. I am going to try and look up some exercise and create some plans this week so I can make some decisions during my Panera treat (hopefully).
Second, I need to start working on my eating. I have never been able to conquer both working out and eating right at the same. Usually I go hard care either way and ignore the other. This time I want to take it step by step and strive for a good balance. As I mentioned in a previous blog, my lifestyle just won’t call for health food every day, but I can make good choices everyday and allow myself some slack when a bad choice slips in. The important thing will be to not fall apart. I am starting slowly with this as it is usually my weakest area, so my plan for this week to start preparing for better eating is to drink more water at work. This is a pretty easy thing to do; I just have to make it happen!
Talk to you all tomorrow!!
Friday, January 6, 2012
So, it’s Friday morning and I have to admit that I am pretty proud of myself. I was able to continue my morning workout routine throughout the week and can report a 1.4 pound weight loss. More than the weight loss, I am really enjoying my morning routine. When the alarm rings, I am not necessarily “in the mood” to wake up, but I make it happen and 5 minutes later, I am glad that I did.
I have always been a morning person, for the most part, so it’s nice to have my mornings to myself. After my workout I come back home and get ready for work, make breakfast with a nice cup of coffee, make lunch then I am out the door. It is so great to just take my time getting reading and enjoying my morning.
Yesterday my workout was a lot more intense than it was the other days, but I am still not ready to develop my workout plan for each day. I am trying to push myself a little and right now I am just trying to form the habit of my morning workouts. It may seem silly to go to the gym for only 20 minutes to do strength training that isn’t “intense” but that will come with time. I don’t want to push myself into exhaustion in one week and quit. I am taking it slow and enjoying my time at the gym.
It’s been quite a while since I have gone to the gym for 5 days in a row, so it will take some time for me to get that enjoyment out of really pushing myself. I want to gradually make my workouts more intense and based on my based experience; I will start to enjoy that feeling of pushing myself to the extreme. I will say, however, that even with my “mild” workouts, my muscles are still pretty sore and I am not surprised in the slightest.
Even though I did lose some weight this week, I know that there are more improvements that need to be made in order to keep this up. I cannot continue to eat and snack like I do and expect the same results. I will never be one to eat three pieces of lettuce and be satisfied, but I want to get my portions under control and quite the snacking. I have found that getting into work earlier and having my workout done by the time I am here is causing me to get “bored” when I am home by 3:30pm with nothing to do. When I get bored, I snack. Snacking is probably my biggest downfall and it is something that I want to work on in the near future. I have tried replacing my snacking with healthy foods, like carrots and radishes with low fat honey mustard dressing. Even with the “healthy” foods, however, snacking is adding pointless calories to my day and soon those will prevent me from losing weight.
I am not going to concern myself TOO much with food at this time, because once I get more intense with my workouts I know that the desire to eat better will start to filter in naturally. I am going to try and keep track of what I am eating and how that progresses through the next few weeks. Hopefully, by the time my morning gym going is a routine I won’t have to think about that and can move my focus towards food.
I think I am starting to sound crazy about caring so much about making my workouts a routine, but the truth is that I am a little worried I will stop going. I am still at that stage where I am going to the gym (even if it has only been 5 days) but I do not really “want” to go to the gym. I can’t wait to get my mood back up about working out and the feeling of excitement from my workouts. I know it will come, but I have to be patient.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. I am staying positive and optimistic and hope I can continue on. Every day I will get stronger!
I have always been a morning person, for the most part, so it’s nice to have my mornings to myself. After my workout I come back home and get ready for work, make breakfast with a nice cup of coffee, make lunch then I am out the door. It is so great to just take my time getting reading and enjoying my morning.
Yesterday my workout was a lot more intense than it was the other days, but I am still not ready to develop my workout plan for each day. I am trying to push myself a little and right now I am just trying to form the habit of my morning workouts. It may seem silly to go to the gym for only 20 minutes to do strength training that isn’t “intense” but that will come with time. I don’t want to push myself into exhaustion in one week and quit. I am taking it slow and enjoying my time at the gym.
It’s been quite a while since I have gone to the gym for 5 days in a row, so it will take some time for me to get that enjoyment out of really pushing myself. I want to gradually make my workouts more intense and based on my based experience; I will start to enjoy that feeling of pushing myself to the extreme. I will say, however, that even with my “mild” workouts, my muscles are still pretty sore and I am not surprised in the slightest.
Even though I did lose some weight this week, I know that there are more improvements that need to be made in order to keep this up. I cannot continue to eat and snack like I do and expect the same results. I will never be one to eat three pieces of lettuce and be satisfied, but I want to get my portions under control and quite the snacking. I have found that getting into work earlier and having my workout done by the time I am here is causing me to get “bored” when I am home by 3:30pm with nothing to do. When I get bored, I snack. Snacking is probably my biggest downfall and it is something that I want to work on in the near future. I have tried replacing my snacking with healthy foods, like carrots and radishes with low fat honey mustard dressing. Even with the “healthy” foods, however, snacking is adding pointless calories to my day and soon those will prevent me from losing weight.
I am not going to concern myself TOO much with food at this time, because once I get more intense with my workouts I know that the desire to eat better will start to filter in naturally. I am going to try and keep track of what I am eating and how that progresses through the next few weeks. Hopefully, by the time my morning gym going is a routine I won’t have to think about that and can move my focus towards food.
I think I am starting to sound crazy about caring so much about making my workouts a routine, but the truth is that I am a little worried I will stop going. I am still at that stage where I am going to the gym (even if it has only been 5 days) but I do not really “want” to go to the gym. I can’t wait to get my mood back up about working out and the feeling of excitement from my workouts. I know it will come, but I have to be patient.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. I am staying positive and optimistic and hope I can continue on. Every day I will get stronger!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Well, I was able to wake up again and get to the gym early today! I am really enjoying getting my workout for the day over with. Right now, I am still trying to form the habit of getting up and going to the gym so my workouts haven’t been the best in my life, but the important thing is that I am going and getting both strength and cardio in.
I want to get in the routine for the next three weeks and once I there and “happy” to be there, I will begin adapting my workouts to be more intense and specific. So far, they have been pretty random and I have not pushed myself as hard as I know I can. I want to take this slow and ease into the change this time.
Usually I got balls to the wall and work my butt off for a few months, and then I get worn out and just can’t keep up that level of intensity so I stop and lose all momentum to keep up the healthy habits I formed. I think if I can add a little bit every day or even week, I have more of a chance of sustaining the change.
Monday morning I worked my upper body with strength training, Tuesday was interval cardio, increasing and decreasing both incline and speed throughout and Wednesday was lower body strength training. I joined the new gym that opened up near my house, so right now, I am trying to get used to the machines and figure out the best weight and order I should do my exercises. I am going to give myself a few weeks to finish adjusting before I begin really pushing myself and recording my weight increases and reps.
Once I have created the habit of going to the gym, pushing myself will hopefully be a little easier. Another reason I want to wait a few weeks before I begin pushing myself too hard is I am still getting used to working out in the mornings before work. The thing about working out before work is that I have to shower and get ready afterwards. Typically, I would shower at night after working out and then just get ready in the morning, so working out in the morning is adding a lot of time to my morning routine. I will say that so far I like it, but I am still not sure how much time I can spend at the gym and still make it to work by the time I want to.
The last few days I have actually gotten into work earlier than I would have before I starting waking up to work out, so that is a good thing. Once I figure out how much time I can commit to the gym, getting ready, etc. I will be in a better position to organize my workouts to get the most out of them.
My gym is open from 5am Monday to 10pm Friday then from 7-7 on Saturday and Sunday. Mondays could present a problem since I won’t be able to get in there until 5, so I am thinking of taking Mondays as my rest from working out. This would put me at Cardio Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday then strength training Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. I would normally take Sundays as my rest day so I can just sleep in and relax, but who am I kidding when I say sleep in? That is usually no later than 8 am for me and that is on a GOOD Sunday. I might as well just get into the gym early that morning and get everything done then come home and relax.
I am pretty happy with where I am so far, and yes, I know that it has only really been two days. I have to take this one day at a time, so two days is a good accomplishment. It’s better than one day (trying to be an optimist!).
I want to get in the routine for the next three weeks and once I there and “happy” to be there, I will begin adapting my workouts to be more intense and specific. So far, they have been pretty random and I have not pushed myself as hard as I know I can. I want to take this slow and ease into the change this time.
Usually I got balls to the wall and work my butt off for a few months, and then I get worn out and just can’t keep up that level of intensity so I stop and lose all momentum to keep up the healthy habits I formed. I think if I can add a little bit every day or even week, I have more of a chance of sustaining the change.
Monday morning I worked my upper body with strength training, Tuesday was interval cardio, increasing and decreasing both incline and speed throughout and Wednesday was lower body strength training. I joined the new gym that opened up near my house, so right now, I am trying to get used to the machines and figure out the best weight and order I should do my exercises. I am going to give myself a few weeks to finish adjusting before I begin really pushing myself and recording my weight increases and reps.
Once I have created the habit of going to the gym, pushing myself will hopefully be a little easier. Another reason I want to wait a few weeks before I begin pushing myself too hard is I am still getting used to working out in the mornings before work. The thing about working out before work is that I have to shower and get ready afterwards. Typically, I would shower at night after working out and then just get ready in the morning, so working out in the morning is adding a lot of time to my morning routine. I will say that so far I like it, but I am still not sure how much time I can spend at the gym and still make it to work by the time I want to.
The last few days I have actually gotten into work earlier than I would have before I starting waking up to work out, so that is a good thing. Once I figure out how much time I can commit to the gym, getting ready, etc. I will be in a better position to organize my workouts to get the most out of them.
My gym is open from 5am Monday to 10pm Friday then from 7-7 on Saturday and Sunday. Mondays could present a problem since I won’t be able to get in there until 5, so I am thinking of taking Mondays as my rest from working out. This would put me at Cardio Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday then strength training Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. I would normally take Sundays as my rest day so I can just sleep in and relax, but who am I kidding when I say sleep in? That is usually no later than 8 am for me and that is on a GOOD Sunday. I might as well just get into the gym early that morning and get everything done then come home and relax.
I am pretty happy with where I am so far, and yes, I know that it has only really been two days. I have to take this one day at a time, so two days is a good accomplishment. It’s better than one day (trying to be an optimist!).
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Well, it’s another year and time for another commitment to get myself healthy. I have a lot going on this year and I want to start it off right. I will be moving into our house, graduation with an MBA and getting married all in the next 5 months!! I think if there were ever a time to get into a healthy lifestyle it would be now.
I don’t want to call this a resolution, per say, just because I know this is something that needs to stay for a lifetime, which is honestly where I struggle. With so many great things happen this year, I want to be able to enjoy them and not worry about my confidence and battle with my weight. I want this to be a positive year. There are sure to be several ups and downs and struggles and triumphs and failures and stress for sure! What better time to take a day by day approach to my healthy and every other part of my life.
I am, by nature, a planner. My wedding is essentially planned, other than a few details here and there, so that is one stress that I do not need to worry about. What I am worried about it starting all this up again. I tend to disappoint myself when I get excited and ready for a fresh start. I am not sure how to overcome that disappointment and all I can do is try to work through this and make it a change for life. Not just a get fit for the wedding, not just a lose weight fast diet. I have to force myself to begin living a lifestyle that I am not used to.
I have to create a healthy lifestyle that will allow me to still live in the real world. I can’t swear off fast food, because my world consists of fast food. I can make better choices at those places, but I am not now and will never be the kind of person that will force a group to go to one place over another, or force them to take me somewhere else just so I can get food. To make this work for me, I have to incorporate my everyday life into this healthy choice I am making.
I have a fiancé who doesn’t have to eat salad and grilled chicken everyday to stay thin and I can’t force him into this lifestyle, which is all the more reason to create a more feasible solution that I can live with. I don’t think there is plan out there that is one size fits all and that is why those plans always fail for me. I need to realize that I am different than anyone else and because of that have to create my own plan that will allow me the flexibility to live a normal life.
I don’t want to become a fitness model or a size zero, I will go ahead and put this out there, I just don’t want to commit to something like that because I want to enjoy my life and not spend every waking moment in the gym and eating carrots. I do want to get in shape and feel more confident and with a little work and planning I can make that happen.
I am going to try and make this blog last a little longer than the previous attempt. I don’t want to commit to writing everyday because I just know that my reality won’t allow that, but I will promise to write consistently and hopefully with good updates.
I have written down my current weight and have a goal in mind, but I am just not comfortable sharing that publically yet. I know that I have a good ways to go, but I also know that my goal is attainable and realistic.
Yesterday morning I woke up at 4am to get to the gym and get my workout in. It felt great having it done already! It was so nice to go home and just relax and concentrate on getting dinner ready. I am hoping that I can keep this up and get into the gym before work. I think that it will help me make better decisions throughout the day and overall give me more energy to make it through the sometimes boring workday.
Overall the day wasn’t terrible, so I will call it a success. It was by no means the best, but baby steps are the key.
I don’t want to call this a resolution, per say, just because I know this is something that needs to stay for a lifetime, which is honestly where I struggle. With so many great things happen this year, I want to be able to enjoy them and not worry about my confidence and battle with my weight. I want this to be a positive year. There are sure to be several ups and downs and struggles and triumphs and failures and stress for sure! What better time to take a day by day approach to my healthy and every other part of my life.
I am, by nature, a planner. My wedding is essentially planned, other than a few details here and there, so that is one stress that I do not need to worry about. What I am worried about it starting all this up again. I tend to disappoint myself when I get excited and ready for a fresh start. I am not sure how to overcome that disappointment and all I can do is try to work through this and make it a change for life. Not just a get fit for the wedding, not just a lose weight fast diet. I have to force myself to begin living a lifestyle that I am not used to.
I have to create a healthy lifestyle that will allow me to still live in the real world. I can’t swear off fast food, because my world consists of fast food. I can make better choices at those places, but I am not now and will never be the kind of person that will force a group to go to one place over another, or force them to take me somewhere else just so I can get food. To make this work for me, I have to incorporate my everyday life into this healthy choice I am making.
I have a fiancé who doesn’t have to eat salad and grilled chicken everyday to stay thin and I can’t force him into this lifestyle, which is all the more reason to create a more feasible solution that I can live with. I don’t think there is plan out there that is one size fits all and that is why those plans always fail for me. I need to realize that I am different than anyone else and because of that have to create my own plan that will allow me the flexibility to live a normal life.
I don’t want to become a fitness model or a size zero, I will go ahead and put this out there, I just don’t want to commit to something like that because I want to enjoy my life and not spend every waking moment in the gym and eating carrots. I do want to get in shape and feel more confident and with a little work and planning I can make that happen.
I am going to try and make this blog last a little longer than the previous attempt. I don’t want to commit to writing everyday because I just know that my reality won’t allow that, but I will promise to write consistently and hopefully with good updates.
I have written down my current weight and have a goal in mind, but I am just not comfortable sharing that publically yet. I know that I have a good ways to go, but I also know that my goal is attainable and realistic.
Yesterday morning I woke up at 4am to get to the gym and get my workout in. It felt great having it done already! It was so nice to go home and just relax and concentrate on getting dinner ready. I am hoping that I can keep this up and get into the gym before work. I think that it will help me make better decisions throughout the day and overall give me more energy to make it through the sometimes boring workday.
Overall the day wasn’t terrible, so I will call it a success. It was by no means the best, but baby steps are the key.
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