Sets Backs are Just Come Backs Waiting To Happen

Two months ago, the end of October, things were going great! I was motivated and determined to be in the best shape by December 25th (yep, that's right Christmas). Two inches quickly fell off my waist and hips and I was feeling like an all star! But then reality set in and I became a frequent sinner of the religion that is "The Diet." 

After taking a three day vacation from working out to spend some quality time with the hubby in mid-November, I quickly lost any motivation to continue eating clean. The workout schedule remained the same but, with the clean eating gone, the results stalled. But I thought it may just be a plateau. I threw in two 18 hour fasts and lost some more weight (I almost got under 140!!!) but the measurements remained the same...proof that scales lie their pants off!

Needless to say,early December yielded few results.Then the shi*at* really hit the fan when my birthday came around and I ate my way through probably enough food to account for a herd of hamsters. That's a lot by the way. Blah! I knew it was bad and was taking me further from my goals...but I didn't care, instant gratification baby!  The problem grew worse as it was cookie baking time and you have to sample your work! I did a lot of sampling...o hell... I ate most of the cookies...lets be real. AND then Christmas, we all know the ending to this story, I won't insult your intelligence by explaining it! 

December 25th, It was goal day and the results were cripplingly painful. I had failed. I failed to meet any of the goals for myself and not only that, I had gained 6 pounds back which put me right where I started pre-diet! A sad story to be sure, but, as most failures do, it has a silver lining. Post-Christmas, I find myself more motivated and, perhaps, more leveled headed and honest about my body goals. Failure is just a tool in your toolbox. Reflect, Analyze...and set a new goal! 

After all, everyday is a chance to start over, you can be whoever you want to be, you just have to decide to be it and want it bad enough!

Lets toolbox the shi*at* out of my failure!

Reflection:

So what did I do so wrong?? 

-I think my deadline was a terrible date. I should have realized after "the failure that was Thanksgiving" that I would need to push my deadline past December 25th. My bullheadedness wouldn't let me move it though, it was a commitment and I was sticking to it! If I had been smarter though, I would have reevaluated and corrected course early.

-Letting myself take a long weekend off...it just killed my motivation to eat all the terrible stuff I wasn't supposed to be

-Not understanding my body well enough to know that I hadn't hit a plateau but needed to analyze my habits instead (hind sight is twenty-twenty, right?)

-Not scheduling diet/workouts for the weekends...weekends killed any accelerated weight loss I might have had!

Analyze:

How can I do better?

-Pick an honest and reachable deadline...avoid major food holidays...I am only human!

-Weekends need to be structured and planned! 

-When things don't go the way I think they should have, take the time to analyze and do minor adjustments

-Be honest with my goals, idealizing my goals will only lead to failure, however, I still need to make sure I am stretching myself

New Goal:

I want to make smaller goals with the ultimate goal still being my original goal...New date!

OVERALL GOAL

Goal for April 3,2014
Natural Waist	28
Hips	35
Weight	132
Body Fat %	25%
Chest	29.5
Thighs	22
Upper Arm	11.25

Goal for January 15th
Natural Waist	29.5
Hips	38
Weight	140
Body Fat %	30
Chest	30.75
Thighs	22.5
Upper Arm	11.25

Post-Work Day Yoga

Found a great yoga workout online today! My legs are giddy with the thought of doing the lizard pose! Just had to share!
Currently working on the post December 25 deadline post, it's a tough one to write but it's in the works!

http://www.fitsugar.com/Best-Yoga-Poses-Office-Workers-24640282#photo-24640296

Tapering, Good for the Soul

This is the post of what happens when your quest to awesomeness turns out to be not-so-awesome.

I’m frustrated (To put it ever so mildly and in as few words as possible)! My journey towards epic changes in my health and body have not been going so well! I started out so well and lost an inch almost everywhere after two weeks! But that was back in October. It’s now December and my December 25 goal is quickly approaching. And, yet, I am still far from goals and my body has not much changed since October. Granted, it hasn’t gotten any worse either but it’s still super frustrating to devote time and money to something and have it yield zero results!

After I got done being overly pissed about the situation, I tried to analyze what happened over the course of November and the first two weeks of December. What was I doing? What was I lacking? What life events were going on?

Just to name a few – thanksgiving feasts, my motivation temporarily being knocked unconscious (that required some real intense resuscitating!), sitting a TON at work. Gordon even thought that it might be an exercise plateau (and I don’t disagree with him on that!)

All these things have led me down the path to failure towards my goal! But, When you steer off course, you don’t continue to head down that path, you adjust.

Taking my own advice, with my deadline less than ten days away, I need to put a new game plan into action. I plan to switch up my workout plan this week – a wake-up call in  a sense! I am going to attempt this week to do Jillian Michaels 30-day shred (this workout video has many great reviews for people of all ages and sizes) and perhaps throw in a random rest day that I’m not used to. I also want to start using my fitbit activity tracker that tracks my daily steps in an attempt to get my amount of sitting at work under control. (if you don’t know what the fitbit is, it’s this awesome little gadget that can track your steps, sleep, and activity level)

This will be a welcome change to slow in pace for me this week. It seems bizarre to me to stop working so hard so close to my goal date but changing your body and health for the better is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and most endurance athletes-like the marathon runner- taper before their big competition! As far as diet goes, Gordon and I are trying to stick as close to clean eating as possible. With it being the holiday’s, however, we realize that some diet forgiveness will be in order (holiday party, birthday, Christmas cookies – tis life to enjoy the small happiness of the holiday.)

I also realize that now my goals that I set back in October might be too lofty to achieve in ten days. I could change them, but I won’t. Sometimes failure to reach our goals can teach us more about who we are and about how our bodies react more than success. 

Back to Basics Work Out AND Weigh In Friday!

Back to Basics

Crazy Jedi Mind Tricks
Photo from: http://www.gojessi.com/training/

I love to try new things when I work out. I have recently been trying out those TRX Straps, it’s pretty crazy what you can do on those suckers! Seriously, you feel like a Jedi!

Kettle bells are an awesome tool that are so versatile, and who could forget the awesomeness of the stability ball, and the bosu ball…I could go on forever about all the neat toys in a gym.

But sometimes I think we all get too caught up in the newest and coolest toys that we sometimes forget how beneficial the basics can be. I also think that if you’re new to working out, all the toys is the gym can 1. Intimidating and 2. so much easier to use improperly and hurt yourself. I definitely would recommend someone new to working out to start with the some basic moves with little to no weight. Below is a great base workout that can be done with as much weight as you would like (or none for that matter, it’s awesome on it’s own). I've done this work out a few times and find it beneficial and extremely adaptable to your fitness goals. Also, you can adjust your reps based on skill level and the weight you are using. (If you are doing less reps, consider a heavier weight. If you are doing more reps, consider lighter weight or no weight at all – Note: all new to working out should try this workout with no weight, at least for the first set, and then see how you feel and what you can take on).

Try to do three sets!

Weigh in Friday

Results were mixed this week with weigh in Friday. L My chest and pants waist are looking decent compared to my starting measurements, but everything seems pretty much the same compared to two weeks ago. Although, I must admit, I can’t be too hard on myself because I maintained  my weight and size through Thanksgiving and that’s definitely a victory!

Some other forgivable factors that I have to take into account are

- this week was extra stressful at work (admittedly, not over stressful – I just feel like I was being
pulled in a million different directions!)

-I had a hard time hydrating myself this week. I don’t know if it was the weather, it was unusually
warm here this week, or if it was just my body’s natural cycle

As of October 30, 2013:	As of December 6, 2013
Chest:                  32 inches	Chest	30.75
Natural Waist:   30 inches	Natural Waist	29
Hips:                   38.5 inches	Hips	38.1
Thighs:               22.75 inches	Thighs	22.5
Upper Arm:         10.75 inches	Upper Arm	11.25
Pants Waist:       36 Inches	Pants Waist	35.2
Weight:              142 pounds	Weight	140
Body Fat %:       28%	Body Fat %	28%
Goals for December 25,2013
Natural Waist:   28 inches
Hips:                35 inches
Weight:             135 pounds
Body Fat%: 25%

On the plus side, I only need to lose five pounds to reach my goal weight! 

Two weeks to go! :-D

Resuscitating My Motivation

Thanksgiving was great! Great food, great family, great friends! Loved every second of it! That being said, everything on my diet/workout plan came to a full-stop (almost!). Spending time relaxing with the husband and our families was just so enjoyable! I definitely drank too much wine (YUM!) on more than a few days over the past week!  I also pigged out on Thanksgiving food. (seriously, who didn’t?)

Finding the motivation to start again on my epic journey of awesomeness has been quite the struggle!  I just didn’t feel happy/excited to continue on it. (and the thought of not eating all that buttery deliciousness was so depressing!) However, I knew I had to put on my hard hat and get to work. So how did I find that elusive motivation?

First things first – I ate a few healthy meals while still enjoying a little bit of Thanksgiving leftovers

Then-I got back to my exercise plan (ran Sunday, spinning on Monday, kettlebells AND spinning on Tuesday)

AND I STILL DIDN’T FEEL MOTIVATED…WHAT?! GRRR!

This is going to sound completely absurd, but what finally did the trick was reading other people’s success stories on websites like nerdfitness.com. Seeing how other people succeeded made me want to recommit and be fully awesome! (I guess that’s not too absurd, huh?)  it’s amazing how just reading about others achievements can completely flip your switch!

What motivates you to keep going when all motivation seems lost?

PS. My measurements had not really changed when I weighed in a week ago and I purposely didn’t measure over Thanksgiving. Weigh in day on Friday! We will see how this goes…

That’s High Quality Water…Errr, Gatorade…Errr Coconut Water!

Which is really the best for fueling you?

Seems like these days everyone is drinking something different to fuel their workouts. From Gatorade to coconut water, everyone has their own secret mix of high performance beverages. But are they really any better than water? Can a bottle of Gatorade, really make your grueling runs and arduous bike rides more enjoyable? As I am always looking for more something to make me feel less like throwing up during a workout, I looked into the science behind the products and consumer reviews.

Water

Water is crucial to any diet. Think of water as your base, it can help support your body with the other performance beverages that you may be drinking.

There are a ton of benefits to water, here’s a neat diagram from howstuffworks.com showing the most common benefits:

Water can also help you lose weight (makes you feel fuller), Exercise easier, boost your mood, and stave off DEHYDRATION (perhaps the biggest perk of water!) ALSO…ZERO CALORIES! WHAT, WHAT?!

Gatorade

Originally, Gatorade was composed of salt, sugar, water, food coloring, and citrus flavoring. Now every line of Gatorade differs on their ingredients list. Most Gatorade still contains those base ingredients and a few flavor variations contain brominated vegetable oil used as a stabilizer. SCARY! Brominated vegetable oil has been linked to cramping, blurred vision, and vomiting!

On a positive note, they have begun to use stevia sugar to sweeten some of their low calorie drinks.

Stevia has yet to be linked to any major health issues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatorade)

The beautiful thing about Gatorade is that it contains carbohydrates (Sugar has a place in our diets!). The sugar (or carbohydrates, essentially the same thing in the body) breaks down very quickly and gives us the energy that is in great demand when we work out. Also, the electrolytes (salt, potassium and chloride) found in Gatorade replaces those same minerals we are losing through sweat.

If you aren’t workout, Gatorade should not be part of your diet, unless you are severely dehydrated for some other reason.

Coconut Water

I recently discovered the beauty of coconut water. It is slightly bitter when not mixed with other things. I actually love the vitacoco flavors pineapple and mango. Coconut water has less sugar than other sports drinks, like Gatorade, but you can still drink way too much of the stuff. Again, it’s one of those things that you should only drink if you are dehydrated or need to perform at an optimal level during exercise. It is alos rich in sodium and postassium (replace those electrolytes baby!). Plus, it’s all natural!

So Which is best?

From multiple confirming sources including the Huffington Post and the New York Times, coconut water was better, but not by much, at fluid retention through a workout. For exercise performance, there was little to no difference between water, sports drinks, and coconut water.

A good point to mention that the New York Times stated is that sports drinks (including coconut water) serve a purpose for those who exercise for long periods of time (longer than an hour) but water was probably the best option for shorter periods of exercise.

What’s your favorite way of fueling during a workout?

Shut Up and WORK IT!

My college softball team used to say this chant before every game. We huddle together and say some motivational words sprinkled with smiles and winks and then we would put our hands in and someone would, "Ladies, lets get to..." and we'd all shout back a resounding, "WORK!" It made sense, we were about to do something that required a tremendous amount of focus, tenacity, and teamwork. It always got us going and ready to play.

Now out of school for two years now (I'm SO old, I know!), I had almost forgotten about the battle cry, until I read a post by the Fitness Nerd entitled "The Three Real Reasons People Succeed" (read it here: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/10/22/3-reasons-people-succeed/). Great article! (I actually recommend that you read anything from the Fitness Nerd and his troops of rebellious nerds. He is so inspiring and will make you want to change your life!) Anyhow, after reading the article, I remembered how empowered and excited I felt when we acknowledged the amount of work we were about to take on and we "put on our hard hats" and got to work!

I think the same concept rings true for anything you want to accomplish in life, such as my journey to my fittest self. You must start out accepting, acknowledging, and fervently launching yourself into the work that must be done. Any path worth following will surely have some obstacles and work will need to be done.

I know myself well enough to shamefully admit that I start out projects with such gusto, like the hey-i'm-going-to-JUST-DO-IT, nose to grindstone, get work done! After a short duration, reality sets in and I start to get back to my normal half-arsed, “I don't need to put all of myself into this” attitude. And it happened with THIS fitness journey all too quickly! I once again followed in my normal path of jumping in feet first only to have my excitement wane as the weeks wore on, and it was only three weeks! First, my self-talk (you know, those little things you think about yourself) and the way I talk to others goes way negative, then my attitude begins to change from positive to nearly-pessimistic. It’s not long after that that my original mission nearly goes down the toilet!

So it all comes down to attitude.

Often, and all-too-recently, I forget that my attitude and the words I say physically affect those around me, my stress, and, in this case, my workouts.  Recently, I have found myself stressed and saying negative things about activities I love. I didn't worry about it too much until it reached its pinnacle last Thursday at my kettle bell class. I said something negative about one of the exercises the fitness instructor had us do. I meant it in a kidding kind of way but the instructor snapped back at me and caught me off guard. I didn't understand why he was mad. And then I thought, "Why am I being so negative, why am I making excuses?" This was my fault, this ones on me. So after being pissed at him for awhile because he snapped at me, I let it be a learning lesson that I need to adjust my attitude and my words. For someone who prides herself on having a positive optimistic attitude, I sure have to make that adjustment  an awful lot! I'm reminded of this lesson at least twice a year when my attitude starts to get sh..atty.

It was almost fate that I read this article, if you believe in that sort of thing. Read a snippet from the article below:

Those that fail give up at the slightest sign of resistance.  They willingly accept that “things got busy” or “I had a bad day” or “I don’t have time,” and then they complain that they can’t seem to get healthy. They get overly excited when the scale reads lower than expected, and then they become inconsolable when the scale moves up a single pound the next week.

Those that succeed?  They put on their “hard hats,” and go to work. No complaints. No excuses.  No feeling sorry for themselves.  Just progress.  They understand there will be good days and bad, busy days and slow days, days filled with awesomeness and days filled with sadness. They don’t allow themselves to ride the roller coaster of emotion.  They just shut up and do work.

...

Hard hats go on, clocks get punched, and work gets done.

              

 -Steve at NerdFitness.com

Life hands us attitude checks sometimes and it boils down to whether we accept the lesson or ignore it and continue to be pessimists (as Life Is Good says- there's no sense being pesimistic, it wouldn't work any way). How often do you have to re-apply that hard hat and go to work? Is it time for you to go to WORK?

Attitude check...where's your's today?

I know where mine is, it's time for me to shut up, drop the excuses, scratch the complaints and GET TO WORK!

Weigh In Friday!

It’s weigh in Friday!

I’m uber excited! For the first time since starting my fitness journey, I have some real results to post!

As of October 30, 2013:	As of November 15, 2013:	Changes
Chest:                  32 inches	Chest:                  32 inches	0
Natural Waist:   30 inches	Natural Waist:   28.75 inches	-1.25
Hips:                   38.5 inches	Hips:                   37.75 inches	-0.75
Thighs:               22.75 inches	Thighs:               23 inches	0.25
Upper Arm:         10.75 inches	Upper Arm:         11.25 inches	0.5
Pants Waist:       36 Inches	Pants Waist:       34 Inches	-2
Weight:              142 pounds	Weight:              140 pounds	-2
Body Fat %:       28%	Body Fat %:       26%	-2%

YA! Getting close to my goals and its only the middle of November! This weekend will prove to be challenging though as we are celebrating Thanksgiving with the hubby’s family!

*Fingers crossed* I can get through the weekend virtually weight-gain free.

Although I know that lifting and cardio have made such a difference, I think diet has played a major part in my success so far. Gordon and I have both been following the clean eating diet pretty closely. That means no chemicals, no ingredients we can’t pronounce, and virtually no sugar. If you want more information about clean eating, The Gracious Pantry is a great place to start, she has so much knowledge and great recipes for clean eating (http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating/). There are also a ton of recipes out there on the internet! We have also tried concocting a few of our own, most have been super yummy, and a few have not L Both Gordon and I have said that we feel better, lighter, we sleep better, and find we have more energy. Also, huge plus, we are hardly ever hungry when we eat clean!   I will also say that we don’t follow it exactly to the T. We use as many fresh ingredients as possible but don’t stress out about things like a half a teaspoon of sugar in our morning coffee. Granted, we might not be seeing the accelerated weight loss that we could, but it has also allowed us to keep our sanity as we are both on the run all the time. One of our favorite snacks since eating clean has been popcorn with a little bit of salt (and a very little bit of natural butter!)YUM!

It’s worked for us!

Here’s one of our clean eating meals from earlier this week. It’s parmeasan chicken with a fresh pepper and cucumber salad! So Yummy!

 *Hugs*

Following Through

Another success! Tuesday I attended my lifting class again followed by spinning, although I must admit that after Mental Health Monday, it was incredibly hard to get going agian! But I did it! and plan to repeat the insanity on Thursday!

“I did great, I’m so proud…not so fast!” I accomplished such an amazing work out day but now I don’t know how to follow up on Wednesday! What should follow a full body lift day and intense cardio?!

Now, I know what your currently screaming in a THIS-IS-SPARTA, overly dramatic voice, “Pure cardio!” But, there’s another caveat! My Wednesdays are insane! I literally leave the house at 7:30 am and get home around 10 pm, I am not a morning workout type of person (tried it, just can’t get up that early to get a good work out in!). The only time I have to work out is during my lunch hour. But that hour is chopped up because of showering, driving, etc. Down to brass tacks, I have about 20 minutes to work out. GREAT! So I’m thinking cardio circuit, Right?! But…wait… the circuit can’t have push-ups, squats, lunges or abs because I did a butt-load (it’s a real measurement, look it up) during yesterday’s work out! And, hence, frustration ensues! So I need something that’s mostly cardio, that I can do in my living room (no tredmil), and can be done in 20 minutes or less! I’d love to hear any ideas you guys have!

Here’s what I did yesterday as a quick and dirty work out

Quick & Dirty – 5x20 Circuit
Jumping Jacks	5x20
Mountain Climbers	5x20
High Knees	5x20
Burpees	5x10

It got me sweating and kept the “lactic acid” from building. (More on lactic acid in another post, but I’m truly not certain that it even exists, some science is saying it doesn’t!). Also, I lowered the number of burpees from 20 to 10 because of time constraints, if I did 100 burpees, I would literally be there all day! I'll save that for another day!

That’s all for today! I'd love to hear your ideas for a great follow up workout!

Keep it sweaty <3

The Proverbial Wagon

So I fell, you guessed it, off the clean eating wagon this past weekend! BUMMER! ugh! Seriously, weekends are my nemesis! 

Something about the weekend just makes me want to let go of all the work I put in the past week and relax AND EAT MY DARN ICE CREAM!

So now it's Monday and, thanks to a terrible diet all weekend, I have no energy to work out and feel like I am starting back at square one! Not to mention, the weekend stressed me out more than it relaxed me! I feel like I need to take Monday night off and just regain my bearings! I need a day of good diet and some time with the hubby! 

I read an awesome blog post today by Isabel Foxen Duke (http://isabelfoxenduke.com/) that totally inspired me to make peace with my diet this past weekend and perhaps I need to rethink the whole idea of the wagon...there is no wagon grasshopper!  READ THE ARTICLE: http://isabelfoxenduke.com/why-youve-fallen-off-the-wagon-again/ it will change how you think about the wagon! 

So I think Isabel is on to something, although I don't think I can completely give up my wagon and my need to restrict my diet just yet, I think I can start to incorporate some of the ideas Isabel presents in her terrific blog about understanding your mental relationship with food. To tackle next weekend, I think I will try scheduling desserts and special treats in hopes that if i schedule the snacks, I won't throw away my whole eating plan just because I ate half a pint of Ben and Jerry's froyo! I'll keep you updated on how that goes! 

Here's to a Mental Health Monday! Cheers!

Slow Progress Is Still Progress!

Double Yoi! What a crazy two weeks it has been! The official start to my body transformation journey has been slightly rocky and I must apologize for not updating you guys with whats been going on! sorry sorry! Anyhow, my workout plans were slightly thwarted during week 1 as my body got used to the strength training, or shall I say, as my body punished me for being so overly ambitious! I did my first strength training class that Tuesday  and my ARMS, ABS, LEGS were so sore that I couldn't even fathom doing another lifting class until the following Thursday! Mind you, my abs still hurt two weeks later! haha

On the bright side, I was able to get in almost a full week of working out. I alternated between spinning classes and Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (I skipped the parts the required lifts that engaged the super sore muscles - including the ab portion :-( I love doing abs but it literally felt like someone was tearing my ab muscles apart!) 

The second week was so much more successful! I went to spinning on Monday and did both a lifting class and spinning class on Tuesday and Thursday! I slept like a baby those nights! I was little frustrated with spinning through, my heart rate just doesn't get as high as it should for a 24 year old! (my spinning instructor uses heart rates to lead his classes) There's a lot of different schools of thought when it comes to heart rate, but almost every school says that heart rate is specific to the individual. My spinning instructor/trainer is convinced that mine should be higher and I want it to be higher...Throw another goal on the pile why dont we! here's what my current heart rate looks like during a normal spin class:

145-149 bpm - 65%

160-162 bmp - 80%

185 bmp - COOKED! 

My goal for my future heart rate is....dun dun dun...190! UGH! What the heck is wrong with me! I want to throw up/pass out at 185, heck lets add an extra 5 beats, maybe my heart will explode! haha But seriously, I think I may be able to tap that number within a year, if I keep working toward it and accept the fact that it's going to be extremely painful! 

As for my other goals, not so hot after two weeks! But, it's only been two weeks and I've added lifting to my regimen, so of course the weight loss isn't going to be as accelerated as if I were just cutting calories

(as of 11/7)

Waist: 30 

Hips: 37.75

Arms: 11.25

Thighs: 23

Neck: 12.5

Chest: 31

Weight: 142

Slow progress, still progress! Happy Friday at least!

Working out...is only the beginning

It’s been a journey already, and it’s only the beginning! Ever since middle school, actually 7^th grade, I’ve been interested in fitness and everything health related. I’ve always possessed the desire to be one of the fittest and thinnest girls in school. And, as much as I desired to truly be one of the skinniest girls, I was far from actually practicing all of my healthy habits and, hence,I was far from one of the skinniest girls. I love junk food, what can I say, and, although I love to work out, there are just days I am not up to it!  

So to sum up years of yo-yo dieting, yo-yo exercising, yo-yo eating-nothing-to-eating-everything-also-known-as-binge-eating, I have basically remained the same not thin, but not fat girl! I desperately want to change that! And, although going towards the not thin end of the spectrum would be easier and, honestly, probably more fun, I desperately want to be the not fat girl, the skinny girl with toned arms and dare I say toned abs! :-o

What has made me finally desire to go whole-hog, for all the peanuts, the whole nine yards? It’s been a mix of things, but mostly what it took was a disgustingly boring desk (and I mean DESK, like 8 hours of sitting DESK) job. It’s a decent job and anyone my age (ripe old age of 24!) should be proud to have ANY job in this labor market. But I've come to find, I am not okay with the mediocrity and cannot accept the status quo! (Rant Warning) I am not okay with a job I am not passionate about, I am not okay with becoming another woman who let herself go because of a job or a man. I am not okay with my hips growing proportionally as wide as my desk chair. I need to change this pattern! (End Rant) Boring job + No exercise + Boredom eating = not so thin girl.

So I eventually know that I need to change my job and after a lot of soul searching and a lot of unsureness, I’ve decided to pursue my dream of being a fit+tone+healthy chica!

Because I like money, need to pay the bills, and pay for the bells and whistles of my weight loss/tone up plan,I plan to stick with my day job for as long as necessary. Eventually though, I hope to inspire other women to trade in, upgrade, or improve their current fitness situation! I want to become a personal trainer! It feels good to write that, to see it written outside of my mind. Hey, it’s on the internet now, it’s as good as written in wet cement with a stick…this stuff anit ever going anywhere! (pardon the grammar mistakes, it just seemed right for the moment!)

So, what’s my plan you ask?

In less words:

Get in awesome shape

Then,

Earn training/nutrition certifications

Then,

Start teaching classes

Then,

Inspire people to change their own fitness situation!

Okay, so that was really simple! Yea right! Ha! I know the road will be extremely difficult, but, I’m passionate and you can’t beat that.

In more words:

So listen, does this make sense to anyone else? I can’t instruct anyone on how to get their best body or be nutritionally healthy if I don’t feel that way myself! Based on this notion, my first goal on the road to personal training and nutrition inspiration needs to be to become that not-so-fat girl I’ve always wanted to be!

To achieve this mini (actually quite LARGE, I mean HUGE) goal, I have started lifting with my spinning instructor and all around good guy, he gets some crazy notions sometimes (mostly about working out) but he gets fitness! I will be taking his crazy insane kettlebell & TRX bands workout paired with an intense spinning class. Here’s my week breakdown (this is more for me than for any reader I may ever get)

Monday: Spinning (approx. 400 cal burn)

Tuesday:  Lifting + Spinning (approx. 900 cal burn) holy shnikies! That’s two insane hours of working out!

Wednesday: 20 minute circuit workout  (approx. 250-300 cal burn)

Thursday: Lifting + Spinning (approx. 900 cal burn)

Friday: Rest day…MAYBE

Saturday: Fun work out – Spinning/running/workout video

Sunday: Rest Day or Yoga

Okay, now this will be painful (much more painful than my workout plan) but here are my starting numbers…ouie…why am I doing this again? Note to all: I am not over weight by any means, like earlier posts have said, I have always teetered on the verge between thin and fat.

As of October 30, 2013:

Chest:                  32 inches

Natural Waist:   30 inches

Hips:                   38.5 inches

Thighs:               22.75 inches

Upper Arm:         10.75 inches

Pants Waist:       36 Inches

Weight:              142 pounds (148 on weekends :-P)

Body Fat %:       28% based on US Navy Calculator

Goals for December 25,2013

Natural Waist:   28 inches

Hips:                35 inches

Weight:             135 pounds - holding strong!

Body Fat%: 25%

So there you have it! Where I am at and where I would like to be by CHRISTMAS! I figure Christmas was a good goal because the holidays tend to be a time when everyone (including myself) over indulges. Although there will be cookies and candy everywhere, I hope that my goal will keep me focused enough to avoid as much as of holiday weight as possible. But that's my path in a nut shell! What path are you building for yourself?

I think some inspirational quotes are in order