Don't Be Afraid to Pump Some Iron

It seems that women are so afraid of looking bulky when it comes to lifting weights. In reality, our estrogen makes it so that we don't build muscle in the same way that men do. And muscle burns way more calories than fat. That's right, building muscle will help your metabolism to work faster ... score!

Use a combination of strength training and cardio and you'll have the best results. Find out about a new study supporting what we have known for years: http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/fitness/exercise/2010-10-11-fabfitdoctorsorder11_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me
There are many strength training classes and DVDs that are geared toward women. One of my favs is Chalean Extreme.

Chalene on BodyBugg

Remember my latest obsession? The BodyBugg? Yeah, so if you're still wondering what it's all about, here is Chalene Johnson explaining it ...



24 hour fitness is a huge promotor of the BodyBugg & if you watch the Biggest Loser, you'll see the participants using them. The funny thing is, once you start wearing it, you start seeing just how many people do the Bugg!

Where to get it:

• You can order it online from 24-hour fitness (price $249.99, currently on sale for $199.99)
• You can buy a Go, Wear, Fit from amazon.com (price $199.99 currently on sale for $179.95) - This is the exact same thing as the BodyBugg (both made by BodyMedia), they are just marketed from different companies.

Getting fit, what works for me ...

Now that the cycle is broken, I need to declare my new goals. Consistency is important to me, losing weight is up there too. Here's what works for me:

• A structured program, so I don't have to decide each day what I am doing. Although I do like a little flexibility since life happens!
• Weights - I need to use weights, I feel stronger and get better results (both visual and weight loss)

I love running and doing races, but it seems when I am training for a half marathon, that I don't make the time for weights, since the running takes up so much time. My best results were from doing a 3 month rotation of Chalean Extreme. I think it's time for another one!

So, today is the first day of new Chalean Extreme rotation. Here's what the next month will look like

• Monday - Burn Circuit 1 (BC1)
• Tuesday - Burn It Off
• Wednesday - Burn Circuit 2 (BC2)
• Thursday - Burn Intervals & Ab Burner
• Friday - Burn Circuit 3 (BC3)
• Saturday - Recharge

I'd also love to add in some yoga as time permits. (And my body allows!)

As far as eating goes, I am going to maintain at least a 750 calorie deficit per day using my BodyBugg to track my calories in/calories out.

Chalean Extreme

Here's an bit from the infomercial about Chalean Extreme ... love this program!

Checking in

Hello! So, I have been totally slacking when it comes to my blogs lately, but that's okay. I've been outside for the last hour weeding and planting flowers, so I do not feel guilty in the least bit!

I can't remember if I posted last week or not, but I got side tracked from working out midweek due to getting sick ... AGAIN! While I continued to do my best eating wise and staying active, I decided to push the official start of my 90 day rotation back one more week (to this week) so that I could get in the complete workouts. I am feeling much better (knock on wood!) and have totally been rocking it this week.

Monday I did Burn Circuits 1 ... that workout had me gulping for air ... and it's all strength! It was mostly legs and chest/back.

Tuesday Aubrey and I did just over 5 miles on our bikes. It still took us just under an hour, so I don't know which distance we'll be doing in June. If we can increase our pace to 10-15 MPH then we could manage 38, but right now it looks like we might be doing the 15. I decided to stop pushing too hard, because it is supposed to be fun. I did a couple of intervals to get my heart rate up including on hill that was KILLER. I mean it is worth than the hill I live on!

Wednesday I did Burn Circuits 2. I really liked this one. Don't know if it's because I gained back my strength completely, but I didn't feel nearly as wiped out as Monday, but that doesn't mean I wasn't working hard. My muscles were shaking by the end. It worked biceps, triceps and legs.

Today I am going on a bike ride with Aubrey again. She prefers neighborhood riding, but we might try another trail today. I think on trails we could end up with a faster MPH since we are not stopping to cross streets or wait for cars. I think the only reason she doesn't like the trails as much is last time her tire went flat and we had to walk 1.5 miles back.

How's your workouts going? What goals do you have?

Starting a new round of CLX

Hello! Glad to be back to things, even though the Caribbean was QUITE delightful! ;)

I was planning on starting my 2nd round of CLX last week, but the timing just didn't work for the workouts. I did do some workouts and really cleaned up my eating. Today will start my official first week of BURN (2nd time around!) I am really looking forward to the BURN month ... with only 3 extremes each workout!

This past week I managed to lose the 2 1/2 cruise bulk PLUS an additional 4 lbs!!! I SO get that for me, it really is 85% eating. The workouts are good and help me to feel good and LOOK good in my skin, but when it comes to weight loss, it's all about the food. On my ticker I am picking up from where I left off (not counting the weight I lost when it went up from the cruise).

It was kind of nice to come home last weekend to no food in the house, because when I went shopping I only bought things that would work with our diet. Then I spent 30 minutes preparing all kinds of snack and easy to grab foods. The top two shelves in my fridge are all things you can grab and eat as well as one shelf in my pantry. This is so key for me, because I am all about convenience. I was lucky to get a bunch of those really small tupperware sets on sale 5 for $.75.

I have updated my blog to reflect my new goals. I had fun putting the top banner together, because it represents the things I will be doing for the next 3-4 months. Hope you like it!

I won $200!!!

When I started my rotation back in December ... I joined a Biggest Loser Challenge with some girls on one of the message boards I visit. We each pitched in $5 and we had voting this past week. It wasn't weight loss, but visible results. Imagine my surprise when I won ... I've never won anything worth anything before! I am so stoked!!! Okay, I am gonna suck it up and show my pictures here. No laughing, okay?!? ;)


I tried really hard in each shot to hit the same pose with no sucking in and all that. I did two shots (not seen here) were I did flex, but that's it. I am more tan in the afters, but that is only because of getting ready for the cruise! Here are the numbers:

Total weight loss: 23.2 lbs.
Inches lost -
chest: 1.5"
R arm: 1"
L arm: 1.5"
waist: 3.5"
hips: 2.75"
abductors: 4"
R thigh: 1.5"
L thigh: 3"
total inches lost: 19"

For me the most noticeable change is in the side shots. In the before, my belly stuck out past my boobs (shudder) and now it doesn't!!! I am now at the weight (even a few pounds less) I was before having Braden. Once I lose about another 10 lbs., I'll be at the lowest weight I've been since having Aubrey ... THAT will be a celebration!!!

Other changes I notice are:

~My appetite is not as big as it used to be. I gave myself free reign on the cruise to eat anything I wanted. And I did, but usually I did not finish my plate and I found myself stopping when I was satisfied. It was nice to enjoy the food without being sick from having eaten too much. When I started the first CLX rotation, it was hard adjusting to smaller meals, but now I sometimes get full before finishing the whole CLX meal!

~ Huge strength gains. When I started I could barely do 2 pushups on my knees, and even then the form was horrible and probably shouldn't count. I can now do most of the reps, with good form, on my knees. I am not quite ready for a toes pushup, but I can tell that I am really close.

~ Seeing my muscle ... I am seeing muscles popping up in places they have never been sen before. Most noticeable are my tricep/delt muscles and my quads. I can't wait to shred another layer of fat and really be able to start seeing them! Even at my skinniest, I was never "firm."

~ Confidence ... I have such confidence in my body now. I proudly wore my swimsuits on the beach. Was there cellulite? Heck ya! Am I at my goal weight? Not yet! But it didn't matter. I felt great about myself and instead of being self concious and try to hide, I just enjoyed myself and had a blast. My mind still tries to play tricks on me sometimes, but that's when I tell it to shut up!!!

~ No more "ifs" or "somedays." We spend a lot of our lives looking for that someday moment when things are perfect, and really is it ever? No! I am loving this journey and appreciating where I am. At the same time, I no longer wonder "if" I will be healthy, but I know I AM healthy and that now is the day.

I started a new rotation and have updated my ticker to reflect a new start. I have set my goal weight to be the high end of healthy for my height, only because it asks for it. Honestly, I don't have a goal for weight but here are my goals:

• Finish 90 day CLX rotation doing 3 strength workouts per week and 2-3 bike rides per week (If weather is bad, substitute and indoor cardio), 2 ab/stretching workouts
  
• Follow CLX eating plan, allowing 1-2 cheat meal each week. (I have added in some of my own recipes so I guess it is a modified CLX eating plan)
  
• Continue to work on my body image/thoughts. This includes combatting the bad thoughts when they pop in and notice the good things about my body.
  
• Be able to do at least one push up on toes at the end of the rotation

I figure the weight will come off, but since I can't control how much will come off, I'll focus on the things I can control like what I eat, when I workout, etc.

Here's to the next 90 days!

Week 3 of PUSH

Hi girls! Yesterday started week 3 of the PUSH for me. I switched and did PC2, since Taylor and I worked out together, and that was the only one where we overlapped on weights only once. I am feeling it in my butt and ham strings today! I had a big 3 lb. drop this week bringing my total weight loss to just over 17 lbs!!! I am so stoked! This is even with some cheats here and there for birthdays and other stuff. When I know I have a cheat coming on, I will try to prepare by eating super clean prior and keeping my calories down, so I can freely have the cheat. Even then I'll have a much smaller portion than I would have before.

Going into CLX I was hoping to be able to achieve 15 lbs. total, but unsure if I could really do that. I still have over a month left, so who KNOWS what I can lose!

I'm here!

I got flattened by a really bad case of strep throat last week and have hence been MIA. Last week was week 2 of PUSH, but since I was totally out of commission for three days and then not up to par until today really, I am going to continue week 2 this week and then move on. So glad to be feeling better finally!

Life is kind of crazy right now, Taylor lost his job last week (laid off), I'm starting a new part time job today. I know these are the things that in the past would cause me to change course all together, but I am determined to push through this and come out on top.

On the plus side my weight did go down some more this week even with Aunt Flo visiting me!

Hump Day!

Got up early and did PC2. I love getting it done first thing because then I feel like I'm on a high all day long. Very nice. This workout was killer, especially on my hamstrings and glutes ... right where I need it! I really feel like these workouts are doing amazing work for my legs. 10 lbs. was my lightest weight today, which is pretty awesome because that used to be my heavy weight!

Eating is going well, although I was totally craving pizza yesterday for some reason. I might have to have a cheat meal this weekend for the super bowl!

Month 2 starts today!

Checking in with my month 1 final results. We weighed, measured and took pictures yesterday. Month 2 starts for me today.

Here are my results:
Weight loss: 12.8 lbs.
Total inches lost: 9.25 inches (Biggest losses were 2 inches off abs and 2.5 inches off abductors!)

Taylor's results:
Weight loss: 8 lbs. (he's lost 19 lbs. since November, when he cut out soda and started watching portions!)
Total inches lost: 10.75 inches (He also lost 2 inches off of his waist!)

We compared our day 1 and day 28 pictures side by side and were able to see some definite changes. It was pretty interesting to see what we accomplished in only 4 weeks.

After my last post, for some reason I started feeling like I was a fraud, like I'm having this success now, but I'll just go back to my old ways. I swear all weekend I battled this horrible thoughts. It really helped to do the measurements and pictures yesterday to prove myself wrong! I hate days like that, where you know those thoughts are bogus and no good comes of them, but they keep popping up. I read and re-read your comments here and on my message board and really worked on owning this success I have seen. I am now ready to push forward and have an amazingly strong 2nd month!!! (That's funny because the 2nd month is called "PUSH!")

I was going to get up to do PC1 this morning, but we got home laaaaate last night. I still need to print out the worksheet for it, so I decided to make time this afternoon so I could really focus on this new workout.

Week 4

Week 4 starts today! And I am just amazed at the fact that I can say that. Aubrey had school off today, so we all slept in and did my workout later. It was kind of sad (not really) to think this is my last time doing BC1 (for a while at least). Really though, it is my least favorite out of the strength workouts, but I still like it. Have to go do some shopping because I am getting low on a lot of my food staples.

Today was my official weigh in and I am down another 1.2 lb for a total of 11.4 lbs lost!!! I am actually excited to record our official 30 days results next week.

Taylor has been keeping up with things as well, though I can't get him to post over here! I think that total he has lost about 15-16 lbs. Can't remember the exact number.

Quick Check-in

I can't beleieve I forgot to post yesterday ... after all the to do, I did yesterdays workout (Burn Intervals) and not only survived it but was strong doing it! I realized that I totally built that workout up my head to be Mt. Everest. Yes, it was tough, yes I was worked, but I can totally do this!

This morning was BC3. I even used 20 lb. dumbells on two of the exercises! I've noticed on upper body I tend to be weaker and use weights that the beginner exerciser uses but with lower body, I can use pretty close to what Chalene uses. At the end of the workout, you do 3 reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyy slow push ups to finish of one of the exercises. I was able to do all three (8 counts down and 8 counts up). What's amazing is, at the beginning of the program I could only do 2 total at a regular speed. So, yeah, I'm feeling so powerful!!!

Muscle Burns Fat

Since I have been in the mindset of losing weight and being healthy, I have been reading lots of information to keep me motivated and knowing the best way to achieve the results I want. These are thoughts I have put together and are my opinion based on what I've read.

You always hear about metabolisms, right? Like some people have really good metabolisms and can eat anything they want and are skinny, others eat like birds and are overweight. To me, this has always seemed be something out of our control ... something we were either blessed with or cursed with.

Each day, our bodies burn calories just to exist. Our fat cells burn calories and our muscle cells burn calories. But did you know that one lb. of muscle burns at least 3X more calories than 1 lb. of fat? (Numbers vary, but this is the low estimate.) So, if we lose 1 lb. of fat and gain 1 lb. of fat, we are in essence "raising our metabolism" as our bodies are burning more calories just to exist. The other cool thing is, muscle takes up less space than fat, so you could weigh the same, but your measurements are small (and less flabby!)

Many people are still doing tons and tons of cardio with little to no strength training. There are many reports that show that you can and will actually lose muscle, not just fat, by training this way. In Chalene's blog, she talks about a woman who was a yo yo dieter and spent hours doing cardio. She could never lose weight and keep it off. They tested her BMR at the beginning of her 90 day rotation, and she was only burning 700 calories a day!!! I don't know about you, but I could not live on that little. That means that she could "diet" and eat a low 1,000 calorie a day diet and STILL gain weight. She followed the CLX 90 day rotation and initially gained weight, but as she built muscle and followed the nutritional guide, she ended up losing 40 lbs. and the coolest part is she raised her BMR to 1400 calories a day!!! She was able to turn around the years of abuse to her system and retrain it. You can ready the whole story with more details on Chalene's blog.

From Chalene:

When working to increase your metabolism (which is ultimately the goal if you want to eat more and come in a smaller package) remember that muscle is an active tissue. It's requirements are far greater than fat. Fat is this mushy, lumpy, yellowy stuff that requires very little to sustain itself, but takes up a lot of space. Lean muscle tissue on the other hand requires are great deal of calories to sustain. It's firm! It's tight! It's red with blood and healthy tissue that makes life easier and fat burning a breeze! Muscle burns fat!

From About.com article:

Even though muscle doesn't burn a huge number of calories on its own, it's still more metabolically active than fat and very important for weight loss. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology [6] found that, though weight training doesn't burn as many calories as cardio, it significantly increases average daily metabolic rate - the perfect foundation for losing fat.

And remember the other benefits of weight training:

• Prevents loss of lean body mass that happens from dieting and/or aging
• Weight training workouts burn calories
• Helps change your body composition, which helps shape your body and keep you healthy
• Strenghtens bones and connective tissue along with muscles
• Helps keep you strong and active as you get older

The bottom line is, strength training is important for almost any fitness goal, whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or just get in better condition.

From a Mayo Clinic article:

Weight training can help you tone your muscles, improve your appearance and fight age-related muscle loss. And it doesn't take as long as you might think...

Lean muscle mass naturally decreases with age. If you don't do anything to replace the muscle loss, it'll be replaced with fat. But weight training can help you reverse the trend — at any age. Studies show that weight training and other types of strength training can improve quality of life and the ability to complete daily tasks for adults even in their 80s and 90s.

As your muscle mass increases, you'll be able to work harder and longer before you get tired. You'll maintain joint flexibility, increase bone density and better manage your weight. You may even improve your mental health and reduce the risk of depression — all heavy reasons to include weight training in your fitness program.

Week 3 starts today

Official start to week 3 for me today. I got up and did BC1 even though I went to bed waaay to late last night. I'm loving that I am still loving these workouts, no boredom factor. I love getting my workouts done first thing, because then I can feel good for the rest of the day knowing I did it. I may not be a morning person, but hopefully this will help get there eventually.

Official weigh in this morning has me done another pound, so that's 10.2 lbs. total!!! (I'll update my ticker when I get on the other computer.)

I'm surprised by how little I have been tempted. Like Friday, we went out so I made dinner ahead of time for Taylor and I, but ordered a pizza for the kids and babysitter. I wasn't even tempted to have a bite, and I LOOOOVE pizza. Knowing I only have these next couple of months to get ready for the cruise helps. Also, because I am seeing such great results, there's no way I want to sabotage myself now. Guess the trick will be to maintain eating well even when the results are not always noticeable or I am not counting down to something.

Well, have a super duper day!

Week

Workouts for week 2 are officially complete!!! Did Burn It Off and Recharge this morning with Taylor. Killer.

It feels great to have been so consistent I've never been one to stick to a rotation, so this is something!

Loving it!!!

Taylor and I went to a gymnastics meet last night. Normally we would eat at the meet, since we had to leave here at 5:30. Well, I planned ahead and had dinner ready and snuck in some healthy snacks. So we were able to have fun and still eat within our plan!

TGIF!

I did nooooooooooooooooot want to get up this morning and even lay in bed for an extra 15 minutes, but I MADE myself get up. That was a battle of will for sure. I made the commitment to work out at 6:30 each morning, even though I could do it later in the day. I know for me, if I don't get it done before Aubrey goes to school, chances are I won't do it. I did BC3 and MAN, did it feel amazing when I was done. I think since it had been such a battle, it was that much more rewarding when I was done.

One more workout and I will be done with the 2nd week. At this point my weight keeps bobbing around the same point. Of course there's that part of me that wishes I could lose as much as I did last week, but know that realistically, it is healthy for my body to settle into things. I want to keep my metabolism strong so that it will be easy to maintain things as I lose weight.

I am really happy with how the eating plan is working for me. To conquer my sweet cravings, I have a sugar free pudding with a little bit of cool whip and crunch up a 100 calorie snack pack into it. I tried some yummy combos, and it has been quite satisfying. The other night I did chocolate pudding, grasshopper cookies and some banana cut up. It tasted reminiscent of a banana split. I think it really helps that Taylor is doing this with me, so it's not like the fam is eating one thing and I'm eating another. Compared to how I have been eating, this is quite a change.

Here's to a great weekend!

Half through week 2

Today was Burn Intervals and Ab Burner. Whew. That was TOUGH!!! It a combination of cardio drills and light weights (to recover). I did 3 lbs. weights and eventually transitioned to no weights. I think out of all the workouts, this would be the one that has a little "dread" factor for me. But it felt SOOOOO good when I was done.

I am having so much fun feeling the differences in my body. I am really looking forward to hitting 30 days and taking new pictures and measurements.

Going Strong

Hola! This morning I got up (early again ... this is a FEAT for me!) and did BC2. I am noticing that instead of feeling so incredibly sore (like last week) my muscles feel "warm" and worked, but not nearly as sore. That is nice. Oh and this morning I noticed my stomach feels flatter. Now it is not flat by any means, but it felt like there was less bulge there! My weight is still moving, though I think the pace has slowed down, which is fine. I know I can't really lose 9 pounds EVERY week, maybe just every other week!

Yesterday I noticed I was having more and more feelings of doubt and pessimism coming into my head. You know the famous, "You're not really going to stick to this," "You're not really going to lose any more weight," "You know you just want to sleep in," etc. In the late afternoon, I decided to pull out Chalean's motivational CD and listened to that. Since then I've been actively combating those thoughts with, "Oh yes you can!" Hope I'm not the only one who has battles in my head!

Sometimes, it's easy to look at the past and see failure. To think all of my periods of working out and eating right must be failures, because I am still overweight. But really that is not true. I am choosing to look at this as my journey. Everything in the past, including the ups and downs, has led me to THIS point RIGHT now. Ultimately, who I am is someone who is UNSTOPPABLE. I will NOT let the roadblocks and dips in the road stop me from being who I ultimately want to be. This is what I must remember when those other thoughts try to creep their way in ... I am unstoppable!

Eating is going well! I totally lost track of time this afternoon and didn't have time to make lunch, so I grabbed two snacks and had that on the way. So glad I prepared things ahead of time otherwise I would have been up a creek!

I did the chicken kabobs the other night (marinated chicken, zucchini, pineapple and seasonings) and they were YUMMY! The chicken was so moist, it was just perfect. I am noticing that my appetite has definitely decreased. I had two skewers on my plate and thought "There's no way that will fill me up." I'm used to having starchy things on the side like pasta or potatoes. I was pleasantly full when I was done. (Not overly stuffed like I've been used to in the past). Last night was a leftovers night. We were stacking up quite a few, so it was time to eat them up. We each had something slightly different.

I AM the biggest loseer ...

And that's a good thing! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting the weigh in, right?
















Duh Duh Duh ...













9.2 lbs. lost. In my first week. Yup. That's right. Almost 10 lbs.

I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't see the weight steadily dropping each day. I have never, EVER lost this much weight in one week. Ultimately I know it won't come off this fast for the long haul, but what a nice start to the program. I was thinking it would be nice if I could lose 15 lbs. before the cruise. I may have to re-think that! Actually, I think it really isn't about a number at this point. I can't control what the number is on the scale but I can control whether or not I workout. I can control what I put into my mouth. So, those are the things I will work on.

What's really crazy is, that while I have been working out very hard, I do not feel like I am overdoing it in the least. And my eating has changed drastically, but I am not feel deprived. Overall, I am loving life. I am glad that I am keeping track of my results in several ways (weight, measurements, fit test, body fat) because I know there are weeks when my weight may stay the same and these results will help me find this motivation. Nothing fires you up quite like results!!!

Here's to a great week!