Thursday, February 25, 2010

Keep It Interesting - What haven't you tried?

After a lot of careful thought - I decided to make an investment in a circuit training program. I did a lot of research, talked to people who had completed different versions and ended up going with ChaLEAN Extreme. Now, I'm probably a LITTLE biased because I heart Chalene Johnson and think that her workouts are fantastic (check them out at www.turbokick.com).

I'm at the point where, I'm doing almost everything I can to get healthy. I'm not perfect at it, but I prepare healthy meals, keep eating out at a minimum (good for the wallet and the belly), I have workouts scheduled on my outlook calendar/blackberry phone everyday to keep me aware of my fitness goals. I'll lose weight and then hit a plateau.

Don't you hate that? So i'm finally back at my "more normal weight" - you know, the one where you don't feel like you are enormous but you still want to lose a bit more. But this is where i always plateau. This is right around the weight i was in highschool and even then i wanted to lose 15 pounds or so.

Here i am again. This time - i had to ask myself, what is it that i am NOT doing. It was a little exasperating if i'm being honest. I definitely have those moments of "This is too hard." "I'm working hard and not seeing any results so I'll just quit."

But ultimately - I have come too far (AND SO HAVE YOU!) to quit now. If you give up on your workouts even for just a few days, coming back will be hard all over again. So just stay consistent.

This brings me to the whole "Keep it interesting" concept. I like variety in my workouts - I do TurboKick on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday (one is a class I participate in, another is me practicing for when i actually teach the next day), Hip Hop Hustle on Tuesdays, and i was doing a little bit of weightlifting for my upper body 2x a week.

But i was just not impressed with myself when it came to the weight lifting. In the end - muscle burns fat. Just sitting here on my butt at my office I am literally going to burn more fat when i have more muscle. So i decided that i needed to not just switch things up - but to integrate something totally different into my fitness program.

ChaLEAN Extreme was my answer. I bought the program, got some starting weights and completed my fitness test over the weekend. I started circuit #1 on Monday and have been following her "workout calendar." So having ALMOST completed the first week of the program i have to say - this has gotta work. This is different enough from anything i was doing before that I'm SUPER curious to see the end result.

And curiosity in this case has me hooked. I'm curious if i stick with this and all the other things i'm doing to be healthy - will i finally break through? And oh my goodness - will i hit a new goal weight, body fat goal, and look pretty awesome this summer in a sleeveless top?

Well, I just might. So i've made the commitment to get up at 6am every morning to fit this into my schedule. I am NOT a morning person by the way. But that's what pushing yourself is all about. You have to be open to change to be changed.

If you are stuck, you've got to try something new to get out of it. Sometimes it might be a little scary, more of an investment than you initially wanted. Whatever the excuse, just push past it and make your move. What is it that you are NOT doing?

Why haven't you started doing it yet? Aren't you curious what could happen if you just tried it out? I'll be checking back in with results from ChaLEAN Extreme. And that's right - i'm 100% confident i'll see change. Because i'm open to it, i'm ready for it and i'm okay with working hard for it.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Off track? It's Okay! Now get moving.

I make sure to blog on the day BEFORE i weigh in. Honestly, I don't want to have my time here impacted by the fact that i lost, gain or just held steady. As I've said before - this is not a sprint and so there will be some parts of the pathway that you move along easily, and others that will be more challenging. That's what I'm writing about today - those little excursions you might take that lead you away from your intended path.

So some weeks - you'll not lose weight because such and such happened. I've had an off week. And even though I haven't weighed and measured yet - I'm just expecting an off week in terms of weight loss/inches. BUT i'm okay with it.

WHAT?!?! you say??

Here's the thing - life happens. You can prepare as much as you want, and sometimes things just don't go your way. But that doesn't mean you should give up. It's so easy to have an off day or week and just say "to heck with this, it's not worth it."

PLEASE - Don't do this! Did you quit your job because you got a project that was hard or took more time than you wanted it to? Did you ever consider for a moment putting your kid up for adoption because despite all your efforts they just didn't meet your expectations?

So why are you being so hard on yourself when you aren't coming down equally as hard in other areas of your life? That's right - it's OKAY to mess up sometimes. Repeat that. Say it out loud. Do one better and tell someone else - because i'm telling you right now - It's okay to have a couple of off days.

What is NOT okay to do is give up on all the good work you've already put in just because it gets a little tough or your get sidetracked. Even if you just started to get serious about working out again, or eating healthy - maybe day one was great and day two was hard. It's OKAY!!!

I have never (and anyone who DOES tell you this is wrong) said that getting healthy is easy. It's a challenge. It requires time, effort, dedication, support and you know what else? It requires forgiveness.

So - if you haven't done this yet, I'm recommending that you take a moment out of your life today or this weekend and write yourself a letter. Here's mine. Give yourself permission to move forward. Tell yourself that what's in the past is in the past, and even though it'll be tough - you can forgive and forget. Move on toward who you really want to be. Forgive yourself. And keep forgiving yourself in this journey - but just make sure that you don't start making excuses for not getting back on track again.

Making excuses and forgiving yourself are TWO different things. So you ate a cookie, you enjoyed a piece of birthday cake, you had more wine or beer than you really should have. Okay - what's done is done. Start now - i mean RIGHT NOW! And do better.

Don't dwell on it. Acknowledge that you messed up - pull it together and eat something better for dinner tonight. Add an extra workout to your week. Do something positive for your body in return. It will say "thank you" even if the scale is a little evil on this week's weigh in day.

Keep moving. Literally. This can't be a journey if you aren't actually moving on way, shape or form!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Journey: Creating the Small Victories for Yourself

So last week I talked a little about the small victories. This week I'm thinking more about the wonderful little gifts i've experienced along the way.Sometimes we get in a rut when we don't lose the weight we wanted to lose on weigh in day. Or we try on that pair of pants that have been hanging in the closet waiting for us to just be skinny enough to work 'em a gain - and we're still not there. I'm here to say - that's okay. Keep going. You will get there. I still have a few more pants to conquer myself. So as much as i may be talking to you - i'm also reminding myself here.

Okay - first things first - you have to set yourself up to REALIZE the small victories. So if you are just weighing in every week, you really aren't helping yourself (or at least your self esteem) as much as you could be.

I recommend adding 2 things to your routine:
1) Start measuring. Measuring tapes are cheap and a great way to see progress even when it might not show up on the scale. I'm not an expert in all things measured or anything, but every week on weigh in day i measure my waist, hips, bust, thigh and bicep area. It makes you feel really cool after you do it for a month or so because you are like "wow - i've lost 4 inches!" (or something equally amazing).

2) Have your body composition measured. At my gym they have a little electronic body fat measurer (yes, very technical terminology i know). And you just put in your height, weight, male/female, age and then you hold on to it and it gives you a pretty decent estimate of your body fat % and how many pounds of lean mass you have.

I'll be honest - the first time i did this - i was appalled at my number. It made me feel like maybe i hadn't come all that far from the chubby middle school girl i was. But you have to start somewhere right? I made sure that i was alone, totally understood the instructions for how to work the device and then faced away from any area where someone might ACCIDENTALLY see any of my results (okay i still do this). I don't measure this on a weekly basis, although i could. But i do recommend adding this to something you do a semi regular basis.

Why? Well, because you can be losing weight and it might be muscle mass instead of fat. So you want to make sure you are losing fat and not just starving yourself and losing all the GOOD stuff you need in your body. In the long run - you want to be HEALTHY, not just skinny, right? So if you keep track of your body fat % you can see a more accurate picture of your health.

I measured my body fat again this week and i was pleased to see i had gone down 4% since the first time i checked it a few months ago. After doing a little reading and talking to some fitness guru's - I've been able to set a goal for myself based on my body fat % - not just pounds.

Here's the other biggie. I call it my "10 pounds and re-evaluate plan." I don't believe in setting goals that seem impossible. As i was cleaning out an old bin of writing a few weeks ago I ran across a note that i had written to myself about my goals. Sounds good, right? But i had set such an unrealistic goal for myself that no wonder it felt so impossible. No wonder i didn't get to that goal.

So now I set smaller goals so that i can celebrate small victories along the way. If you wait until you lose all 15, 25 or 50 pounds before you give yourself any sort of pat on the back - it might be a long lonely journey. Celebrate every victory! Every week, even a half pound is a victory. This journey is not something that will happen over night. It's more about you changing your life by adapting your lifestyle to be more healthy - and ultimately, you will end up being happier for it!

Even if you have 50 pounds or more to lose - don't even think about the 50 right now. Tell yourself your goal is to lose 10 pounds. When you lose 10 pounds, evaluate your situation - set up a new goal. Keep it manageable.

Don't forget - celebrate your victories! But i would avoid the bowl full of ice cream as your reward. What about a new shirt instead or a belt to hold up those now loose pants?

Until next week... :)

The Journey: Being Prepared means...PREPARING!!

This is my 2nd entry (we'll get caught up soon!)

Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 12:24pm
Before I get into the whole Preparation thing I have to share this.

I usually have weigh in days on Friday. So today is Thursday and i just want to put it out there that i'm feeling good about this week BEFORE i've even gotten on the scale. It's hard - you want to see the number on the scale before you feel good about yourself. But i'm trying to take into consideration other things like - how my pants fit this morning. 6 months ago i couldn't even button them, today they were lose. Small victories along the way are some of the best rewards on this journey.

I think that a lot of people who are trying to lose weight, get fit, etc set themselves up for failure because you expect too much, too soon. I'm here to tell you - slow and steady wins this particular race.

Anyone can starve themselves for a week and drop a big number. But is that sustainable - is that how you want to live your life? I don't. I gotta be honest - i like to eat good food!

One of the best things i've done in this journey started about a year ago. It was simply a matter of preparing in advance. My then boyfriend (now fiance) and I both were trying to save on money and i wanted to try and eat better. So we decided we would start making a grocery list together and pick four meals and just split them. Each of us would eat the same meal twice during the week.

So if you're not following me:
1. Find someone who wants to get on this healthy train with you - make a commitment to shop together (YOU GET TO SPLIT YOUR GROCERY BILL IN HALF!!!)
2. Pick out 4 meals that look yummy and are healthy. (I suggest www.eatingwell.com, and www.cookinglight.com - they both have loads of yummy recipes. Salads, entrees, sides, etc)
3. Commit to spending a few hours together on the weekend or an evening where you cook all your meals together.
4. Invest in some tupperware and pre-portion all the meals. Take yours home, and the other person takes theirs home.
5. Now all you have to do is pop your pre made meal in the microwave/oven or just eat it if its a salad.

The great thing about this is - you know how many calories are in it - because you PICKED it in advance.It forces you to try new things because you don't want to eat the same things all the time. Sure you will find a few staple recipes - like chicken or tuna salad - and you can have fun mixing up the seasonings etc to give it a different spin.

We've been doing this for over a year. It's great because it costs a lot to shop alone and eat alone. If you can find a friend, co-worker, neighbor or your bf/gf, finance, wife/husband, sister, etc who wants to commit to be fit, you can dramatically lower your grocery bill. I spend an average of $50 at the grocery each week. Now this includes breakfast for 5 days, 8 meals (lunch and dinner), healthy snacks like yogurt, granola, 100 calorie popcorn, etc and drinks. It often includes household items as well - like shampoo or dog food for my puppy.

What i'm saying is - preparation can help you save money and be healthier. Now some of you may be thinking - 8 meals? That's not enough for Monday - Friday lunch and dinner. Well, here's the thing, last time i checked, i was human. Sometimes things come up and i need to go out with an employer for lunch or my friend is having a crisis and needs to meet for dinner. I allow myself 2 meals during the week to "go out." I still try to make decent choices. I love to go out to eat, so this helps me keep it in check in terms of healthy eating habits and spending money!

What about breakfast, you ask? We pick out a healthy breakfast and just eat the same thing all week long. Right now - we're on this bagel thins, turkey sausage and reduced fat cheese breakfast sandwich kick. It's delicious and under 300 calories (even with my coffee and reduced fat creamer).

So there is still a lot of room for personal taste here. Being prepared is the best thing you can do for your journey to be successful. Even if you aren't trying to lose weight - this idea is great for people looking to save money and time. And on the weekends - keep in check. Everything in moderation - but a little room for freedom and fun.

Don't forget to check in next time for more updates and tips on "The Journey" and check out my first entry from last week!

The Journey - Month 1

I've been blogging more on facebook recently - so i thought i'd post it here too. This was my first entry....

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 9:23am

So - i started this journey way longer than a month ago - i feel like it's been a life time of working at it, and not working at it and then having to work harder due to my lack of motivation. But i figure that updating the world once in awhile might keep me on track - and maybe inspire others to do something about their situations as well.

For as long as i can remember I've wanted to lose weight. But in my adult life - i started understanding that it wasn't about being skinny - what i wanted was something bigger than that. I wanted to be fit.

There have been lots of ups and downs on this road. But i've really gotten back on track in 2010 and i'm feeling good about it. I've almost lost 25 pounds since i started "sort of" trying over the last year. As time progressed, I found myself in love with one workout in particular - Turbo Kick. So in love, that i actually went through the training to become a certified turbo kick instructor.

I think that was the first "real" decision i had made in a long time that would have a positive impact on my "be fit" goal. Now i'm team teaching a Turbo Kick class every Thursday - and it makes me butterflies in my stomach nervous, anxious, excited and pumped up all at the same time. It's something TOTALLY out of my comfort zone. But someone once told me that you can't really ever expect to grow unless you move out of your comfort zone and try something new. So here I am.

Honestly, I'm not where I need to be yet. I know that - but the word that always comes back up for me is "Journey" and this one is mine to travel, wherever it may take me. And i'm trying to hold on tight as I keep going - some weeks are victories and others I feel defeated. But i just have to keep moving because what happens when you just stay put? You get left behind.

So in this first month of 2010 - I've lost about 5 pounds so far. And i'm 6 away from my first goal. Don't be fooled - i have more goals beyond the first one. I like to break it down into more reachable goals - so i don't feel overwhelmed.

My Suggestions from the Journey so far:
1. If you have a goal - I'd recommend breaking it down into more "do-able" segments as well.
So if you have 50 pounds to lose - set your first goal as 10 pounds. And then when you get there,
have another goal of 10 pounds, etc. This will keep your confidence up!

2. Spend time searching for what one of my inspiring fitness gurus, Chalene Johnson, calls your "soul mate workout." If you don't love what you do - how will you ever keep it up? The journey is going to be tough enough without hating every step of the way.


Maybe i'll have some other inspiring tips along the way. But for now - I'm just gonna keep on moving!