I Did 25 Workouts! 06/01/2012

In the month of May, I did 20-45 minute workouts doing my own exercises (weightlifting, crunches, lunges, squats, pushups, etc.), a weight loss yoga DVD, a beginner’s weightlifting DVD, a cardio max DVD, and power-walking. I randomly alternated the workouts to get a well-rounded workout in general. In total, I did 25 of these workouts in May (twice I did two workouts in one day) and I took 7 rest days. I’m pretty proud of those numbers and it encourages me to continue working hard.

I haven’t weighed myself or taken my measurements in about a month. I don’t want to ruin this good thing I have going if I’m not happy with what the scale or measuring tape says. But I do want to check in with my weight and measurements every-so-often. I just don’t know when. Actually, I’m scared. I’m afraid that I’m not losing weight as fast as I did the last time I dieted. Plus, I’m working out a lot this time, so I’m likely developing muscle mass which weighs more than fat. I can report that since April 20th (exactly 6 weeks) I’ve tightened my belt two notches and gone down two clothing sizes! It’s exciting. But I don’t feel much different in my body and my stomach seems just as big as it was before, lol!

I’ve been keeping my net carbs roughly under 50 (which is the borderline for ketosis). Those carbs are from vegetables, cheese, fruit, plain Greek yogurt, and nuts. I have three fresh fruits a day. I love doing romaine lettuce roll-ups with deli meat, chicken salad, or tuna salad, plus vegetables and cheese. Instead of sugar-free jam in my plain Greek yogurt, I now use fresh berries, one Splenda packet, and cinnamon. I drink mostly water. I also quit coffee and caffeine on May 2nd and I feel fine (I’m also very glad I’m not addicted to it anymore!). It feels great to feed my body healthy foods that will help it function well and gently lose weight.

I even got my hubby doing low-carb and working out! I bought him some adjustable dumbbells, and he walks with me. I’m so proud of him!

 

I Need to Work Harder! 05/23/2012

Things are going good…I’ve been sticking to my low-carb diet and feeling great about it. I don’t want to eat healthy just to lose weight; I prefer to eat healthy, because I feel better when I do. I exercise 6 days a week, because it makes my body and mind feel and work better. I believe in my healthy lifestyle. I believe it is the right way to live, and the only way to live for me.

I like to be as healthy as possible, so I’ve rid myself of a lot of bad habits over the years by starting with the worst ones – drugs and alcohol – and then working my way by killing one bad habit after another, until I got to the less harmful, but still hindering one – caffeine – which I banished 3 weeks ago. I have truly transformed my life. In the past I was a partying teenager who didn’t give her diet or health a second thought, who just wanted to smoke cigarettes and do risky behaviors. Well, right now, I can’t think of any other bad habits that I need to take care of!

So now I can begin strengthening aspects of my life that need it, like my social life and love life. Also, I need to step things up a notch with my exercise, which is the reason for the title of this post.

Let me explain…Yesterday, I was tired all day and slept through a lot of it. When it was time to workout, I took a nap instead. I was afraid I would miss my workout again tonight, so when I felt a little inclined to workout, I fanned that spark of motivation by getting ready for my workout right away. I worked out to a DVD called Cardio Max, that I’ve done only a few times, and I incorporated 3 lb dumbbells this time and gave it my all! I felt great, especially afterwards. I felt energized and ready to take on the world, rather than feeling tired from doing a challenging workout.

I can’t believe what I can do fitness-wise, now that I’ve been working out for over a month. I am impressed with myself (and usually I am hard on myself, so this means a lot)! I am obese, but I am doing the exercises just like everyone else on the DVD! Seeing my progress is so inspiring, and having a variety of workouts to do keeps me coming back for more.

The reason I need to work harder, is because I believe that before today I was slacking on my efforts in my workouts and that was the reason I was feeling so tired yesterday. I believe that if I work harder each time I workout, I will have more energy. Besides that, I see no other room for improvement at this point

Two workouts in one day! 05/21/2012

Yesterday I completed two workouts! I walked for about 2 miles in the afternoon, then did a weightlifting DVD with 5 lb dumbbells. The walk was difficult since I had low energy and the sun was beating down on me (I get heat exhaustion easily, which means I get a headache and feel lightheaded). But it still felt good to walk! I grabbed a bottle of plain water at the grocery store afterwards and felt much better to be out of the heat and into the air conditioning. I bought all healthy foods this time, because hubby is now doing low-carb with me! I’m so proud of him. I encouraged him to quit smoking, because I quit smoking, and now he has decided to eat super healthy for his health (he has diabetes) and maybe to lose a few pounds

The weightlifting DVD is for beginners and 40 minutes long. I like doing a variety of workouts, because I work different muscles and don’t get bored with working out. I especially like The Biggest Loser DVDs, because they are challenging for someone of my size, and there are three “levels” on each DVD, so I can progress and continue to challenge myself without having to buy another DVD. Therefore, it’s like three DVDs in one!

I’m easily sticking to my low-carb diet. When I am hungry, I choose foods that are healthy and that my body wants, not what my taste buds want. I think that is the key to maintaining healthy eating. Eating is about nourishing the body, not about how good the food tastes. That’s why I can eat several salads every week, and meat and cheese roll-ups for breakfast! I will not go back to eating just what tastes good. Plus, wanting to eat healthy has changed my taste buds so that healthy foods taste good and are what I crave. I feel blessed that I’m able to stick to this way of eating and exercising!

Cardio Max 05/16/2012

I tried out my new 5-lb dumbbells yesterday, which helped the challenge factor of my weightlifting workout. I like the dumbbells and think they are perfect! At least for now. I’m sure I’ll outgrow them soon, at the rate I’m going. But I need to keep challenging myself or I will get bored. I am still very motivated to be healthy, and I’m strong because I’m following my beliefs. If I believe in something, I will defend it to the end. This new path on my health journey seems like it will be permanent. Paths can turn into roads, right? I’m not counting my chickens though…once I get in shape and continue to workout and eat right, then maybe I’ll believe I did it – solved my weight problem. I’ve been on this journey, with successes and pitfalls, enough to know that things can change pretty quickly. I’m just praying that I stay true to my beliefs and not give in to temptation or start feeling like food is for pleasure rather than for fuel. I can do this if I just stay focused and strong.

I also popped in my The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max DVD and had fun! I couldn’t believe I was doing cardio! There was also some strength training involved, because my leg muscles got tired and some of the crew used dumbbells. I’ll tell ya, I have a lot of progressing I can do with this DVD. First of all, I got through the entire workout without puking or dying. In fact, I felt okay afterwards, but my body heat was extremely high, so I ended up lightheaded and with a headache. A glass of water, a cold shower, and one Ibruprofen fixed that. These are the things I can do to improve my cardio workout: jump around more (there are alternative movements and I chose the easier ones – with less jumping – most of the time), do real pushups, use dumbbells, and add level 2 and then level 3 workouts. I like having something to work towards and accomplish, so I’m glad I got this DVD.

My healthy eating is going great! I usually eat every four hours, mostly meats and vegetables, and nuts and fruit for snacks. Plus, only plain, filtered water. I fill up my carafe every night and I think it’s 80 ounces in size, so that’s 10 glasses a day. No wonder I feel like I’m constantly drinking water. It just feels so good to hydrate myself with plain, cold water. I find I don’t get full on food unless I drink water with it. I do not choose foods because they taste good. Rather, I choose foods that my body needs to function well. I usually choose foods with lots of nutrients (veggies) and foods that compliment my “getting fit” goals (meat). I’ve replaced carbohydrates (cereal, sweetened yogurt, granola bars, bagels, pudding, oatmeal, etc.) with meat and vegetables. In addition, I eliminated caffeine (and I feel great!) and reduced the amount of artificial sweeteners I have. No diet drinks (except an occasional flavored water that has no carbs). I use one packet of Splenda a day at the most (some days I go without it) in a low-carb muffin. I have that when I want something “grainy.”

I will say, I’m not seeing results fast enough. I’m the “hurry up so we can get there” type of person. I don’t weigh myself, so I may be losing weight, but I’m not sure. I must be losing weight, but without seeing the number on the scale, it’s not the same. I will still avoid the scale and hopefully I’ll get used to it. I don’t want to do anything on this “get fit” journey that I won’t be able to do in maintenance. No temporary fixes here! I’m also the “do it right the first time” type of person, because I’m a perfectionist and like problems to be completely solved right away. I guess my issue is that I don’t see any changes in the mirror. But I do feel stronger and my fitness level has greatly improved since two months ago. Back then, I didn’t want to leave the house, and taking stairs was hard. But it wasn’t that I couldn’t do those things, it was that I didn’t want to do them. Motivation and determination are powerful things!

I hope you will join me on this journey to get fit and healthy! Do it because you care about yourself or because you want to care about yourself. Do it to have a healthy rest of your life. Do it for happiness. You will feel so much happier by taking good care of yourself. Until next time…

A Variety of Workouts 05/13/2012

This last week I did various workouts. I had no real schedule or plan (except to workout everyday if I could); I just did the exercises I felt like doing. I find I like a variety, so I need to satisfy that. I did weightlifting, yoga/pilates, and power-walking–something for each of the six days I worked out.

I am awaiting two 5-lb dumbbells to arrive in a couple of days. I am looking forward to trying them out with my beginners weightlifting DVD. Before, I was using 3-lb dumbbells, which were too light. I was doing 24 reps with them, so I needed to upgrade.

Along with the dumbbells, I’m expecting The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max DVD. I want to add in some cardio to my workouts. I need to do cardio, even though I don’t like to sweat and get out of breath easily. Cardio is good for my heart and lungs.

I will let you all know how the dumbbells and DVD are in my next post. Until then, be strong and healthy!

Excited About My Journey! 05/06/2012

I am really motivated to get fit. Some days are better than others, but overall I’ve drastically improved my lifestyle and eating habits. Now I snack on raw almonds and fruit, when I used to snack on cereal and granola bars. Tonight for an evening snack I had tuna salad wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf. I’m noticing the better choices I’m making and it makes me happy I choose to eat healthy, whole foods, because I feel better when I do! Dieting is about choice, not want, because we all want M&Ms, but they’re not good for us, so we must commit to making healthy choices, because we care about our health, our bodies, ourselves!

I am not weighing myself regularly. I weighed in once to get a baseline for my new lifestyle, a starting point if you will, which I recorded on my Team Beachbody profile. I even took my measurements for the first time ever! I record my workouts on the Beachbody website too. I am aiming at getting fit, not losing weight. I want to be fitter so that I can exercise easier and move around more easily. I want to feel what being in shape feels like. I want to be even fitter than I was as a teenager, because back then, even though I was in the normal weight range, I wasn’t in good shape, because running was a challenge. I want to do better than that!

I like challenging myself with exercise. I am doing all sorts of different workouts: a weight loss yoga DVD, a beginners strength training DVD, my own strength training workout with dumbbells, and power-walking different routes in my neighborhood. I want to add in more cardio eventually, but right now the strength training and walking is challenging, and that makes it similar to a cardio workout because my heart rate goes up.

Some tips for getting fit:

• Make the decision to commit to a healthy lifestyle and keep it in the front of your mind to motivate you. Do it for your health, mind, and body.
• Exercise everyday. There is no reason not to be active every day. Take a day off if you feel super sore or just need a break, but don’t schedule breaks. Don’t force a break on yourself if you don’t really need one.
• Go food shopping at least once a week to keep plenty of fresh and healthy fruits, veggies, and meats in the kitchen. Eating healthy does not have to be much different in cost than eating unhealthy. Spend your money on all healthy foods instead and you will feel fuller and more satisfied, so you will eat less, which benefits both your wallet and your body!
• Do not weigh yourself. Make the focus be to get fit and healthy and feel better. The changes you make will naturally make you smaller, but you don’t need to keep tabs on it. Besides, the scale reveals the number of pounds you weigh; it does not determine how much is muscle and how much is fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so the scale is not an accurate measure of being fit. Instead, if you must, use the tape measure occasionally. Even better: gauge by your level of fitness and how your clothes fit.
• Drink only water. Everything else is processed.

I also recommend cutting out processed food from your diet, especially sugar, which is a heart attack waiting to happen. Sugar causes high blood pressure and diabetes, and turns tumors cancerous. Besides that, it’s your choice on what diet works for you. Personally, I do a low-carb diet, because I have a sensitivity to carbs and a slow metabolism. Even “healthy” carbs make me fat and sluggish. My technique is Atkins + clean eating. I eat a lot of protein, fruits, and veggies and drink water 99% of the time. I even cut out my morning coffees.

You can do it too! Get on the health boat! Do it for you!

Made my goal! 04/26/2012

I accomplished a short-term goal today: I power-walked a 2-mile route! Since I first started being more active one month ago, I have taken baby steps to get to where I am today. I started with simply going out of the house more (which requires taking stairs and moving around), doing housework (which is a little workout in itself), and doing laundry (which requires lots of stairs). Then, I began walking a 1/2 mile slowly. It was doable, got me accustomed to being on my feet, and got me used to exercising. Then, I incorporated eight lower-back exercises that my doctor prescribed me from my physical exam in February, and some stretches. Along the way, I’ve added pushups, crunches, lunges, and arm exercises with weights. Some days I would strength-train and some days I would walk; a couple times I did both in the same day. I did the 1/2 mile route several times, then a one-mile route several times, then one mile fast a couple times, and now 2 miles fast!

As you can see, I’ve had to work my way up to where I am (which is far from being able to run – my long-term goal – but I’ll get there!), because I was sedentary for the last year, and very sedentary for 3 months before I started being active, in which I wouldn’t leave my house because it was too much work, painful for my knees, and hard on my lungs. I finally decided I did not want to be confined to my house for the rest of my life and feel so out-of-shape, so I took action. Now, I like moving around and doing things. I like exercising every day. And, during the last week, I’ve incorporated a healthy diet, so that I can exercise more effectively and advance with it. I may not get thin, but I want to get in shape by improving my strength and endurance. I’m highly motivated to do this and not about to quit anytime soon!

All About Exercise 04/24/2012

My health journey is half diet and half exercise. So let’s talk about exercise today. I did a workout at midnight last night. I’ve increased the number of pushups I do to 20 and the number of crunches to 30, and I’ve added lunges. That’s on top of the stretches, back exercises, and arm (with weights) exercises that I do. It was great to get the workout done, but I prefer doing my workouts in the afternoon.

I just got back from a power walk an hour ago. I can still feel the endorphins! I walked as fast as I could with my tired legs and being able to complete the mile walk. The last time I power-walked, which was also the first time, was last Friday, and I felt so lightheaded afterwards that I had to lie down for fifteen minutes. This time, I sat down and rested afterwards, but I felt clearheaded and in a positive mood.

The walk was refreshing and liberating. I moved my arms more, which helped me to walk faster. I did a cool-down at the end. Afterwards, my body tingled and my muscles felt loose, as if I just got a massage. A walk is an amazing total-body workout. Plus, my back feels better!

I want to walk more often. Unfortunately life has been getting in the way, such as schedules and the weather. I do enjoy my walks when I go though. I can’t wait until I can power-walk the two mile route!

I Will Succeed This Time! 04/24/2012

I did low-carb before. One year ago, when I became a freelance writer, I gave up on almost one year of following a low-carb diet. I admit, I gained all the weight back. Oh well. I will try again!

I am sensitive to carbs and have been since I was 19. There was a point when I had no money for food for one month. When I started eating again, I gained a lot of weight. I tried diet pills, Slim Fast shakes, a nutritionist, and Atkins. I successfully lost the weight with Atkins, but I had a difficult time adjusting to maintenance. In other words, I overindulged and gained most of the weight back. I then tried to eat very little, which equaled a grilled cheese sandwich at 11 am and a small chicken sandwich for dinner. I lost a few pounds, but didn’t stick with it for long…because then I met my husband and he accepted me however I looked, so I put on some weight. I eventually did Weight Watchers and lost quite a bit of weight, but didn’t get down to where I got with Atkins. Then I tried eating only one meal a day, because I decided I had a faulty metabolism and that was how much food my body needed, which lasted a few days. I took diet pills again and then went to a low-calorie diet (i.e. eat as little as possible and try to eat healthy) and started exercising. I got into a car accident, which broke both of my legs, and that stopped my diet and exercise routine. I gained a lot of weight and then tried Atkins again. Repeat once more.

Except, I’m not doing Atkins this time, because I’m doing it backwards. Rather than starting out very strict with cutting carbs and then increasing the carbs a little to maintain, I’m slowly cutting out carbs until I reach an amount that is good for me. I’m not counting carbs everyday either. I know it is not logical to do so, because I’m not going to want to count and measure the nutrients in every food I eat for the rest of my life. My approach is for lifelong weight loss, and the changes I make are going to be ones I can stick with for life.

My focus is also more health-related and my motivation to lose weight is to be healthy. I want to eventually drink only pure water, because diet drinks have additives and chemicals in them. In addition, I want to avoid artificial sweeteners, because I’m afraid of the effect they could have on my health (I heard they can cause cancer and I don’t want to take that risk). I have started training my body to like real food, such as vegetables, fats, and proteins, rather than processed foods. No caffeine would be a great goal too, but that’s hard to do!

Small steps in the right direction is what I’m aiming for. I want to be able to run someday, even with my past leg injuries. I am aiming for strength, not thinness. I want to be able to leave my house when I’m older, rather than be so heavy and out-of-shape that I can’t. Being obese is not fun, because the extra weight is hard on my body. I want to be in-shape.

I’m not even weighing myself at this point. I don’t want to be obsessed with minor fluctuations of the scale. When I go down in clothing sizes and feel smaller and look smaller, I will know I lost weight. I do not have a weight goal. My goals are to be in-shape and be able to run.

You can do it too! Join me on this journey!

Day 2 04/21/2012

I did a power walk yesterday, so today I did exercises for 25 minutes. It took me a while to get around to doing them, but I did. I was not able to increase the number of crunches (yet). I think it’s because I only did crunches once so far and that was at least a week ago. I did the same number this time.

I think I like walking better, but exercising at home is very convenient. So at least they both have positive attributes.

I had turkey, cheese, and mayo roll-ups and a small salad with ranch dressing around 11:30 am. Then I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes with ketchup around 3:30 pm. I had a plain, nonfat Greek yogurt cup with sugar-free preserves and 1/2 of a small bowl of watermelon and strawberries at 6:30 pm. I’m pretty much done eating for the day. I think I did well!

I have to reconsider my nutrients now that I don’t eat certain foods. For example, I don’t drink milk anymore, so I will probably want to take a calcium supplement.

It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow, so I’m going to have to think of something else active to do. Any ideas?