Success!

What does success feel like in your fitness journey?  Have you set goals along the way?  How does it feel when you finally reach that goal?

In 2013, I agreed to run my first 5K with my good friend Ron.  He wanted to do it and I said we could in 2014.  My original plan was to start training on the treadmill in January.  When January rolled around, I made excuses until another friend at the gym, Guy, took me to task and told me it was time to start running.  I did it and survived.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get the right running sneakers right away and ended up injuring my knee.  This set me back about a month in my training.  The weather here in Buffalo was awful, so the date of my 5K was going to be in April or May, so I really had not lost a lot of time in training.

I started running the treadmill at the end of February and continued to slowly train.  Ron and I discussed a training schedule outside, but life intervened and he started without me.  The weather continued to be a factor and I had no interest in running in the cold or on ice.  I soon realized that I had to start or I wouldn't be ready to run the 5K when the opportunity arose.

The date that I picked to start was my brother's birthday.  Alex was with us for one year, but he died from complications from Multiple Sclerosis on his first birthday.  This year was the 30th anniversary of his death and it is generally a difficult time for my parents and me.  I didn't realize that it was his birthday when I picked this day---it was a Sunday and therefore a "run day."  The weather was perfect---high 40s and sunny.  Delaware Park was fairly quiet and I was able to get a groove going.  My running music playlist is awesome and inspiring and before I knew it I had run around the park twice.  My total time was 34:48 and I ran 3.55 miles.  Keep in mind that a 5K is 3.1 miles, so I ran (over) the length of my goal in excellent time.  At the gym, I have the treadmill set for a 12 minute mile, so I ran faster outside than I do on the treadmill.

To say that I was proud was an understatement.  I realize that it is not a big goal to some, but to me it was amazing.  I can now say without any trepidation that I can run the 5K.  I am ready, willing and able.  I also loved being outside running and I cannot wait to get out there again.  The weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse tomorrow (it actually already is), so I won't be out there tomorrow, but Friday looks good.  I am feeling so pumped.

I thank you all for allowing me to share my successes from my journey.  Whomever reads this, know that I appreciate your support.  Meanwhile, here is a song that describes how I felt as I was running.

Finding Motivation

What motivates you in your quest for fitness?  Is it something that happens from within?  Is it seeing the results on the outside?  Is it being noticed by other people?  Perhaps it is a combination of all those things.

I've been struggling a bit with staying on track.  I work out at least 90 minutes per day, six days per week, but I don't always eat the best and there are other things that I want to do with my workouts.  I want to work on doing a more effective and efficient workout, and I also want to work on specific body parts.  For me, because I was so heavy before I started this quest, I am still working to tone up in certain places.  I am trying to do additional work to help tone these muscles.  In addition, I am working quite a bit on fat loss.  I have yet to do a body fat analysis, and perhaps that should be my first step.

I am motivated to get back on track with the fat loss as we move into warmer weather.  I have several polo shirts that I can still wear from last year, but because they were not of the best quality, some of the shirts have shrunk and now are too short for me.  In addition, apparently my biceps have grown quite a bit because they are almost busting out of some shirts.  I want to have clothes that fit and look good. I would like to settle on a size so I can make an investment in good quality clothes and not having to replace "cheap" shirts at the end of each season.

On days when it is raining (like today), I often find it hard to go home and work out.  I love doing most of my workout in the mornings, but if I plan on focusing on a single body part or area of muscles in the second part of the day, it is hard to get into it.  Between my cat Gobee, the weather and my desire to sometime just want to eat, I often set myself up for failure.  I have started eating small meals throughout the day which will keep me on track on when it comes to my hunger.  It is next to impossible for me to work out when I am hungry, so making sure there is something in my stomach before I go home is key to my success.

As I close this post, I think that it is important that I get back on my grind.  The diet, the fitness and the focus.  Speaking of grind, see if anyone of you remember this one from the 90s.

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?