Yesterday was my 700th post, how exciting is that? And I'm almost to 40,000 reads. This blog started as a place to document my life once I moved to Florida away from all my friends and family but it has grown to be so much more than that.
I wanted to talk a little today about accountability. I touched on it earlier this week in 'Everyone Needs a Tribe?' which happened to be a really well received post that many of you got in touch with me about after.
I had mentioned here on the blog that after New York, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis I'd worked on my 'life plan' each time I went away and came back with renewed energy to tackle my ultimate to do list, and new ideas for just how to make it ALL work. Most of the areas on that list fall under: spiritual, financial, relational, or physical goals.
Now Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a successful life for most of us. Each of those areas takes time, discipline, and commitment. I'm working on those aspects as I go. But I have to say the results I've been getting have really helped me stick to the plan. I'm a results motivated person. If I'm reaching goals and seeing changes, I can work hard forever. That's a blessing and a curse in one, because when I don't see the results and changes I want, I get discouraged quick.
This is where the accountability comes in. If you can find that one special someone to share your successes, failures, and changes with, then you've struck gold my loves. I'm a little bit of an overachiever in this area because I basically have one for each category but that's because not all of my friends are really making strides in each of those 4 ways, so that way I have someone who has similar goals in an area to report back too.
I guess my biggest caution in choosing this person is it can't be someone you're competitive with, otherwise you won't be honest when you totally screw it up (and you will, at some point). It has to be someone you can call and say 'I just spend my groceries budget on a Coach wallet and now I'm going to have to eat ramen for 3 weeks which is totally going to wreck my weight loss'. Also key is that the person you chose will A. not judge you but B. tell you what you need to hear. In this case I would expect my friend to respond 'And now you'll march your stilettos right back into that store and return said wallet and go to Publix'.
You're totally wondering right now if these things actually happen to me. The answer is yes. I'm totally quirky with my failures. Last week I ate a giant chocolate cupcake my roommate brought me after lunch because I was having a really rough day. I ate ALL of said cupcake at 3pm and then went to Crossfit at 5:30...um, yeah about that. I actually wished I'd throw up, that's how ecky it made me feel.
I HAVE spent my food budget on clothes before, several times (and that ramen part - that was pretty true also although you can also insert spaghetti there as well). I once even said, out loud, 'well, if I have to eat less because I have no food then the jeans will fit that much better, right?'. This is a bad idea friends. Make your budget and stick to your guns. Clothing and food aren't interchangeable.
So here's a few tidbits of wise advice from someone whos made a great number of mistakes at life:
- Pack your lunches. It will save you time, money, and calories.
- Do NOT eat anything highly chocolate before you're abused, outside, in the summer, in Florida @ Crossfit. Ever.
- Texting is not a replacement for calling. This is a toughie for me. I'm busy AND I hate the phone but guess what people, it's essential to long distance friendships. Pick it up, dial, and talk - your friends are worth it.
- Make life plans, yes. Modify them - often. Don't try to be your parents, at 25.
- Expect the unexpected. This is for things like oil changes, you know it's coming every 3 months but you push it out of your mind til your 2,000 miles over and broke. Oh yeah, and for the record Christmas is the same time every year - expect that it will happen in Decemeber and you'll have to buy gifts.
- If you're having a really stinkin hard time sticking with your diet, write yourself a post it that reads 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'. Or post a picture of someone with a bangin body in a bikini - that might depress you into sticking with it. ; ]
Ah, wisdom to start your workday.
Love,
B
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
End of the Fast, End of a Rut?
Well, I'm happy to announce the fast is over and life can now return to 'normal', as normal as my life ever is anyway. I'm not sad to say goodbye, to be honest. It was a challenge I'm glad I completed but don't be surprised if this was the one and only time I do this type of fast.
As previously mentioned I didn't feel so hot during this fast. Low energy. Kind of moody. No strength to do weight training. I could tell my body wasn't real happy. A lot of the other girls doing it said they're energy bounced back after a bit, but truthfully, mine never did.
I also had several bad stomach days during the fast (proving yet again that it's not dairy or caffeine that's making me sick) so those were extra frustrating when I wasn't even eating (or drinking) food I like. Wah.
Aside from having to cut back my workouts which I love and not enjoying food for 21 days, the fast had it's fair share of emotional hardships as well. I shared a pretty tough blog entry a week or so ago about the clarity I prayed for, and got. I knew going into the fast that the answers I got to my prayers may not be what I wanted...but man, did I really get some tough wakeup calls.
Life and relationships are hard. I know that. But doesn't it seem like all the tough stuff comes at once? The first couple days of the fast came with some hard realizations and while I was down I felt like life gave me a swift kick in the stomach. I kept reminding myself that A. I asked for it and B. the rainbow comes AFTER the storm. But I'm just going to throw it out there -I hope this ends with the fast. I've had enough ecky discoveries to last me a good while now.
Here's some positives:
- after a tough couple weeks of being broken down, I feel the rebuilding on the horizon. I hope to come back stronger than ever, and I mean that on several levels.
- answers. I prayed and I got some answers. Not always the ones I wanted, but answers none-the-less.
- I lost 5 pounds. Hey, rejoice in victories, right?
- All things, good or bad, come to an end, and end she did.
- It is done and I never have to do it again if I don't want. : ]
Thanks for all your encouragement along the way. I really felt your prayers as well as your love and support. Thank you to my vegetarian and vegan friends who rallied with some good food ideas. Thank you to all who wanted me to succeed. I'm grateful to have people like you in my life.
Love,
B
Saturday, February 19, 2011
This Will Change Your Life, or at Least Your Body.
Despite still being a little ways away from my goal weight people have really started to reach out to me for help reaching their weight loss goals. April will mark one year since I began my weight loss journey that has so far lost me 65.6 pounds. I am by no means a fitness or diet expert but I have had a great amount of success in the past few months with hard work, research, and discipline. I wanted to share one thing I hesitated within the beginning but I’ve now come to see is crucial to getting your body where you want it…weight training.
When I first started trying to lose weight I thought as long as I counted my calories and did tons of cardio, my body would eventually be what I wanted it to be. Later when I considered that my goal isn’t to be skinny, it’s to be fit and toned I realized that even though cardio can blast calories it wasn’t going to get me the definition in my trouble zones that I desired. That’s what I started doing some research on weight training. For those of you ladies who think lifting weights will make you bulky, you’re not alone but you’re also not right.
Women’s Health Magazine has been a great resource for me (I don’t subscribe but I frequent their website). I was reading through an article they wrote about women and weight training and they gave some great reasons for every women to hit the gym and pump some iron.
You’ll lose 40% more fat. Umm, that right there should be enough right? Fat be gone! Where are my dumbbells?
And I quote: Other research on dieters who don't lift shows that, on average, 75 percent of their weight loss is from fat, while 25 percent is from muscle. Muscle loss may drop your scale weight, but it doesn't improve your reflection in the mirror and it makes you more likely to gain back the flab you lost. However, if you weight train as you diet, you'll protect your hard-earned muscle and burn more fat.
Not sold yet? Well, we’re not finished yet.
Your clothes will fit better. – Again, who doesn’t want that? There’s nothing I hate more than trying on outfit after outfit and nothing making me feel excited to go out. I mean, I always want to buy new clothes but not because I want the ones I own to be ill-fitting and unflattering.
You’ll burn more calories. Calories, calories, calories. See, this one is relatable for anyone. Even if you’re trying to maintain your goal weight, you still want to burn at least as many calories as you’re eating. So this is a win-win situation. For those of us still trying to shed, we know that burning more calories than you eat is the key.
WH says: Lifting gives you a better burn during exercise too: Doing a circuit of eight moves (which takes about eight minutes) can expend 159 to 231 calories. That's about what you'd burn if you ran at a 10-mile-per-hour pace for the same duration.
Research shows that it will Improve your Diet. Bonus. Stay motivated to stay on track.
Stress Relief. No more stress eating, now I lift away my stress.
You'll Be Happier.
You'll Build Stronger Bones.
You'll Get Into Shape Faster. Lord knows, bikini season is upon us. The faster, the better. Getting results keeps you movitated.
Your Heart will be Healthier.
You'll Be More Productive.
You'll Live Longer.
You'll be Smarter.
Full article here.
I've never seen quicker results then adding strength training in an interval form so I strongly encourage this to get you the results you want, faster.
Love,
B
When I first started trying to lose weight I thought as long as I counted my calories and did tons of cardio, my body would eventually be what I wanted it to be. Later when I considered that my goal isn’t to be skinny, it’s to be fit and toned I realized that even though cardio can blast calories it wasn’t going to get me the definition in my trouble zones that I desired. That’s what I started doing some research on weight training. For those of you ladies who think lifting weights will make you bulky, you’re not alone but you’re also not right.
Women’s Health Magazine has been a great resource for me (I don’t subscribe but I frequent their website). I was reading through an article they wrote about women and weight training and they gave some great reasons for every women to hit the gym and pump some iron.
You’ll lose 40% more fat. Umm, that right there should be enough right? Fat be gone! Where are my dumbbells?
And I quote: Other research on dieters who don't lift shows that, on average, 75 percent of their weight loss is from fat, while 25 percent is from muscle. Muscle loss may drop your scale weight, but it doesn't improve your reflection in the mirror and it makes you more likely to gain back the flab you lost. However, if you weight train as you diet, you'll protect your hard-earned muscle and burn more fat.
Not sold yet? Well, we’re not finished yet.
Your clothes will fit better. – Again, who doesn’t want that? There’s nothing I hate more than trying on outfit after outfit and nothing making me feel excited to go out. I mean, I always want to buy new clothes but not because I want the ones I own to be ill-fitting and unflattering.
You’ll burn more calories. Calories, calories, calories. See, this one is relatable for anyone. Even if you’re trying to maintain your goal weight, you still want to burn at least as many calories as you’re eating. So this is a win-win situation. For those of us still trying to shed, we know that burning more calories than you eat is the key.
WH says: Lifting gives you a better burn during exercise too: Doing a circuit of eight moves (which takes about eight minutes) can expend 159 to 231 calories. That's about what you'd burn if you ran at a 10-mile-per-hour pace for the same duration.
Research shows that it will Improve your Diet. Bonus. Stay motivated to stay on track.
Stress Relief. No more stress eating, now I lift away my stress.
You'll Be Happier.
You'll Build Stronger Bones.
You'll Get Into Shape Faster. Lord knows, bikini season is upon us. The faster, the better. Getting results keeps you movitated.
Your Heart will be Healthier.
You'll Be More Productive.
You'll Live Longer.
You'll be Smarter.
Full article here.
I've never seen quicker results then adding strength training in an interval form so I strongly encourage this to get you the results you want, faster.
Love,
B
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Do it.
Ok I have to share this shoulder workout I'm currently obsessed with. I ripped it out of Glamour magazine about a month ago and I've been thrilled with the results I've seen since I started this a few days a week. If you're diligent in doing just what it says with 5 or 8 pound dumbells you'll really reap the benefits. And so, I introduce to you...
The Sexy Shoulder Workout.
Thank me later with giftcards and compliments.
Love,
B
The Sexy Shoulder Workout.
Thank me later with giftcards and compliments.
Love,
B
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Rejoicing in January.
I hope you all feel as good about the start of 2011 as I do. I don't usually catch 'new years fever' but I find myself more motivated than usual lately. Motivation is a tricky little number because you need it to accomplish goals, but accomplishing goals gives you motivation, you know? It's a rather vicious cycle.
Making monthly goals was a great way to start this year off on the right foot. Choosing a race 2 weeks after the holidays was an even better way to make myself workout over my 12 day vacation in Indiana. I worked out every day except the 2 I was down south with Candy. So if you're already thinking about goals for next year, stick a fitness related one in January and it'll help you fight off the festive fifteen pounds people like to gain between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Now that I succeeded in a jogging my first 5k (ordered two action photos Thursday morning), I'm focused on my next goal. February's goal is to complete a 21 day Daniel fast. Some of you may be familiar with the Daniel fast - which basically eliminated meat, dairy, and sweets from your diet...oh and no caffeine. Ack! What you may be less familiar with is the point of fasting. There's research and biblical backing up for several reasons but in my mind, you fast to make a sacrifice physically and in your time to draw near to the Lord and pursue his strength and guildance.
I wish I could share the main things I will be pursuing direction on throughout my upcoming fast but unfortunately, it's not appropriate to talk about them just yet. However, I'll take all the prayers I can get that I don't keel over from lack of protein and that I really discern the Lord's voice in all that I will be processing through.
I've only ever fasted once before. It was when my family had first found out they would be moving to Indianapolis and I felt all the emotions I'm sure you can imagine come with moving smack in the middle of high school. Everythings emotional and overwelming when you're 16, right? I knew the Lord was moving us, that was evident in everything that surrounded our move, but I needed to seek the Lord's strength as I worked through my own attitude about it.
That fast was a 3 day, liquid only fast. It was BRUTAL. Before I lost all the weight last year, I had low blood sugar issues that gave me migraines so bad I'd lose my vision and occasionally throw up. Not fun. But the Lord brought me through that fast with a renewed spirit and I'm confident this fast will also have great spiritual benefit.
I look forward to having both Bekah and Jess going through this with me. There's always safety and security in numbers, right?
I feel excited that February's goal will lead well into March's goal to be Gluten-free for one month. Hopefully you've read my research and thoughts about that already and I won't repeat that to you now. But since the Daniel fast will keep me almost gluten-free for 21 days, the transition should go easier.
I'll be closing out my 4th weight loss competition in February and so far, it's looking like my team will be bringing home the gold. I've previously competed in and won 3 competitions. I'm grateful for the motivation which is fed by my competitive nature but I also look forward to being done with weight loss competitions after this. For everything there is a season, and it's time to finish this one strong.
I've been diligent with my workouts so far this year spending 1 hour a day dedicated to cardio and 30-50 minutes per day on strength training. I've enjoyed watching my body toughen up and I'm excited with the results adding weight training has helped me see. I got tons of great new workout videos and clothes for Christmas and they've kept it fresh for me in 2011.
I hope this year is off to a great start for each of you. Keep me posted on how you're doing with your goals, for those of you who have already shared them with me and of course for those who havent' yet.
Love,
B
Making monthly goals was a great way to start this year off on the right foot. Choosing a race 2 weeks after the holidays was an even better way to make myself workout over my 12 day vacation in Indiana. I worked out every day except the 2 I was down south with Candy. So if you're already thinking about goals for next year, stick a fitness related one in January and it'll help you fight off the festive fifteen pounds people like to gain between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Now that I succeeded in a jogging my first 5k (ordered two action photos Thursday morning), I'm focused on my next goal. February's goal is to complete a 21 day Daniel fast. Some of you may be familiar with the Daniel fast - which basically eliminated meat, dairy, and sweets from your diet...oh and no caffeine. Ack! What you may be less familiar with is the point of fasting. There's research and biblical backing up for several reasons but in my mind, you fast to make a sacrifice physically and in your time to draw near to the Lord and pursue his strength and guildance.
I wish I could share the main things I will be pursuing direction on throughout my upcoming fast but unfortunately, it's not appropriate to talk about them just yet. However, I'll take all the prayers I can get that I don't keel over from lack of protein and that I really discern the Lord's voice in all that I will be processing through.
I've only ever fasted once before. It was when my family had first found out they would be moving to Indianapolis and I felt all the emotions I'm sure you can imagine come with moving smack in the middle of high school. Everythings emotional and overwelming when you're 16, right? I knew the Lord was moving us, that was evident in everything that surrounded our move, but I needed to seek the Lord's strength as I worked through my own attitude about it.
That fast was a 3 day, liquid only fast. It was BRUTAL. Before I lost all the weight last year, I had low blood sugar issues that gave me migraines so bad I'd lose my vision and occasionally throw up. Not fun. But the Lord brought me through that fast with a renewed spirit and I'm confident this fast will also have great spiritual benefit.
I look forward to having both Bekah and Jess going through this with me. There's always safety and security in numbers, right?
I feel excited that February's goal will lead well into March's goal to be Gluten-free for one month. Hopefully you've read my research and thoughts about that already and I won't repeat that to you now. But since the Daniel fast will keep me almost gluten-free for 21 days, the transition should go easier.
I'll be closing out my 4th weight loss competition in February and so far, it's looking like my team will be bringing home the gold. I've previously competed in and won 3 competitions. I'm grateful for the motivation which is fed by my competitive nature but I also look forward to being done with weight loss competitions after this. For everything there is a season, and it's time to finish this one strong.
I've been diligent with my workouts so far this year spending 1 hour a day dedicated to cardio and 30-50 minutes per day on strength training. I've enjoyed watching my body toughen up and I'm excited with the results adding weight training has helped me see. I got tons of great new workout videos and clothes for Christmas and they've kept it fresh for me in 2011.
I hope this year is off to a great start for each of you. Keep me posted on how you're doing with your goals, for those of you who have already shared them with me and of course for those who havent' yet.
Love,
B
Monday, January 17, 2011
January Goal - Complete.
Well blog friends, I am happy to report I have completed my January goal. Saturday morning I completed my first 5K (3.1 miles) in St. Pete Beach, Florida. My friend Jen and I registered about 2 months back and committed to jog the entire way together. Trust me, this was a big undertaking for me - I don't consider myself a runner, at all.
We were slow but steady but we did manage to jog the entire way. I paced Jen out of the gate when she was feeling really good, and she paced me later in the race when I really started to hit my stride. We sprinted it in to a loud chorus of cheers at the finish line and were glowing with pride at having met our goal.
Jen plans to go on to many more runs. Me, well, the jury is out. But I feel good about having completed my first month long goal for the year and my first race. Here's to starting 2011 off with a bang and to meeting many more goals before the year's out.
Love,
B
Friday, December 3, 2010
Must Have for Workouts.
Who doesn’t love a new gadget? Well, I just fell in love with my newest workout gizmo – a Polar heart rate monitor.
I got the idea from my Aunt who works out with one every day. She was showing me how it works and how she runs intervals based on achieving a certain number of minutes per zone (example: 15 minutes in hard zone – which is 80-90% of your max heart rate). There’s a bit of math involved in this art – but my Dad sat down with my and helped me make a chart of my ranges for my max heart rate (which is based on age) – 188.
Dad hooked my up with a Polar FT4 (pictured below):
I’m 5 days into working out with it and I’ve never felt more motivated to push myself! I am loving knowing just how hard I’m working out and setting attainable goals I can reach. Also, it gives an accurate count of the calories you burned (based off all your stats which you enter when you program the watch part of the monitoring system.
The way my particular model works is by wearing a chest strap – which is comfortable and easy to keep clean and free of a sweaty stench (at least so far) and then a watch that I can watch my stats on – as well as it tracks them so I can evaluate my workout afterwards. In addition, Polar has a great, user-friendly website that allows you to track your progress, print workouts, etc available to users of their products.
I’m sold on HR monitoring but in case you’re not yet…
I found a great list of reasons to wear a heart rate monitor while you workout on NuMetrex’s website – they are also a supplier of heart rate monitors. Here are the five reasons they list:
- Improve your health. No matter what your goal using a heart rate monitor can help you stay in the best zone to achieve that goal – whether it’s to boost cardiovascular health, lose weight, relieve stress, build endurance, tone muscles, etc.
- Lose Weight. Wearing a heart rate monitor can tell you if you’re exercising hard enough, or too hard even, to lose the weight you’re trying to drop. For weight loss most experts agree 60-70% of your max heart rate is best.
- Make the most of the exercise time you have. Who doesn’t want to do that? How you feel isn’t really an accurate gauge of how much work you’re putting in. Monitoring your heart rate, however, is.
- Safety. NuMetrex says that people who wear heart rate monitors are the first to know when they encounter a health issue because they’re monitoring the stress they’re placing on their heart and its ability to recover.
- Be your own coach. A heart rate monitor gives you the ability to push yourself and monitor and record your progress. For those of us with a true competitive nature this is a great motivator to push hard at our workouts every day.
I got the idea from my Aunt who works out with one every day. She was showing me how it works and how she runs intervals based on achieving a certain number of minutes per zone (example: 15 minutes in hard zone – which is 80-90% of your max heart rate). There’s a bit of math involved in this art – but my Dad sat down with my and helped me make a chart of my ranges for my max heart rate (which is based on age) – 188.
Dad hooked my up with a Polar FT4 (pictured below):
I’m 5 days into working out with it and I’ve never felt more motivated to push myself! I am loving knowing just how hard I’m working out and setting attainable goals I can reach. Also, it gives an accurate count of the calories you burned (based off all your stats which you enter when you program the watch part of the monitoring system.
The way my particular model works is by wearing a chest strap – which is comfortable and easy to keep clean and free of a sweaty stench (at least so far) and then a watch that I can watch my stats on – as well as it tracks them so I can evaluate my workout afterwards. In addition, Polar has a great, user-friendly website that allows you to track your progress, print workouts, etc available to users of their products.
I’m sold on HR monitoring but in case you’re not yet…
I found a great list of reasons to wear a heart rate monitor while you workout on NuMetrex’s website – they are also a supplier of heart rate monitors. Here are the five reasons they list:
- Improve your health. No matter what your goal using a heart rate monitor can help you stay in the best zone to achieve that goal – whether it’s to boost cardiovascular health, lose weight, relieve stress, build endurance, tone muscles, etc.
- Lose Weight. Wearing a heart rate monitor can tell you if you’re exercising hard enough, or too hard even, to lose the weight you’re trying to drop. For weight loss most experts agree 60-70% of your max heart rate is best.
- Make the most of the exercise time you have. Who doesn’t want to do that? How you feel isn’t really an accurate gauge of how much work you’re putting in. Monitoring your heart rate, however, is.
- Safety. NuMetrex says that people who wear heart rate monitors are the first to know when they encounter a health issue because they’re monitoring the stress they’re placing on their heart and its ability to recover.
- Be your own coach. A heart rate monitor gives you the ability to push yourself and monitor and record your progress. For those of us with a true competitive nature this is a great motivator to push hard at our workouts every day.
The full article here.
Alright friends, add this to your Christmas list.
Love,
B
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Holidays.
Planning ahead is my thing. I love to plan, prepare, and be organized. So naturally, I like to get a jump on the holidays. I book my Christmas flights in August. I start my shopping by September. I make my Christmas wish list, which is organized by item, price, color, and has print screen pictures for my Mom by November. I don't do this because I have to, I do it because I LOVE the holidays and this is my weird way of showing it.
This year I have a new challenge to tackle with the holidays...
I'm in this great groove with my healthy eating, exercise, and weight loss - so what happens over the holidays? You know me, I'm not missing out on the chance to go to parties and celebrate this amazing time of year. But being surrounded by baked goods and not losing my stride is going to require some discipline and self control.
Being diligent with my exercise is going to be key. When I've given my all at a workout, I don't want to kill it by eating back all the calories I burn. So that's big. Staying with my 6 day a week workouts.
What else?
One thing that works for me with when I go out with friends, I never go hungry. If I'm hungry I'm way more likely to overeat AND to eat things I would normally avoid. Can't be doing that.
Above those, I'm taking suggestions. How do you stay on track with your health related goals over the holidays?
Love,
B
Sunday, November 7, 2010
New Challenge.
As I've shared on the blog previously 2010 has been an incredible year for me. I've focused in on discipline in my life, in several areas. One being my physical health. After being overweight most of my life, a coworker of mine challenged me to a weight loss contest and really lit a fire under me. Thanks to her encouragement (and my love for competition) I'm 3 contests in (winning each), 53 pounds down, and 22 inches smaller (from the 4 areas I monitor).
Now it's my turn to pay it forward...
So starting tomorrow I'm teaming up with 1 of my friends to take on 2 others in a 'biggest loser' style competition that will last 12 weeks. The challenge will be greatest for me, because the smaller I get and the longer my body has to adjust to my new lifestyle the harder (and slower) the pounds (and inches) come off. But I'm not afraid of hard work.
The rules are in place. The prize is set. Here we go...lets see if I can come out the biggest loser, a fourth time.
Here's my before picture for this competition:
And just for fun...my before picture from my first competition:
Crazy huh?
Wish me luck - 12 weeks starts tomorrow.
Love,
B
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Keeping it Fresh.
If there's one thing I've learned from my recent troubles with weight loss plateau's it's that you have to keep your workouts fresh. Keep surprising and pushing you body to new levels, new moves, and new records. For those of us (ahem, me) that are incredibly competitive even with our own selves, this can actually be fun!
So, in the name of keeping my 2-a-day workouts fresh I have invited Jillian Michaels back into my life in 3 new ways...
I do weight lifting videos in the mornings and cardio in the evenings, typically (depends on how crazy my week is). But I look forward to trying these 3 new videos for my morning workout routines when they arrive (ordered them today). I'll keep you posted!
Love,
B
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Butt Kicking.
So after getting really off tract for 3 days over the weekend it’s time to really kick my fitness and weight loss back into high gear. How you may ask? I’m glad you did. Two-a-days. Two-a-days aren’t exactly a foreign concept for a girl who grew up on the sidelines of football fields, watching her Daddy coach. There’s a reason that before the players go into their season, they go through two-a-days. They shock your system and they kick your butt…they also get you in optimal shape before the ‘season’.
Season can mean different things for those of us not involved (or no longer involved) in sports. For me I’m entering the healthiest season of my life, or so I hope. I’m also in the middle of event season for work which means a crazier schedule and more physical demand on my body. To me, preparing for that has been crutial, especially with some of my stomach issues I’ve shared with you about before.
I am now in two-a-days mode with weight training and cardio bursts in the mornings and longer cardio workouts in the evenings. I’m also still taking 1 day completely off per week (this is usually Sunday or Monday). My workout schedule is sometimes thrown off when I’m on the road. Not because it has to be, but because I tend to let myself off the hook since the events are so physically demanding for me.
As a little added motivation/incentive/reward for my hard work at 2-a-days I bought myself this little number…
If you want to consider the two-a-day lifestyle for a bit, I’m really enjoying the biggest loser workouts. I do a cardio video and either legs, arms, or abs in the morning and then an hour of cardio after work in the evenings. It’s a good routine for me and I don’t feel like I’m over working the same muscle groups. I also like to do the Biggest Loser boot camp workouts from time-to-time.
The videos are great because you can do them at home, in your living room, and they aren’t time consuming! I for one, do NOT want to get up at 5am to workout. So with the videos are my morning routine I can get up at 6:15, be done before 7, and at work by 8:30. Everyone has to find what works for their schedule and I am no exception. But as someone who’s disciplined but not necessarily a ‘morning person’ this has worked out well for me.
Love,
B
Season can mean different things for those of us not involved (or no longer involved) in sports. For me I’m entering the healthiest season of my life, or so I hope. I’m also in the middle of event season for work which means a crazier schedule and more physical demand on my body. To me, preparing for that has been crutial, especially with some of my stomach issues I’ve shared with you about before.
I am now in two-a-days mode with weight training and cardio bursts in the mornings and longer cardio workouts in the evenings. I’m also still taking 1 day completely off per week (this is usually Sunday or Monday). My workout schedule is sometimes thrown off when I’m on the road. Not because it has to be, but because I tend to let myself off the hook since the events are so physically demanding for me.
As a little added motivation/incentive/reward for my hard work at 2-a-days I bought myself this little number…
If you want to consider the two-a-day lifestyle for a bit, I’m really enjoying the biggest loser workouts. I do a cardio video and either legs, arms, or abs in the morning and then an hour of cardio after work in the evenings. It’s a good routine for me and I don’t feel like I’m over working the same muscle groups. I also like to do the Biggest Loser boot camp workouts from time-to-time.
The videos are great because you can do them at home, in your living room, and they aren’t time consuming! I for one, do NOT want to get up at 5am to workout. So with the videos are my morning routine I can get up at 6:15, be done before 7, and at work by 8:30. Everyone has to find what works for their schedule and I am no exception. But as someone who’s disciplined but not necessarily a ‘morning person’ this has worked out well for me.
Love,
B
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Social Networking Accountability.
Well I'm joining several over bloggers in making August Awesome with a fitness challenge! We have commited to excercise 24 of the next 30 days (well 24 days in august, but ya know) and I'm already 4 strong! Who knows, maybe I'll rambo this month and workout everyday instead of just 24.
What this reminded me of is how many great benefits there are to social networking. Don't get me wrong, I understand that there are some drawbacks to social networking, including putting too much of yourself 'out there' in cyber space. BUT it's also a great (and easy) way to connect with people you share a common interest or bond with.
I found out from Cece at The Big Girl Blog via Twitter about the Awesome August challenge and quickly joined in. As most of you probably know I've been on a healthy kick this year, slimming down and making my health a priority before I turn (gasp) 25 later this year (read: next month).
I've lost 39 lbs competing with coworkers in 'biggest loser' competitions. But what I'm even more thrilled about than dropping 3 pant sizes, is that I'm really starting to love working out! I feel 100 times better. I'm almost never tired or run down (other than my legs after a good run). The truth is I more than likely would always have enjoyed these same activities if I'd ever take the time to get in a groove.
So if any of you want to have a healthy August with us, feel free to join the challenge. You can even tweet with us about it: Me - @thequeenbc Cece - @thebiggirlblog and @healthylosergal who's the intiator of the whole challenge.
Happy healthiness this month loves.
B
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