Progress & Goals (Mar 17, 2011)

Short-term Goals (3 month - March 2011)                                           
 1- Weight:  137lbs (15lb weight loss)                                                   
 2- Gym 3-4x/week                                                                            
 3- Eat healthier                                                                                   
 4- Fit comfortably in sz 9 jeans                                                           

Current Stats (Mar 17, 20110)
 1- Weight: 142lbs (10lb weight loss)
 2- 4-5x/week
 3- Eating clean (85-90% of the time)
 4- Done
I look forward to going to the gym now & sweating.  I love the sauna because it warms me up & gets my heart rate up and running & ready for a good work-out.  I hurt my left calf muscle recently while starting to run on the treadmill.  I'm thinking its because I didn't stretch first and was wearing cross trainer shoes instead of running shoes.  I've been eating pretty good.  I give myself a little break and am not so strict on the weekends.  This allows me to eat at parties or eat out with my boyfriend etc.  I still try to keep my portions small, make healther/cleaner choices and eat every 3-4hours.  I usually keep some kind of snacks in my purse so I don't wait too long to eat.  I've found I have a lot of leftovers when I eat out because I only eat 1/2 my meal & save the other 1/2 for later.  Saves money too.  I love that.

New workout plan:
Mon - Sauna 15-20min
        - Weights: Deltoids, Chest, Triceps (free weights or machines)
        - Cardio:  60minutes (choose from 1 or combo: Eliptical, Treadmill, Stairmaster)

Tue  - Sauna 15-20minutes
        - Weights: Quadraceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
        - Cardio: 60minutes

Wed - Sauna 10-15minutes
        - Cardio:  60minutes
           or it can be an REST DAY if I don't have time

Thur - Sauna 15-20minutes
        - Weights:  Back, Biceps, Glutes
        - Cardio:  60minutes

Fri  - Sauna 15-20minutes
      - Cardio:  60minutes

Sat - Sauna 15-20minutes
      - Cardio: 60minutes

Sun - REST DAY

New Goals:

• Push myself at the gym with amount of weights I can lift
• Cardio:  Intervals based on RPE (rate of perceived exertion)
• Buy a soft measuring tape
• Eat more veggies (3 servings/day)

That's it for now. Blessings & good health to all!

Results!

Ok, I know it hasn't been a week yet & my original plan was to give weekly updates but I just had to post this.  I have actually "seen" results now.  I don't have a good measuring tape so I decided to take pictures.  I actually started working out mid December but didn't take my first picture until January 25th.  I didn't see the results until I put the pictures side by side.  I love it and it motivates me even more to get out & be active.  It makes sweating in the gym all worth it. 
Check it out:  

Since I genetically tend to have a thicker waist & bust & smaller lower body I've been working on building my glutes, quads, hamstrings & upper body.  I haven't even been targeting my abs because I want to get rid of the fat first so you can actually see them.  My body is getting more balanced out.  That's in only 2 WEEKS!  My last weight check was Sunday.  It's tempting but I'm going to try & not do that so much.  I weighed 148lbs but since I'm building muscles the weight might not go down as fast.  What matters is how I look & feel in my clothes.

I started juicing again this morning.  (used my Jack LaLanne Juicer.)  I will need to make some changes tomorrow morning so that it has more carbs and fiber but here is what it contained:  1 clementine, 1 apple, 1 pear, pineapple, 1 celery stalk, 3 kale leaves, bunch of spinach & some water.  It was actually pretty tasty.  I was inspired by The Biggest Loser's Trainer Bob Harper. 

My drink just has the fruits & veggies but I'll start adding protein powder, flax seed & oatmeal tomorrow.  I'll have to be more accurate with measurements though because the calories can add up quickly.

Anyway, just wanted to give a good update here since I've been complaining so much.  It's always motivating to me to see people's transformations so I hope mine will inspire you to make a positive change for your health.

Until next time!  Blessings & good health to all!

Kelly

Goals...

So this week hasn't quite worked out the way I had set out for it to.  I'm not even going to write down a review of my goals because I didn't meet any.  One day in particular I made some poor food choices, too much time between meals and didn't get enough water.  I was hungry most of the day, felt bloated and needed a nap mid day.  Today I got back on track with exercise and eating right.  I noticed a huge difference.  I had much more energy today, wasn't hungry and generally felt better.  What a difference good nutrition and exercise makes! 

So on the positive side, this helps with my resolve to make this a lifestyle change and not a diet.  I remind myself that this is a process of change.  If you are on a fitness journey, if you've had dreams and set goals then "fell off the wagon", don't get discouraged.  Get right back on track.  Just because you've had a set-back, don't let that keep you off track.  Setting goals gives us direction in our lives.  We may not reach all of them and some may take longer than we expected, but if we continue to set goals and strive to reach them we will have success.  Success doesn't mean we never have failures or struggles.  Success is overcoming struggles and learning from failures/set-backs. 

Never give up on your fitness journey.  Never give in to discouragement.  "With God all things are possible."

Until next time!  Blessings & good health to all!

Kelly

Is the scale lying to me?

• Create weight training routine ---> Partially met.  It's just not as organized as I'd like
• Weight training 4x/week & Cardio 4x/week @ 30mins/each --> Met.  5x/wk!
• Continue eating 6x/day; every 3-4hrs -----> about 5x/day every 3-4hrs
• DRINK MORE WATER! (at least 3L/day) ---> Almost.  Drinking about 2L/day
• Re-subscribe to a fitness magazine for inspiration and advice ---> Done & awaiting 1st magazine
• Lose 2 more pounds ----------------> Met.  Actually, per the gym scale this morning I've lost 6 more pounds!  Current Weight:  144lbs

So, last week was a great week.  I'm surprised about the extra weight loss though & am wondering if it's just water weight (been using the sauna) because I don't notice much difference in the fit of my clothes.  We'll see if it sticks.  I'm looking forward to actually seeing & feeling a difference.

I tried Zumba last Friday.  I looked ridiculous, but had a lot of fun.  I love the beats & it makes the workout go by fast.  I need to get a beginner's DVD so I can practice at home.  I'm starting to look forward to having sore muscles.  It lets me know that I had a good workout.  My food choices are better.  I went to 2 birthday parties over the weekend.  That was hard.  I didn't deny myself too much, just had smaller portions & tried to fill up on fruit & veggie snacks.  It felt good that I passed on a piece of cake Saturday but Sunday I ate about 10-15 peanut M&M's.  Not gonna beat myself up over it though.

Got back on track yesterday.  Today's lunch was pretty tasty.  It was adapted from my recent Oxygen magazine.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Kernal Corn
• Black Beans
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Chicken Breast
• Lemon/Lime, Red Chile, Cumin & Cilantro Dressing

Loved the dressing!  And it was low fat, no oil!  Very easy to make & tasty.  Anyway....The Biggest Loser is on so I gotta go.

Goals this week:

• Lose 2lbs
• Workout 4-5x
• Start taking Calcium daily (because I have osteopenia)
• Eat more veggies
• Write out weight training plan

Blessings & good health to all.  :-)

Kelly

The Biggest Loser Yoga

I didn't go to the gym yesterday.  Before you let out a loud gasp let me say...I walked to the library (about a 20minutes one way walk) got The Biggest Loser Yoga DVD and cookbook, came home and did 45minutes of Yoga.  Wow!  Yoga really works...I can totally feel it today in my hamstrings, quads, back and trapezius muscles...and it feels gooood.  I picked up 3 more Biggest Loser workout DVD's later in the day.  Today I'm going to do level 1 of Jillian Michael's 30day shred.  The workouts are only 20minutes....nice, and look really good.  She has a 3-2-1 system which includes 3minutes cardio, 2minutes resistence, 1minute abs then you do it all over again without resting.  Its supposed to give you fast results with short workout times.  Sounds good to me.  Check them out.  I highly recommend them.  Let me know what you think.

Okay, I can't blog anymore.  I'm have to get my workout on. 

Blessings & good health to all.  :-)

Kelly

*  NOTE:  Hey...if you're reading this please comment.  I would love to communicate with like-minded people who want to live healthier lives.  Maybe we can help each other.  :-)

Revised plan

Ok...I've been a little frustrated.  It's been 1 month & I haven't noticed much of a difference in weight OR the fit in my clothes (especially my jeans).  So, I've decided to do what I've heard for a long time....spend more time weight training, build muscle which will increase my resting metabolism & burn fat even when I'm not working out.

Goals from last blog were:

• Re-subscribe to a fitness magazine for inspiration and advice --------------------------> Didn't do it yet but bought 2
• Plan/Shop for healthier meals & eat every 3-4hrs ----------> Done
• Work out 4 days ------------------------------> 3x/week
• Lose 2 more pounds --------------------------> Not met  :-(

I pulled out my old Oxygen Magazines & was reading an article by Tosca Reno (over 40, fit & fabulous!)  In the article she says..."Running felt safe.  All I had to do was jump on the treadmill and push the quick-start button.  Training with weights is another story altogether."  This is exactly how I've felt.  Doing the treadmill, Eliptical & Stairmaster are easy & brainless activities.  I need to get a plan, a routine for weight training.

Next piece of advise from the article is to "Map it out" by using a training journal.  I've been keeping track of workouts in my cell phone calendar, but that doesn't seem to be working well.  I've done a notebook journal  before that included workouts & food journal & that seemed to work well for me.  So I'm going to do that & see how it works.

Tosca Reno used to be overweight, no energy & overall unhealthy.  She is one of my inspirations because she changed all that.  I love to see people transformed.  Wow!  Check her out!

What an inspiration!










Goal for this week: 

• Create weight training routine
• Weight training 4x/week & Cardio 4x/week @ 30mins/each
• Continue eating 6x/day; every 3-4hrs
• DRINK MORE WATER! (at least 3L/day)

Here's my Fitness Journal that I plan on printing & taking to each workout.

Day 1:
Meal #1:
Snack:
Meal #2:
Snack:
Meal #3:
Snack:
Cardio:
Weights:
Current Weight:
Feelings about progress to date:
Biggest Change So Far:
Goals:

INSPIRATION PHOTOS:

Blessings & good health to all.  :-)

Kelly

On My Way....Slowly

Since my last blog I was trying to find some inspiration and started watching "The Biggest Loser".  I can't wait until the next season starts.  They're work outs were intense but really inspired me to push myself at the gym.  It's been 3 weeks now that I've been going to the gym consistently (3x/week for approx 2hrs each time).

I started out on the Treadmill for 30minutes, then trying to do weight machines for about 20-30minutes and finishing off with 20minutes on the Eliptical.  I got bored with the weight machines pretty quickly.  Without a personal trainer I found myself having to read each machine...many of which seem to work the same exact muscle group.  To me this seemed to be such a waste of time.  Why can't they just make 1 or 2 machines for each muscle group to save time?  I spoke to a trainer at LA Fitness (which is the membership I have) and she said that they work the same muscles "differently".  I smiled and nodded but it still seems like a waste of time to me and didn't take away from the boredom.

This past week I tried a Matt Pilates class and 2 Yoga classes in addition to switching from the treadmill to the Stairmaster.  Matt Pilates was more difficult than I remember it being.  Yoga was hard too but the slower pace worked better for me.  I'm not into the "sun salutation" and other religious/spiritual aspects of it but want to benefit from the stretching, strengthening and relaxation it provides.  I really like the Stairmaster and am hoping it will really help my butt.  I am genetically challenged in that area.

I weighed myself at the gym and was not happy with what I saw.  Only a 2lb weight loss so far.  WHAT??!!!!  I get that I'm replacing fat with muscle but come on!  Very frustrating but I'm not going to let that discourage me.  I haven't made drastic changes in my diet up til now so my next step is to make improvements there.  I started this morning at about 8:00am with Oatmeal and soy milk topped with walnuts, blueberries, raspberries and a teaspoon of honey.  Yum!  Oh, almost forgot...I had a cup of coffe too.  Yes, it had sugar!  I'm not ready to give that up yet.  Small steps are better than no steps, right?

One of my next goals is to start planning my menus so that I can eat every 3-4hours and drink 3 liters of water daily.  For me, this isn't as easy as it sounds, but I know it can be done.

Until I can afford a Personal Trainer I found a website online to help me in tracking and achieving my goals.  Its called My Home Personal Trainer (http://www.myhomepersonaltrainer.com/eft/fitnesstracker5.asp).  They have a free subscription, which of course I chose, and a fee subscription with I'm sure some great things.  The biggest help so far is the ability to keep track of workouts on their calendar.  I need to play with it a little more to get full use of it.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Ok, so Goal for this week: 

• Re-subscribe to a fitness magazine for inspiration and advice
• Plan/Shop for healthier meals & eat every 3-4hrs
• Work out 4 days
• Lose 2 more pounds

It's 10:51am right now and I'm feeling hungry already.  Time to eat and start planning my meals!  Until next time! 

Blessings & good health to all.  :-)

Kelly

The Journey Begins

December 21, 2010

So, I've never blogged before in my life.  I'm not a big talker but thought this would be good for me to help me stay on track with my goals and help process the feelings, frustrations and challenges I might be going through.  Who knows, maybe I'll actually meet my goals and help someone else in the process.

"Before" picture:

I had a goal in my late 30's to look and feel better in my 40's than I did in my 20's.  I just turned 41 this past October and unfortunately I'm fatter than I've ever been and I'm tired all the time.

Current
Ht:  5'2"  
   Weight:   152lbs
   BMI:  27.9%
   Bust:   39" 
   Bra Sz:  39D or 38DD (from Victoria's Secret)
   Waist:  36"
   Hips:  39"
   Cholesterol:   Total (284)   LDL 186   HDL  77  Trig 104
I've been thinking lately about how uncomfortable I am in my clothes, heck in my own skin, and how I hate shopping for clothes because I can't fit into the cute clothes I like.  Which led me to think about how I've really let myself go.  I told my boyfriend last week when we were out shopping that I'm surprised he's not embarrased to be seen with me.  That is pretty sad that I feel that way.  I am frustrated with myself that I've let myself go.  I mean, I don't look like a slob or anything.  I get dressed for church every Sunday but my every day look is pretty plain.  I decided I don't want that any more.  I want to feel good about how I look.  I want my boyfriend to be proud to be with me.  Don't get me wrong, he loves me regardless of whether I'm overweight or don't have any make up on, but I want him to be wowed.  I want him to say "That's 'my' girl and she's hot!" 

So my boyfriend and I got a membership at LA Fitness.  I started last Tuesday with my "complimentary" personal training session.  Wow!  He kicked my butt and it was only for about 20 minutes of exercises.  Didn't use any machines, just walking squats and some other things.  I started with 30minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the eliptical.  My goal is to do 2 hours at least 3 times per week.  So far so good :-)

Now that I've gotten off my butt and started sweating, I need to get a plan with goals written down.  That's where this blog comes in handy.  So here it is:

Long-Term Goals (1 year - December 2011)
  - Weight:  115lbs
  - Sz 5 jeans
  - BMI:  20-24%
  - Bust:   36" 
  - Bra Sz:  36B
  - Waist:  26"
 - Hips:  36"
 - Cholesterol:   Total <200
 - Toned
 - Increased flexibility
 - More energy
 - Healthier/Glowing skin
 - Inspire/Help others

Short-Term Goals (6months - June 2011): 
 - Weight:  122 (30lb weight loss)
 - Wear size 7 comfortably
 - Healthy cholesterol

Short-term Goals (3 month - March 2011):
 - Weight:  137lbs (15lb weight loss)
 - Gym 3-4x/week
 - Eat healthier
 - Fit comfortably in sz 9 jeans

Well, that's it for now.  I'll add on more as I think of it.  Remember, I've never done this before, so I hope I'm not too boring.

Blessings & good health to all.  :-)

Kelly