New Season, New Goals

It is finally Spring in Buffalo. After what I hope is our last snow fall of the season, the sun is shining, the ice is melting and everyone in town is looking forward to spending more time outside.  We are expecting the high to be 61 degrees tomorrow. I frankly cannot wait!  I am tired of being cold and even more annoyed at being unable to do my walking.

My pants have been feeling tighter recently.  I can still wear them, but I noticed that there were some changes.  I know that I have not been keeping up with my ab exercises the way that I wanted and that I am not always consistent with my diet.  I have been working out significantly and have incorporated running into my routine.  Well, I finally got on the scale this morning and I was 12 pounds heavier than my lightest weight! Yikes!  As my friend/sister LaShekia would say, "That is not cute!"

Yesterday, I made a commitment to use MyFitnessPal the way it is intended.  I have only been half using it and the weight gain showed that.  This website exists to keep people in check and it is important that I hear what it is telling me.  If I don't use it efficiently, it won't be effective and I will gain weight.

While the weight gain is a bummer, I am excited about my involvement in running.  I ran a complete 5K on the treadmill yesterday and walked for about 45 seconds after I got to 3.11 miles and then I began running again.  I ran until I got to the 5 mile mark.  It felt incredible!  I am so excited with myself and it also tells me that I need to get on point with other things.

I was inspired to begin some serious Spring Cleaning yesterday and cleaned out a bunch of junk that I have been accumulating for nearly 4 years.  I was finding mail from 2010!  Just doing that task (it took about 3 hours) made me feel better.  There is still more to do, but I am ready to do it!

So, where am I now?  I made a goal several months ago to lose a total of 90 pounds.  With the 12 pound weight gain, I am now 29 pounds away from that goal.  This means it may take at least 15 weeks to get to my goal.  Am I disappointed?  Yes.  Am I going to give up?  Hell no!  I am now more focused than ever.

What about you?  Have you been derailed from a goal?  If so, how have you overcome this?  I'll leave you with one of my favorite "inspirational" songs.

Weight Lifting For Dummies

I have always considered myself a weight lifting dummy.  I have lifted weights on and off for years, but never seemed to get the results that others get.  Why?  Well, recently a friend of mine pointed out that I was not doing the full range of motion when it came to my exercises.  He was right.

I continued to add weight every month, but I was not really doing the exercises the way they were meant to be done.  Cutting a motion in half means I will only get half (or possibly less than half) of the benefit.  It was a sobering thought, but something I really considered.

I decided to reduce my weight this week and instead started working on doing the exercise properly.  I also listened to what my friend said and started watching the "muscle heads" around me.  They know how to get results, so it made sense to really watch them to see what they were doing.  It's been very eye opening and I am still working on figuring out the right routine to do.

I started using the bench press for the first time in my gym "career."  I was such a novice, that I did not realize that the bar probably weighed about 20 pounds.  I started out putting 10 pounds on each side, so I lifted a total of 40 pounds, but I thought I was lifting only 20!  When my other friend pointed that out, I was both embarrassed, but relieved.  I remember thinking that those 20 pounds felt hard.

I have certain goals when it comes to the weight lifting.  I am still looking to lose weight, but I am determined to replace the fat with muscle.  My body does not look like I want it to, but I know that if I continue to do these exercises and embrace the clean eating, things will change.

What do you all think?  Do lifting weights intimidate you?  What kind of tips do you have about weight lifting?

I leave you with one of my favorite dummies, Homer Simpson, and his quest to get fit.

First Day of New Workout

My last post spoke to wanting to change my workout.  I finally got to do that this week.  Most Mondays and Thursdays, I start my workout with nearly 90 minutes of cardio (the ellipitcal, rowing machine, and the stair climber) followed by 15 minutes on the circuit, doing mostly chest exercises.  That was fine, but it has been the same thing for nearly a year.  I realize that I am about to celebrate one year at LA Fitness and while my body has changed significantly, it is not where I want it.  So, now is the time to make the change.

Today, I started with the circuit, but instead of only doing chest exercises, I did a machine the utilized nearly every muscle group (with the exception of leg exercises) on the circuit.  I did 3 sets of 15 reps and the weight changed depending on the muscle group I was working.  It took approximately 40 minutes and then I went to do cardio.

I did 35 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes on the rowing machine and followed that up with 21 minutes (so I could burn over 300 calories) on the stair climber.  In the end, my workout totaled over 2 hours.  I felt re-energized and completely ready to take on the day.

Tomorrow, I will be doing nearly an hour of weight lifting followed by approximately 45 minutes running on the treadmill.  I am looking forward to seeing how I do with these workouts.  Weight lifting is something that is still somewhat scary to me, but I am getting more comfortable with it as time goes on.  I do wish that I had my online fitness friend and hero David with me for those dead lifts.  I have not tried those yet and I know he would encourage me to get on it.

The goal is to build more muscle and develop a more built look.  I also am still working on the fat loss and have also made major changes to the diet.  With it being Lent, and I am giving up sweets, it is a great time to clean up the diet to make the changes that are needed to break through the plateau.  Spring (and summer) will soon be here and I want to not only look good to feel my best during some of my favorite times of the year.

Have you made any recent changes to your workout?  If so, what were there?

Changing the Workout

Have you ever gotten bored with your workout?  I am sure people that have been working out for years would say the answer is "yes!"  I have recently become bored with much of what I am doing.  My body is getting bored too.  I am not building the muscle I want, and it is clear that my body is craving something new.

At the beginning of each month, I increase my resistance and weights when it comes to my cardio and lifting.  It has helped, but I realize that I need to start doing different exercises.  While the elliptical will always be my cardio machine of choice (low impact, burns lots of calories), I have stopped coupling it with the stair climber and recently started rowing.  Rowing feels fantastic and it does work the entire body.  I do miss the stair climber, so I am considering doing a combo of the elliptical, rowing machine and stair climber.  I think the body will increase it.

In addition, I am changing some of my weight lifting.  Right now I use barbells, cable pulleys and some circuit machines.  I stay away from the heavy weights and don't do dead lifts or bench pressing.  That needs to change.  I want to build muscle in my chest.  In addition my abs and gluteus need to be much more toned.  I have to begin incorporating squats and doing more ab workouts.  I stay away from crunches and the machines because I have an Insane Abs Tae Bo DVD that I love.  Starting next week, the plan is to do that DVD at least three times per week.

What about you?  Have you gotten bored with your workout?  What are some other suggestions I should try?

Surviving the Winter Blues

Do any of you suffer from SAD?  SAD is also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder and it usually happens in the winter when the weather stays consistently cold and there is very little sunlight.  I've had it for years, but the last several winters have been unusually mild for Buffalo, so there have been limited episodes with this disorder.

After I lost the weight, and I was feeling generally better about myself, I thought that most of my depression issues had been resolved.  Being actively in therapy, I assumed, would take care of any issues that would come up.  I was wrong.

Last week I struggled with being happy.  I could not get happy.  In fact, I felt no emotion.  Completing a grant?  Meh. Being told that a grant I previously completed was being funded for at least $10,000?  Meh.  Spending time with friends. Meh.  Lastly, working out? Meh.

Coming from the gym and feeling nothing scared me because working out releases endorphins and you generally feel good.  I work out for at least 60 to 90 minutes each day, and usually at the end of the workout I am feeling motivated or focused, but I felt nothing.  I wanted to sleep.  I wanted to not work.  It was awful.  By Friday, I was so low, that I called into work and took a "mental health day."  The irony was, I had an appointment with my therapist Friday afternoon, so I really did need that day.

Surprisingly, when I got up on Friday, I called into work and then went to to the gym.  I didn't want to do my full workout, but I did it anyway.  It was a huge victory for me.  I am an emotional eater and when I'm feeling low, I often stay in bed and eat.  If I had done that, I would never had gone to therapy and I would have cancelled the "date" I had with my mother that night.  The fact that I went to the gym (and didn't think twice about it), just shows that my gym attendance is a part of my life and routine.  It has become second nature.  For that I am thrilled.

What about you?  Do you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder?  What do you do to beat the Winter Blues?

New Year, New Attitude

I am sure many of you have made resolutions to get more fit or to lose a certain amount of weight during 2014.  It seems that each year, we resolve to do something with our bodies.  For years, I have always said I am going to lose some weight.  Sometimes it's happened and other times I have given up this idea within two weeks of the new year.

I am thrilled that this year is different.  While I am still not at my goal, I didn't go into this year saying, "I have to lose a lot of weight."  I resolved to review my weight and my goals and make a decision.  I believe it is the healthiest way to approach weight loss and fitness.

During the holidays, I ate much more erratically.  I stopped consistently utilizing MyFitnessPal to log my meals and I was eating anything I wanted.  I also ordered a lot of pizza and consumed a lot of ice cream and pie.  The definition I had in my stomach started to go away and I felt my pants tighten.  I decided that this would be the last holiday season that I would day that.  I want to be much more responsible about what I consume 12 months out of the year.  Why do we allow yourselves an opportunity to "be bad" during the holiday season?

I was excited when January 2 came around and I was back on track.  My salads and soups re-entered my diet and I immediately started to feel the difference.  I also have been able to slowly get back into my ab workout and the definition is slowly starting to return.  I weighed myself yesterday (the first Sunday of the month) and was not surprised to see that I had gained weight.  I was up 4.5 pounds from my last weigh in and knew that I had to get on track.

I am currently doing my January "fast."  No, I am not only consuming juice or cutting out everything except fruit and vegetables from my diet.  I do eat clean during the month and I restrict alcohol.  I am allowing myself one day to partake in drinking--it is my monthly date with my mother and we have others joining us. Other than that, I am eating healthy and have given up all my vices (including ice cream).

The new year also brings new people to the gym.  I noticed this over the last few days. We are also in an odd situation here in Buffalo.  The Buffalo Athletic Club (BAC) gym locations were recently purchased by LA Fitness.  As a result, members of BAC, can sample LA Fitness locations until the end of January.  At that point, I think they have decide where they are staying with LA Fitness or if they want to move on to another gym.  It means that not only are we dealing with "Resolutioners," but we also have the BAC folks trying things out.  Because I work out in the mornings, I have not had to deal with a lot of new people, but they have taken over on the weekends.  My theory is the earlier you get into the gym, the better and that seems to be working.

I'm curious about your thoughts on fitness in the new year.  Are you resolving to lose more weight?  Are you just trying to maintain where you are?  Is there another fitness challenge you are looking to do?

Recovering

Have you ever gotten really sick to the point that it affects your workout and life?  That happened to me last week when I developed a major cold and flu.  Since October 1, I've suffered through a series of sinus infections, which have required three different rounds of antibiotics.  As I was coming to the end of this latest round, I started feeling pretty poorly.  I thought that it was my body telling me that a sinus infection was returning, but I discovered that it was something much more serious.  

I took to my bed on Tuesday, November 26 and did not get up until Sunday, December 1.  As a result, I missed Thanksgiving and numerous parties.  What was even worse was that I missed the gym.  I was almost at the end of the month, so I was planning to increase weight amounts and resistance levels on machines, but losing a full week (and more) of progress, will definitely affect my workout going into December.  It is frustrating as I am in my last 15 pounds of weight loss.  I may have even gained some weight last week.  Initially, I had no appetite, but that changed by Thursday.  I was weak and I ate some Thanksgiving meals prepared by my parents and later a few dishes provided by a certain special man in my life.  

I hate being unable to workout.  I couldn't even go outside for a walk because I felt so weak and it was extremely cold out.  While I knew that I was missing working out, I was so weak that my body really did not care.  This was an opportunity for me to truly listen to what my body was saying.  I knew that when I was ready, my body would tell me so.  

I returned to working out by doing a Tae Bo workout yesterday morning.  Because I am still suffering from a lingering cough and a bit of fatigue, I thought it would be better to workout at home.  If I broke into a coughing fit, or needed to sit down, I'd be in my own house.  Luckily, everything went well.  I did a different Tae Bo workout this morning and am now ready to return to the gym.  

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I hope that my Physician Assistant will give me the go ahead to return to the gym.  I felt it was important for me to wait until I hear from her before I resumed my normal activity.  I am probably about 95% right now, but I don't want to do anything that will negatively affect my progress long-term.  

What about you?  What do you do when you get sick?  Do you stop and listen to your body or do you push through it?