I had a conversation last night that I wanted to share with you because it's close to my heart.
TOPIC: The world sucks- It truly does. Bad things happen every day and we can't be a million places at once to save everyone. Eventually we need to give into the fact that bad things will happen to us.
So since this is fact, why are we so determined to hide that things happen to us? Why can't we just admit THIS HAPPENED TO ME, IT SUCKS, HUG ME! It's ok to ask for a pity party every now and then.
Bad things happen every day. Yes it happens to everyone. BUT THIS IS YOU AND YOUR ONLY CHANCE AT LIFE. You're allowed to be selfish and be upset about things. Don't take it to far. Don't let it rule your life. But if it's horrible enough to cry about it, let the tears flow.
Grieve over a tainted memory. It's called being human. Be upset at the person who did it for you and don't for one second feel that it's ok for someone to hurt you. I'm sad that they had a bad childhood but that never gives them a right to stick a knife in your life to cover up their pain.
Do we understand that we are PHYSICALLY KILLING OURSELVES just to keep someone else from getting in trouble?
Let's take another route and say that a natural disaster happened to us. You can yell at the wind and your cries will get lost. Yell at it anyways. Let yourself get physically upset for a little while.
YOU WERE NOT BORN WITH A CAPE, STOP ACTING LIKE YOU CAN HOLD THE WORLD ON YOUR SHOULDERS.
And don't try to be the world's advocate without advocating for yourself. You can't help someone else deal with a problem until you've dealt with it yourself.
Eating to hide pain is like putting a bandaid on a gun shot wound.
Internalizing pain is a gateway to cancer, heart problems, brain issues, and other parts of your body saying "I'M TIRED OF MENTALLY ABUSING MYSELF, I...TAP...OUT"
For years I internalized pain. I internalized every name I was called, being a young mom, watching the world around me crumble, being abused by people I thought I loved. In some sick sad way I blamed myself for everything. I just can't do it anymore. I really can't. And now I'm watching someone die of the physical aspect of internalizing pain. I would never wish their life on anyone. We just can't do this to ourselves.
So I'm going to recommend a movie for everyone that honestly changed my idea that I can hold it all in and be ok.
It's called "What the Bleep Do We Know?!? Down the Rabbit Hole"
It's a documentary/story about how we react to life and how it affects our body. If you can't watch the whole movie or can't find it here's a link to a very important part about how thoughts affect you.
I dare you to watch it.
Don't ever forget that you only get one chance at life. Don't waste it. Experience and love it. Don't be afraid to cry, don't be afraid to let go, don't be afraid to move on, don't be afraid to yell.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
****************Help me save up to go back to school***********************
Shakeology (What I take to balance out my body.)
Beachbody (P90X, Insanity, TurboFire, supplements, fitness equipment.)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
My first 5k!!!!
I only have one picture to post today. Sorry. I'm waiting for my MIL to download hers for me off of her computer and for the Brightroom pictures to be posted.
OMG so much fun!
Not sure how my results pic will look on here since it's pretty long BUT finished 1718 out of 2376. I told a few people that were looking at me like I was crazy for being ok with a 43:28 min 5k but whatever. Even I wasn't all that crazy about it because I've been so used to running 12 min miles. The simple fact of the matter is I still started all by myself and I still finished all by myself.
My husband, MIL, and kids all went with me. I'm surprised my kids were so good the whole day because the race was over an hour away from our house and we had to go out so early. I signed up during "late registration" so we had to get there an hour and a half early to get my packet. I NEVER thought I was going to get through that line. It wrapped around the whole parking lot which was huge and took us 45 min to get through. But at least we had time to put glowsticks in my hair and watch the other runners walking around in their costumes.
The race was to earn money for the Childrens Medical Center and the theme was FIREFLY. We each got LED blinking arm bands, glow in the dark running numbers, we put glow sticks in my hair and around my arms and neck, people were walking around with butterfly wings everywhere, it was definitely my style for the race.
There were no heats (they didn't separate by times or ages) so it was all 3,000 (they said there were more than 3,000) of us trying to funnel through the starting gate. I know quite a few people ended up deciding not to run after seeing the congestion of people. I have to admit that was the suckiest part of this race. But my adrenaline was pumping so hard that I was almost crying so I didn't care. Why my lips would start trembling at the start of a race, I have no clue, but I seriously almost started crying super happy tears or something.
Because of the blinking LED lights it was like an ocean of lit up people. So many of us wore the LED's as a headband so I could just watch the lights bobbing up and down like ocean waves. It was INCREDIBLE! Since it was a mix of walkers and runners and kids and adults and DOGS I ended up spending most of my energy trying to dodge around people. I ended up walking half the race because of it. There's a point where you just say your time isn't worth knocking people down. Other runners didn't believe that though
. One person had one of those thin line dog leashes and I almost tripped over their dog 3 times before almost face planting from running into the leash. There were parents coaching their kids for a jog. I couldn't believe the determination of some of these kids. It amazed me how much people loved this and how much they bonded over this. One guy waited to be the last person to go through the gate and was tapping people on the shoulder going "TAG! CATCH ME CATCH ME!" I ran after him for about 3 minutes before getting stuck behind some walkers. I walked some of the race with a Gorilla and a Banana. There was one 5 year old that I cheered on for a quarter mile and his dad told me I made their race and even came to find me after the race to say thank you again. The streets were lined with people that cheered and clapped. The police officers that set up the street blocks were giving us high fives and saluting us. The overall experience was just... there's no words for it. I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I literally did let a few tears slip.
When I hit the .3 mile left sign I saw the end of it and sprinted like a mad woman for it. Like I picked my pace up to the point of superwoman. I was so ready to hug my husband who was waiting for me at the finish line. His face showed how proud he was of me. It was too crowded for my MIL and my kids to stand with him so we found them at our meet up spot. My kids were jumping all over me. It was such a wonderful feeling.
Since it was almost 10 we didn't stay for the afterparty. I wanted to because it was a dance party with blinky lights and glow sticks and we all know mama loves to dance. But my kids were falling asleep standing up after their extremely long day. They were gone from the house from 2:30 to 11 pm. My poor kids.
I really encourage everyone, even the non-runners, to go to one of these. Participate or volunteer but you HAVE to experience this.
Some notes for myself for the next race and some advice for people who haven't done this yet:
- Sign up for your 5k a month in advance if they offer to give you your packets a day early for ontime registration. It's very frustrating trying to get it at the race.
- Eat a high carb meal 3 hours before the race. I was so anxious before the race that I thought I was going to throw up but the bread I ate really did give me that burst of energy I needed.
- Try a 5k that does heats. This keeps you from having to jump curbs like I did to not run into people. Without heats it just gets too congested with people.
-If you have a nike+ sensor, put your hand on the start button while going through the gate so you don't forget to start it. I was over a quarter into the race before I remembered mine.
-Don't worry about your music. You probably won't pay attention to it anyways. Make sure your headphone cord stays close to your body and don't wear it in a satchel side purse thing that your mother in love buys for your because she thought it was cute. You can buy Ipod pouches for your arm, if you have pockets string the cord under your shirt so that the cord doesn't get snagged on anything. I eventually just gave up on mine and the satchel irritated me enough that there were times I could run but didn't because I was busy trying not to let it strangle me. If you do listen to music, be sure that it's not so loud that you can't hear people around you.
-If you're a walker, stay to the right and as close to the curb as you can. It's not fair for the runners to have to run around you constantly and some of them do not care about plowing you down.
-If you have to go around someone, try not to jump up the curbs and run in the grass to go around them. It wastes so much energy and people were getting hurt left and right because of it. I'm pretty sure one of the curbs was the reason I bruised the bottom of my heel towards the end.
-Watch out for moms with running strollers. They are ruthless!
-If you bring your dog, make sure you've trained them to not sniff everyone. I don't want to hurt your dog. I really don't. But when they dart in front of me when I'm running, it's hard to not run into them.
-Thank the volunteers. They didn't HAVE to come cheer you on or give you water. They VOLUNTEERED to make your run easier.
-Some runners are just going to be rude. It happens. Don't let their negativity get you down. Just follow the rules and know they're idiots.
- If you need a pick me up, cheer on someone else. Chances are they will cheer you on to.
-SMILE, there are cameras everywhere and you want to look good in at least one picture to shove in your friends faces when they don't believe you ran a 5k.
-HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!
-Drink water and Gatorade after you're done so you don't pass out because that's bad.
Thank you guys for reading about my experience!!!!
And as usual, please support me in my effort to go back to school to become a nutritionist. Sales will help me pay for tuition.
Beachbody (P90X, INSANITY, TurboFire, supplements, fitness equipment)
Shakeology (What I take everyday to keep my metabolism going and my organs clean)
OMG so much fun!
Not sure how my results pic will look on here since it's pretty long BUT finished 1718 out of 2376. I told a few people that were looking at me like I was crazy for being ok with a 43:28 min 5k but whatever. Even I wasn't all that crazy about it because I've been so used to running 12 min miles. The simple fact of the matter is I still started all by myself and I still finished all by myself.
My husband, MIL, and kids all went with me. I'm surprised my kids were so good the whole day because the race was over an hour away from our house and we had to go out so early. I signed up during "late registration" so we had to get there an hour and a half early to get my packet. I NEVER thought I was going to get through that line. It wrapped around the whole parking lot which was huge and took us 45 min to get through. But at least we had time to put glowsticks in my hair and watch the other runners walking around in their costumes.
The race was to earn money for the Childrens Medical Center and the theme was FIREFLY. We each got LED blinking arm bands, glow in the dark running numbers, we put glow sticks in my hair and around my arms and neck, people were walking around with butterfly wings everywhere, it was definitely my style for the race.
There were no heats (they didn't separate by times or ages) so it was all 3,000 (they said there were more than 3,000) of us trying to funnel through the starting gate. I know quite a few people ended up deciding not to run after seeing the congestion of people. I have to admit that was the suckiest part of this race. But my adrenaline was pumping so hard that I was almost crying so I didn't care. Why my lips would start trembling at the start of a race, I have no clue, but I seriously almost started crying super happy tears or something.
Because of the blinking LED lights it was like an ocean of lit up people. So many of us wore the LED's as a headband so I could just watch the lights bobbing up and down like ocean waves. It was INCREDIBLE! Since it was a mix of walkers and runners and kids and adults and DOGS I ended up spending most of my energy trying to dodge around people. I ended up walking half the race because of it. There's a point where you just say your time isn't worth knocking people down. Other runners didn't believe that though
. One person had one of those thin line dog leashes and I almost tripped over their dog 3 times before almost face planting from running into the leash. There were parents coaching their kids for a jog. I couldn't believe the determination of some of these kids. It amazed me how much people loved this and how much they bonded over this. One guy waited to be the last person to go through the gate and was tapping people on the shoulder going "TAG! CATCH ME CATCH ME!" I ran after him for about 3 minutes before getting stuck behind some walkers. I walked some of the race with a Gorilla and a Banana. There was one 5 year old that I cheered on for a quarter mile and his dad told me I made their race and even came to find me after the race to say thank you again. The streets were lined with people that cheered and clapped. The police officers that set up the street blocks were giving us high fives and saluting us. The overall experience was just... there's no words for it. I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I literally did let a few tears slip. When I hit the .3 mile left sign I saw the end of it and sprinted like a mad woman for it. Like I picked my pace up to the point of superwoman. I was so ready to hug my husband who was waiting for me at the finish line. His face showed how proud he was of me. It was too crowded for my MIL and my kids to stand with him so we found them at our meet up spot. My kids were jumping all over me. It was such a wonderful feeling.
Since it was almost 10 we didn't stay for the afterparty. I wanted to because it was a dance party with blinky lights and glow sticks and we all know mama loves to dance. But my kids were falling asleep standing up after their extremely long day. They were gone from the house from 2:30 to 11 pm. My poor kids.
I really encourage everyone, even the non-runners, to go to one of these. Participate or volunteer but you HAVE to experience this.
Some notes for myself for the next race and some advice for people who haven't done this yet:
- Sign up for your 5k a month in advance if they offer to give you your packets a day early for ontime registration. It's very frustrating trying to get it at the race.
- Eat a high carb meal 3 hours before the race. I was so anxious before the race that I thought I was going to throw up but the bread I ate really did give me that burst of energy I needed.
- Try a 5k that does heats. This keeps you from having to jump curbs like I did to not run into people. Without heats it just gets too congested with people.
-If you have a nike+ sensor, put your hand on the start button while going through the gate so you don't forget to start it. I was over a quarter into the race before I remembered mine.
-Don't worry about your music. You probably won't pay attention to it anyways. Make sure your headphone cord stays close to your body and don't wear it in a satchel side purse thing that your mother in love buys for your because she thought it was cute. You can buy Ipod pouches for your arm, if you have pockets string the cord under your shirt so that the cord doesn't get snagged on anything. I eventually just gave up on mine and the satchel irritated me enough that there were times I could run but didn't because I was busy trying not to let it strangle me. If you do listen to music, be sure that it's not so loud that you can't hear people around you.
-If you're a walker, stay to the right and as close to the curb as you can. It's not fair for the runners to have to run around you constantly and some of them do not care about plowing you down.
-If you have to go around someone, try not to jump up the curbs and run in the grass to go around them. It wastes so much energy and people were getting hurt left and right because of it. I'm pretty sure one of the curbs was the reason I bruised the bottom of my heel towards the end.
-Watch out for moms with running strollers. They are ruthless!
-If you bring your dog, make sure you've trained them to not sniff everyone. I don't want to hurt your dog. I really don't. But when they dart in front of me when I'm running, it's hard to not run into them.
-Thank the volunteers. They didn't HAVE to come cheer you on or give you water. They VOLUNTEERED to make your run easier.
-Some runners are just going to be rude. It happens. Don't let their negativity get you down. Just follow the rules and know they're idiots.
- If you need a pick me up, cheer on someone else. Chances are they will cheer you on to.
-SMILE, there are cameras everywhere and you want to look good in at least one picture to shove in your friends faces when they don't believe you ran a 5k.
-HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!
-Drink water and Gatorade after you're done so you don't pass out because that's bad.
Thank you guys for reading about my experience!!!!
And as usual, please support me in my effort to go back to school to become a nutritionist. Sales will help me pay for tuition.
Beachbody (P90X, INSANITY, TurboFire, supplements, fitness equipment)
Shakeology (What I take everyday to keep my metabolism going and my organs clean)
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
My motivational speech to you
I just wanted to add that sometimes I tell people "You're not ready to lose weight, that's why it's not working." Here's why I say this. You HAVE to go into this like a warrior. This is going to be hard. The more you start to try knowing you're going to back out of it, the harder it is for you to try the next time. But YOU CAN DO THIS! Change your mindset. Start believing in yourself. Stop saying no and start saying now.
Shakeology (What I take)
Beachbody (P90x, Insanity, TurboFire, TurboJam, supplements)
Shakeology (What I take)
Beachbody (P90x, Insanity, TurboFire, TurboJam, supplements)
Monday, May 23, 2011
I've lost that loving feeling
whoa that looovin feeling
I've lost that loving feeling
Now it's gone, gone, gone, whoooaaah
Ok enough with the Righteous Brothers.
I had a co-worker that used to sing that to me daily when I would get upset at them. Then I'd giggle and we'd be friends again. I wish all relationships were that simple
ANYWAYS
I was in a workout funk. I love zumba. I love love love love love to dance. But I've gotten so used to it that I've had a hard time getting my heart rate up.
So I tried Turbo Jam. Sucked.
I tried kickboxing. Loved it but time wise it didn't work.
I wanted to try turbo kick but yet again time wise didn't work.
I tried 24set... HURKIES SUCK!
I tried kick butt boot camp... it kicked my butt.
So I lost my motivation to even go to the gym. I kept up with my running but even that I'm getting blah about. Why? Because after I would run, I would always have a dance class. When I got to that class there would always be at least one person to say "GUUUUUUURL, I saw you runnin. You're doing great." or "Omg skinny mini!" And that would be the person that I danced next to... because they're awesome for motivating someone. I would run hard and then dancing was like desert. And I loved it. My routine was awesome.
But they tell you that every now and then you need to throw your routine up a little so you can "confuse" your body into getting its heart rate up again. It's supposed to help you plow through a plateau wall and stuff.
Can I be honest with you? That's a load of crap to be top priority on your list.
Yes, we're here to lose weight. Yes we're here to be healthier. BUT WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HATE IT.
I lost focus on the most important aspect of working out--- HAVING FUN.
No my heart rate wasn't up at 160. But was it up past 120? Yep! The great thing is I love my routine.
But should I just go back to my regular routine and let my heart rate stay low all the time? No. Every now and then I need to throw something in the loop. Try something new. Give things a try. But I don't have to give up everything I love. Just one day of it. And the great thing is maybe I'll find something I like as much or more than dancing.
But for now I'm still burning calories and I'm not giving up because it sucks. I'm sticking to it because I love it.
Burning calories is still burning calories. That means I'm still losing weight no matter what I do. It just might take a little longer doing the things I love.
Does any of this make sense? Read my head! It knows what it's talking about. It's just never able to come out of my fingers and onto the keyboard.
Today's shake: Banana and chocolate shakeology
Today's workout: 11 min mile, zumba, and strength training
I've lost that loving feeling
Now it's gone, gone, gone, whoooaaah
Ok enough with the Righteous Brothers.
I had a co-worker that used to sing that to me daily when I would get upset at them. Then I'd giggle and we'd be friends again. I wish all relationships were that simple
ANYWAYS
I was in a workout funk. I love zumba. I love love love love love to dance. But I've gotten so used to it that I've had a hard time getting my heart rate up.
So I tried Turbo Jam. Sucked.
I tried kickboxing. Loved it but time wise it didn't work.
I wanted to try turbo kick but yet again time wise didn't work.
I tried 24set... HURKIES SUCK!
I tried kick butt boot camp... it kicked my butt.
So I lost my motivation to even go to the gym. I kept up with my running but even that I'm getting blah about. Why? Because after I would run, I would always have a dance class. When I got to that class there would always be at least one person to say "GUUUUUUURL, I saw you runnin. You're doing great." or "Omg skinny mini!" And that would be the person that I danced next to... because they're awesome for motivating someone. I would run hard and then dancing was like desert. And I loved it. My routine was awesome.
But they tell you that every now and then you need to throw your routine up a little so you can "confuse" your body into getting its heart rate up again. It's supposed to help you plow through a plateau wall and stuff.
Can I be honest with you? That's a load of crap to be top priority on your list.
Yes, we're here to lose weight. Yes we're here to be healthier. BUT WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HATE IT.
I lost focus on the most important aspect of working out--- HAVING FUN.
No my heart rate wasn't up at 160. But was it up past 120? Yep! The great thing is I love my routine.
But should I just go back to my regular routine and let my heart rate stay low all the time? No. Every now and then I need to throw something in the loop. Try something new. Give things a try. But I don't have to give up everything I love. Just one day of it. And the great thing is maybe I'll find something I like as much or more than dancing.
But for now I'm still burning calories and I'm not giving up because it sucks. I'm sticking to it because I love it.
Burning calories is still burning calories. That means I'm still losing weight no matter what I do. It just might take a little longer doing the things I love.
Does any of this make sense? Read my head! It knows what it's talking about. It's just never able to come out of my fingers and onto the keyboard.
Today's shake: Banana and chocolate shakeology
Today's workout: 11 min mile, zumba, and strength training
Friday, May 20, 2011
Don't put yourself off
It's 2:45 in the morning. It's my night off of work and I should be sleeping right now. Why am I not? Today is carreer day at the boys school and I have to wash clothes for it. Not only do I have to wash my own clothes, but I promised the boys I would find nice outfits for them to wear today. I didn't buy outfits for them like I had told them I would. I put it off until last minute and unfortunately had my day fall in pieces behind me yesterday. They didn't seem to care when I said I would wash some of their nicer clothes and we'd save the money for some new summer clothes. Then I promised my husband I would round up some clothes before I went to bed. Did I? Nope. Instead played "Words with Friends" on my phone until I followed my husband to bed and forgot about the clothes. Luckily, I woke up for one of my usual "I drank wayyyy too much water yesterday" bathroom trips and realized what I had forgotten to do. So now I'm going to have to keep myself awake for a few hours while these clothes wash.
Yes I know, you're thinking
But I'm not done there
Since I have an hour before I can put "Sunday's best" (cargo pants and button up shirts for them, pants that are now too big on me and granny shirt for me) into the dryer, I wanted to blog about putting yourself off.
"Procrastinators UNITE!... tomorrow" is one of my favorite phrases.
(me at 305 wearing that shirt) But procrastination rarely ever benefits anyone. In fact it's almost like a form of self abuse. We always end up having to make up for it in the end. Didn't clean- have to rush to do it at the end of the day when we should be relaxing.
Didn't clean till right before a guest comes over- we end up looking like we just cleaned last minute and they slip and fall on your wet kitchen floor.
Didn't get a letter out- let someone down
Didn't pay a bill- get a late fee
Didn't go to bed on time- zombie for the rest of the next day
I think the only time it pays off is when you absolutely have to have an item and it goes on sale last minute. But with my luck I always miss the sale by a day because I put it off.
Have you ever thought about procrastination and your body? How many times have you told yourself: "I'm going to do this workout video sometime this week." "I'm going to get my shopping done today so I'm not calling in for fast food tomorrow." "I'm going to sign up for the gym." "I'm going to get that blood test my doctor asked me to get."
Why are we not doing this stuff? We should be happy to take care of ourselves. Maybe you have mom-itis like me and somehow think there's never enough time in the day. But isn't it amazing that we always have time for our favorite show or the drive to the restaurant that took longer than actually cooking a meal or a long phone call with a friend where we walked around the house in circles but never thought "Hey maybe I should clean a little or prep some fruit while I talk."
The simple fact of the matter is taking care of ourselves takes time away from the fun stuff or it just seems like more work to do on top of everything else we have. But it doesn't have to be that way.
#1 Don't schedule workouts you probably wouldn't have fun doing at all. Try things like Zumba, Kickboxing, walking with your friends, things that make you excited to get out.
#2 Don't schedule this stuff for days you're already crunched for time. 10-30 minutes of exercise is all you really need each day.
#3 Plan meals that require very little of you. I love my crock pot. I know that makes me sound old but my crockpot is my friend. I toss everything into the pot, turn it on, go to bed, get the kids from school, find a yetti, come home and dinner is ready. Maybe I'll need to cook a little rice but if you're not willing to cook rice you need to stop being so lazy.
#4 Make your meals ahead of time. You've just gone shopping. Your dishes are clean. You already have to make one meal. Why not keep your prep stuff out, make two meals, and that way the next nights dinner just needs to be popped into the oven. When making lunches for the kids, make 3 sandwiches instead of one and leave two in the fridge.
#5 Remember the longer you put off losing weight the longer it will be before you can join a nudist camp and truly be free without feeling ashamed.
#6 Don't set a caloried burned goal you know you won't hit. Aim for your usual and reset your calorie ranges AS YOU LOSE THE CALORIES.
#7 You should never put off blood tests or follow-ups with your doctor or seeing your cardiologist. Yes, these take time and they suck. But who knows if something shows up that could change how you have to lose this weight or if something shows up that shows why you're gaining weight. It would suck to die because you didn't have an hour or two hours just once a month to know what's going on with your body.
#8 Trampolines are exercise, the hammock beside it is not. They're both fun. Let one be your exercise and one be your reward... yes I am talking to myself here.
There's a world of opportunity out there and sitting around waiting for it to fall in your lap just isn't going to happen. This is your life. Take control of it.
Excuse me but I have to put clothes in the dryer now and go to bed.
Procrastinators unite... and kick each other in the butt for being idiots.
Love you guys! Have a great day!
Yes I know, you're thinking
But I'm not done thereSince I have an hour before I can put "Sunday's best" (cargo pants and button up shirts for them, pants that are now too big on me and granny shirt for me) into the dryer, I wanted to blog about putting yourself off.
"Procrastinators UNITE!... tomorrow" is one of my favorite phrases.
(me at 305 wearing that shirt) But procrastination rarely ever benefits anyone. In fact it's almost like a form of self abuse. We always end up having to make up for it in the end. Didn't clean- have to rush to do it at the end of the day when we should be relaxing.Didn't clean till right before a guest comes over- we end up looking like we just cleaned last minute and they slip and fall on your wet kitchen floor.
Didn't get a letter out- let someone down
Didn't pay a bill- get a late fee
Didn't go to bed on time- zombie for the rest of the next day
I think the only time it pays off is when you absolutely have to have an item and it goes on sale last minute. But with my luck I always miss the sale by a day because I put it off.
Have you ever thought about procrastination and your body? How many times have you told yourself: "I'm going to do this workout video sometime this week." "I'm going to get my shopping done today so I'm not calling in for fast food tomorrow." "I'm going to sign up for the gym." "I'm going to get that blood test my doctor asked me to get."
Why are we not doing this stuff? We should be happy to take care of ourselves. Maybe you have mom-itis like me and somehow think there's never enough time in the day. But isn't it amazing that we always have time for our favorite show or the drive to the restaurant that took longer than actually cooking a meal or a long phone call with a friend where we walked around the house in circles but never thought "Hey maybe I should clean a little or prep some fruit while I talk."
The simple fact of the matter is taking care of ourselves takes time away from the fun stuff or it just seems like more work to do on top of everything else we have. But it doesn't have to be that way.
#1 Don't schedule workouts you probably wouldn't have fun doing at all. Try things like Zumba, Kickboxing, walking with your friends, things that make you excited to get out.
#2 Don't schedule this stuff for days you're already crunched for time. 10-30 minutes of exercise is all you really need each day.
#3 Plan meals that require very little of you. I love my crock pot. I know that makes me sound old but my crockpot is my friend. I toss everything into the pot, turn it on, go to bed, get the kids from school, find a yetti, come home and dinner is ready. Maybe I'll need to cook a little rice but if you're not willing to cook rice you need to stop being so lazy.
#4 Make your meals ahead of time. You've just gone shopping. Your dishes are clean. You already have to make one meal. Why not keep your prep stuff out, make two meals, and that way the next nights dinner just needs to be popped into the oven. When making lunches for the kids, make 3 sandwiches instead of one and leave two in the fridge.
#5 Remember the longer you put off losing weight the longer it will be before you can join a nudist camp and truly be free without feeling ashamed.
#6 Don't set a caloried burned goal you know you won't hit. Aim for your usual and reset your calorie ranges AS YOU LOSE THE CALORIES.
#7 You should never put off blood tests or follow-ups with your doctor or seeing your cardiologist. Yes, these take time and they suck. But who knows if something shows up that could change how you have to lose this weight or if something shows up that shows why you're gaining weight. It would suck to die because you didn't have an hour or two hours just once a month to know what's going on with your body.
#8 Trampolines are exercise, the hammock beside it is not. They're both fun. Let one be your exercise and one be your reward... yes I am talking to myself here.
There's a world of opportunity out there and sitting around waiting for it to fall in your lap just isn't going to happen. This is your life. Take control of it.
Excuse me but I have to put clothes in the dryer now and go to bed.
Procrastinators unite... and kick each other in the butt for being idiots.
Love you guys! Have a great day!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The simple math of losing weight
Most doctors and trainers will tell you that losing weight is a take in less calories than you burn simple equation. Is it really? Ughhmmmmits... ughhh no. That's pretty much of telling you "I don't have a year to explain this." Here's where you insert Avril Lavighowever you spell her name wailing off on someone being complicated. It's your body. Complicated is what it does best. It took a God to create it. You didn't think it was just going to have a button for losing weight did you?
But there's tons of websites that want to help you out.
Sparkpeople- This website is almost like myspace but not all annoying and filled with emo teenagers. You get your own page to show people who you are. There are groups you can post in but enough groups that you can find one with any interest you have. I'm sure if you're a hot toe picker you could even find a group for that. BUT HERE'S THE BEST PART. They ask you for your info: Height, weight, age, sex (gender, not how frequent, although that will help you lose weight). Then they ask you how active you are, even going into detail of how many calories you burn each week on average. A window will pop-up asking how fast you want to lose this weight or how many pounds per week you want to lose. Then they pull all that info together and tell you your range of how many cal/carbs/fat/proteins you can have in a day. On your welcome page will be 3 tabs on the side that say nutrition tracker, fitness tracker, weight tracker. Nutrition tracker helps you count your calories and tells you how much you have in each range left per day. Fitness tracker helps you track how many calories you burn each day so you can see how many you have left until you hit your goal for the week. Less calories burned means you need to eat less, more calories means you need to eat more. Weight tracker tracks your weight. AWESOME SITE! I love it. I've been on it since the beginning of my weight loss and it's been one of the best support systems I've ever had.
Livestrong- I've never been to this site but I know it's a lot like sparkpeople.
I know there are more like these two but I didn't really want to get into that today.
What I did want to get into is: You can do the calorie range data tracker thing yourself.
What do you need to know?
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate- the amount of calories you burn by staying in bed all day)
Your activity level
How much weight you want to lose each week.
There you go. Go lose weight now.
I'm just kidding. But that's why the easy answer is "take in less calories than you burn."
How do you find your BMR
You can go to this page
or (Make sure you find the answers to the equations in the parentheses first before adding or subtracting)
If you're a female: take 655+ (4.3 x your weight in lbs) + (4.7 x your height in inches) - (4.7 x your age in years) Answer is your BMR
If you're male: 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )= BMR
Now take your workout level and use the Harris Benedict Formula
-If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
-If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
-If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
-If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
-If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
This now gives you your calorie intake per day if you want to MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT.
To see how to lose the weight you need to do the last step.
A pound of fat is about 3500 calories. Multiply how much you want to lose by 3500 and that is your calorie deficit for the week. This is how many calories you need to average LESS a day to lose the weight. WARNING, do not let your deficit be more than 1000 calories a day. This could cause your metabolism to shut down and go into starvation mode. Your metabolism will reduce by up to 50% of your bmr so you could end up gaining weight AND really hurt your body (organ damage if you do this for a long period of time) at the same time.
Lets use me for example.
My BMR= 655+ (4.3 x 247) + (4.7 x 70) - (4.7 x 27)
655+ 1062 + 329 - 127= 1919
So 1919 is my BMR
I'm a moderately active person so
1919 x 1.55= 2974 (calories I need daily to maintain my weight)
I want to lose 2.5 lbs a week
3500 x 2.5= 8750...
Did you really think I was going to continue with that? Pshhh no. I would have over a 1000 calorie deficit a day to maintain that. That's why 2 lbs a week IS THE HEALTHY weight loss choice when it comes just to doing the calorie counting thing.
SO lets say I want to lose 2 lbs a week. That's 3500 x 2= 7000 calories. I can do that because it's not over 1000 calories deficit a day.
3500 x 2= 7000
(its per day so) 7000/7= 1000
1000 calories a day is how much I need to take off my Harris Benedict Formula
2974= 1919 yummy calories a day and I can still lose 2 lbs a week. WOOT WOOT!
Does this system always work? Uhhh no :( Sorry
Why?
-Gender
-Race
-Proteins, fats, carbs
-Are you eating healthy calories? (Skip the "Tradition" song and start singing "NUTRITION!")
-How you were fed as a kid
-If you were a lazy butt as a kid
-Medication
-Traumas
-How long have you been trying to lose weight
-Have you changed your activity level
-You are not everyone else so your body will be a little different from everyone else. GET OVER IT.
You could lose 2 lbs a week. You could lose more. You could lose less. But in most cases this system works FOR YOUR BENEFIT. Very few gain weight off of it.
Now did you really want to have to sit in your doctors office on a paper blanket or sit at a machine someone sweat all day on to hear all of that?
You're welcome.
And now I take a bow and walk off.
But before I go (I post these to save up for school so I can do this become a nutritionist for a living)
Shakeology (has completely helped with my weight loss journey)
Beachbody (P90X, Insanity, TurboFire, Shakeology, Supplements)
But there's tons of websites that want to help you out.
Sparkpeople- This website is almost like myspace but not all annoying and filled with emo teenagers. You get your own page to show people who you are. There are groups you can post in but enough groups that you can find one with any interest you have. I'm sure if you're a hot toe picker you could even find a group for that. BUT HERE'S THE BEST PART. They ask you for your info: Height, weight, age, sex (gender, not how frequent, although that will help you lose weight). Then they ask you how active you are, even going into detail of how many calories you burn each week on average. A window will pop-up asking how fast you want to lose this weight or how many pounds per week you want to lose. Then they pull all that info together and tell you your range of how many cal/carbs/fat/proteins you can have in a day. On your welcome page will be 3 tabs on the side that say nutrition tracker, fitness tracker, weight tracker. Nutrition tracker helps you count your calories and tells you how much you have in each range left per day. Fitness tracker helps you track how many calories you burn each day so you can see how many you have left until you hit your goal for the week. Less calories burned means you need to eat less, more calories means you need to eat more. Weight tracker tracks your weight. AWESOME SITE! I love it. I've been on it since the beginning of my weight loss and it's been one of the best support systems I've ever had.
Livestrong- I've never been to this site but I know it's a lot like sparkpeople.
I know there are more like these two but I didn't really want to get into that today.
What I did want to get into is: You can do the calorie range data tracker thing yourself.
What do you need to know?
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate- the amount of calories you burn by staying in bed all day)
Your activity level
How much weight you want to lose each week.
There you go. Go lose weight now.
I'm just kidding. But that's why the easy answer is "take in less calories than you burn."
How do you find your BMR
You can go to this page
or (Make sure you find the answers to the equations in the parentheses first before adding or subtracting)
If you're a female: take 655+ (4.3 x your weight in lbs) + (4.7 x your height in inches) - (4.7 x your age in years) Answer is your BMR
If you're male: 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )= BMR
Now take your workout level and use the Harris Benedict Formula
-If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
-If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
-If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
-If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
-If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
This now gives you your calorie intake per day if you want to MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT.
To see how to lose the weight you need to do the last step.
A pound of fat is about 3500 calories. Multiply how much you want to lose by 3500 and that is your calorie deficit for the week. This is how many calories you need to average LESS a day to lose the weight. WARNING, do not let your deficit be more than 1000 calories a day. This could cause your metabolism to shut down and go into starvation mode. Your metabolism will reduce by up to 50% of your bmr so you could end up gaining weight AND really hurt your body (organ damage if you do this for a long period of time) at the same time.
Lets use me for example.
My BMR= 655+ (4.3 x 247) + (4.7 x 70) - (4.7 x 27)
655+ 1062 + 329 - 127= 1919
So 1919 is my BMR
I'm a moderately active person so
1919 x 1.55= 2974 (calories I need daily to maintain my weight)
I want to lose 2.5 lbs a week
3500 x 2.5= 8750...
Did you really think I was going to continue with that? Pshhh no. I would have over a 1000 calorie deficit a day to maintain that. That's why 2 lbs a week IS THE HEALTHY weight loss choice when it comes just to doing the calorie counting thing.
SO lets say I want to lose 2 lbs a week. That's 3500 x 2= 7000 calories. I can do that because it's not over 1000 calories deficit a day.
3500 x 2= 7000
(its per day so) 7000/7= 1000
1000 calories a day is how much I need to take off my Harris Benedict Formula
2974= 1919 yummy calories a day and I can still lose 2 lbs a week. WOOT WOOT!
Does this system always work? Uhhh no :( Sorry
Why?
-Gender
-Race
-Proteins, fats, carbs
-Are you eating healthy calories? (Skip the "Tradition" song and start singing "NUTRITION!")
-How you were fed as a kid
-If you were a lazy butt as a kid
-Medication
-Traumas
-How long have you been trying to lose weight
-Have you changed your activity level
-You are not everyone else so your body will be a little different from everyone else. GET OVER IT.
You could lose 2 lbs a week. You could lose more. You could lose less. But in most cases this system works FOR YOUR BENEFIT. Very few gain weight off of it.
Now did you really want to have to sit in your doctors office on a paper blanket or sit at a machine someone sweat all day on to hear all of that?
You're welcome.
And now I take a bow and walk off.
But before I go (I post these to save up for school so I can do this become a nutritionist for a living)
Shakeology (has completely helped with my weight loss journey)
Beachbody (P90X, Insanity, TurboFire, Shakeology, Supplements)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Can I be honest with you about TurboJam?
Quite a few people have sent me messages asking how turboJam is. Can I be honest with you here? It's my blog so I'm assuming you say yes.
I didn't like it.
I didn't hate it but it really wasn't for me. I'm still going to do the 3 next weeks of it though.
Remember I'm 27 when I state all this so generation gaps may change your views on what I say BUT AFTER WEEK ONE OF IT my thoughts are
#1 The music sucked. There were 2 workouts that I was actually excited about the music, but out of 6 workouts that really isn't all that great.
#2 I couldn't get my heart rate past 120 with the exception of cardio dance party and 20 minute workout. Ab Jam got it up past 120 but that was only 10 min of it.
#3 The studio set-up was annoying me. I thought I should be watching an 80s workout video. And yes that makes me picky but if I can't focus I can't focus. I have to be in the moment.
#4 The workouts were very repetitive. If it's on the same workout, yes, show me the same thing. If it's across 6 different videos show me something new. Throw me for a loop in the first 15 minutes.
But there were things that I did like about this workout
#1 One of the songs was "Mama's gonna knock you out" You have to like a workout that brings that song in there.
#2 ChaLean gives great advice on isolating abs and proper form. All instructors should take more time doing this.
#3 If this is the beginning to someones fitness journey it's perfect. It is very repetitive and if you're not at the point of craving adrenaline it's a great pace.
#4 They show an easier way for people to do the same things if they need a breather or have medical limits.
#5 I giggled through some of it. I thought ChaLean and her team were great motivators. They add in their personal stories and some funny moments at the end of the videos so you're more invested in who you see on tv and want to do more with them.
I like the workout videos for at home because there's days I just need to fit in a 20 min or 40 min workout and don't want to pack the kids into the car, don't have a car, or don't feel like driving somewhere.
I know some of you will disagree with me on this. I just really don't feel like lieing to my blogger friends. You've been here for me and while is sell this, if it sucks, I want to let you know before you spend 60$ on it. It didn't suck, it just wasn't for me.
And if you have no clue what I'm talking about, sorry, I probably should have showed you this first: TurboJam video
I'm off to go do the 15 min workout now. I'll be posting up my weekly stats tomorrow.
I didn't like it.
I didn't hate it but it really wasn't for me. I'm still going to do the 3 next weeks of it though.
Remember I'm 27 when I state all this so generation gaps may change your views on what I say BUT AFTER WEEK ONE OF IT my thoughts are
#1 The music sucked. There were 2 workouts that I was actually excited about the music, but out of 6 workouts that really isn't all that great.
#2 I couldn't get my heart rate past 120 with the exception of cardio dance party and 20 minute workout. Ab Jam got it up past 120 but that was only 10 min of it.
#3 The studio set-up was annoying me. I thought I should be watching an 80s workout video. And yes that makes me picky but if I can't focus I can't focus. I have to be in the moment.
#4 The workouts were very repetitive. If it's on the same workout, yes, show me the same thing. If it's across 6 different videos show me something new. Throw me for a loop in the first 15 minutes.
But there were things that I did like about this workout
#1 One of the songs was "Mama's gonna knock you out" You have to like a workout that brings that song in there.
#2 ChaLean gives great advice on isolating abs and proper form. All instructors should take more time doing this.
#3 If this is the beginning to someones fitness journey it's perfect. It is very repetitive and if you're not at the point of craving adrenaline it's a great pace.
#4 They show an easier way for people to do the same things if they need a breather or have medical limits.
#5 I giggled through some of it. I thought ChaLean and her team were great motivators. They add in their personal stories and some funny moments at the end of the videos so you're more invested in who you see on tv and want to do more with them.
I like the workout videos for at home because there's days I just need to fit in a 20 min or 40 min workout and don't want to pack the kids into the car, don't have a car, or don't feel like driving somewhere.
I know some of you will disagree with me on this. I just really don't feel like lieing to my blogger friends. You've been here for me and while is sell this, if it sucks, I want to let you know before you spend 60$ on it. It didn't suck, it just wasn't for me.
And if you have no clue what I'm talking about, sorry, I probably should have showed you this first: TurboJam video
I'm off to go do the 15 min workout now. I'll be posting up my weekly stats tomorrow.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
TurboJam ab sculp/ losing the belly fat
Click here to check out turboJam
Click here to check out TurboFire
Click here to check out Shakeology (what has absolutely changed my life and increased my weight loss results)
There are a bunch of diets out there stating "lose the belly weight fast". I'm going to be honest with you, you can't tell your body where to pull the weight from.
When losing weight your body pulls energy from all fat storage areas. That means it pulls a little from here, a little from there. Why does it mostly pull off the chest for women? Because we're tender hearted. No I'm not saying we're emotional and mothering... well we are, but that's not what I mean by tenderhearted. What I mean is our hearts can't take the same amount of pressure that a man's heart can. We don't carry enough muscle mass for it. We don't have the bone density for it. As much as us women hate to say it, we are much more fragile. What area CAN take extra stress? Our midsections. We're baby makers. Until you hit menopause, this is the area of you that your body is going to protect at all times. That means it's going to store extra energy, heat, and "padding" there. Our legs are made for the muscle tone, not our upper body. So where does our weight get pulled off of first?
#1 Our chest. Bye bye boobies. But no worries! You will most likely only lose a cup size unless you're in the double letters. You lose chest inches under the breast just like you do in the chest so by being less broad, you will actually gain cup size in some cases.
#2 Your calves. The reason your calves bulk up is to carry our extra weight. This puts too much pressure on the arteries in our legs though so as soon as the body doesn't need that extra strength you can say bye to the cankles.
#3 Your face. Yes your tummy may be slowly shrinking but your face will lose years, not just inches.
What you can do is tone an area. You will build muscle in that area that will make those fat deposits look less "sloppy." For women who have had children and you're not seeing any results in toning, you may have diastasis recti. This is where the main abdominal muscles separate. In most cases, crunches and strength training in the main ab area will fix this. If you've left it for years it may require surgery. This is a simple question for your doctor. At worst it will leave you with a little pooch belly that is easily hidden once you've lost the weight.
When toning the abs here are some simple tricks
#1 Pull the pelvis in. Whether standing or laying down, pull it in. When laying down for crunches, it should look like the bottom of your butt is afraid to touch the floor. When standing up, it should look like your shoulders and back are flat on the wall and your butt is tilted in. This isolates the abs for you for a better burn.
#2 Don't give up as soon as you feel a burn. If your muscles do not feel like they're about to shred apart, this burn is actually a good thing. It pulls toxins out of those muscles and makes them ready to tone and shape.
#3 Use good posture. This helps you use your abs at all times which means you're shaping while working, laying down, or even watching tv.
#4 Reduce your stress level. Cortisal is the hormone created when someone is stressed out. This pulls fat to the stomach and makes it harder to burn.
#5 Stop buying as seen on tv things that say they make you lose inches in the tummy and not the chest. The best they can do is help you tone. If you lose a pant size it's generally because your body is at the point where you were going to lose in the butt or tummy with regular cardio or strength training anyways.
Click here to check out TurboFire
Click here to check out Shakeology (what has absolutely changed my life and increased my weight loss results)
There are a bunch of diets out there stating "lose the belly weight fast". I'm going to be honest with you, you can't tell your body where to pull the weight from.
When losing weight your body pulls energy from all fat storage areas. That means it pulls a little from here, a little from there. Why does it mostly pull off the chest for women? Because we're tender hearted. No I'm not saying we're emotional and mothering... well we are, but that's not what I mean by tenderhearted. What I mean is our hearts can't take the same amount of pressure that a man's heart can. We don't carry enough muscle mass for it. We don't have the bone density for it. As much as us women hate to say it, we are much more fragile. What area CAN take extra stress? Our midsections. We're baby makers. Until you hit menopause, this is the area of you that your body is going to protect at all times. That means it's going to store extra energy, heat, and "padding" there. Our legs are made for the muscle tone, not our upper body. So where does our weight get pulled off of first?
#1 Our chest. Bye bye boobies. But no worries! You will most likely only lose a cup size unless you're in the double letters. You lose chest inches under the breast just like you do in the chest so by being less broad, you will actually gain cup size in some cases.
#2 Your calves. The reason your calves bulk up is to carry our extra weight. This puts too much pressure on the arteries in our legs though so as soon as the body doesn't need that extra strength you can say bye to the cankles.
#3 Your face. Yes your tummy may be slowly shrinking but your face will lose years, not just inches.
What you can do is tone an area. You will build muscle in that area that will make those fat deposits look less "sloppy." For women who have had children and you're not seeing any results in toning, you may have diastasis recti. This is where the main abdominal muscles separate. In most cases, crunches and strength training in the main ab area will fix this. If you've left it for years it may require surgery. This is a simple question for your doctor. At worst it will leave you with a little pooch belly that is easily hidden once you've lost the weight.
When toning the abs here are some simple tricks
#1 Pull the pelvis in. Whether standing or laying down, pull it in. When laying down for crunches, it should look like the bottom of your butt is afraid to touch the floor. When standing up, it should look like your shoulders and back are flat on the wall and your butt is tilted in. This isolates the abs for you for a better burn.
#2 Don't give up as soon as you feel a burn. If your muscles do not feel like they're about to shred apart, this burn is actually a good thing. It pulls toxins out of those muscles and makes them ready to tone and shape.
#3 Use good posture. This helps you use your abs at all times which means you're shaping while working, laying down, or even watching tv.
#4 Reduce your stress level. Cortisal is the hormone created when someone is stressed out. This pulls fat to the stomach and makes it harder to burn.
#5 Stop buying as seen on tv things that say they make you lose inches in the tummy and not the chest. The best they can do is help you tone. If you lose a pant size it's generally because your body is at the point where you were going to lose in the butt or tummy with regular cardio or strength training anyways.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Turbo Jam dance Party 1/ Heart rate
Heart rate is not just how fast your blood pumps. Heart rate is the speed at which you are burning energy. Why do large people who do very little get tired so easily? Because being out of shape has raised their heart rate. It's the same as why you can workout out at a fast pace for 20 min and have the same fatigue as when you walk 4 miles.
You can find your resting heart rate by laying down and counting your pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply that by 6 and that is your resting heart rate. The average person has a HR of 60-80. The lower the number, the more fit your heart is. The higher the number, the more stress your heart has to pump blood. The only time your heart should be stressed is when you are physically active. If it stays up around 90 you may want to see a doctor. When I first started my weight loss at 305 lbs my resting HR was 87. Now (247) its 71.
To find your maximum HR (what you shouldn't pass) take 220 and subtract your age.
When doing cardio or large muscle group strength training your heart rate should be at 65 to 85% of your maximum HR. That formula is: (220-age)x .65 and (220-age)x .85...
For example me:
220-27= 193 (max heart rate)
193 x .65= 125.5 (minimum cardio)
193 x. 85= 164 (maximum cardio)
A lot of people say theres a fat burn heart rate, a muscle buiding heart rate, and a cardio heart rate. Here's the thing- the ammount of calories difference that goes straight to burning fat is so minimal that here's the best solution- JUST KEEP YOUR HEART RATE UP!
When it comes to wanting to build stamina and keep your metabolism burning harder for longer you can do interval training. That means you take your HR up to your max cardio for about 5 min, drop it to minimum HR for 2 min, raise, drop, raise, drop. If you're just starting out JUST KEEP YOUR HEART RATE UP. If you enjoy dancing, don't worry about intervals. That's not the right exercise for building stamina. A mixed class that does dance then weights is great for interval because weights don't really build up HR. Both classes are also great for keeping your metabolism going for longer because either way it's a raised HR for at least 20 minutes.
The first 30 min of your workout is when you get the most results so it's best if you do a short warm up (about 5 min) then go into your cardio.
If you have any questions, please email me at forgivenscreenprints@yahoo.com or leave me a message on here.
For some great workouts click here
You can find your resting heart rate by laying down and counting your pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply that by 6 and that is your resting heart rate. The average person has a HR of 60-80. The lower the number, the more fit your heart is. The higher the number, the more stress your heart has to pump blood. The only time your heart should be stressed is when you are physically active. If it stays up around 90 you may want to see a doctor. When I first started my weight loss at 305 lbs my resting HR was 87. Now (247) its 71.
To find your maximum HR (what you shouldn't pass) take 220 and subtract your age.
When doing cardio or large muscle group strength training your heart rate should be at 65 to 85% of your maximum HR. That formula is: (220-age)x .65 and (220-age)x .85...
For example me:
220-27= 193 (max heart rate)
193 x .65= 125.5 (minimum cardio)
193 x. 85= 164 (maximum cardio)
A lot of people say theres a fat burn heart rate, a muscle buiding heart rate, and a cardio heart rate. Here's the thing- the ammount of calories difference that goes straight to burning fat is so minimal that here's the best solution- JUST KEEP YOUR HEART RATE UP!
When it comes to wanting to build stamina and keep your metabolism burning harder for longer you can do interval training. That means you take your HR up to your max cardio for about 5 min, drop it to minimum HR for 2 min, raise, drop, raise, drop. If you're just starting out JUST KEEP YOUR HEART RATE UP. If you enjoy dancing, don't worry about intervals. That's not the right exercise for building stamina. A mixed class that does dance then weights is great for interval because weights don't really build up HR. Both classes are also great for keeping your metabolism going for longer because either way it's a raised HR for at least 20 minutes.
The first 30 min of your workout is when you get the most results so it's best if you do a short warm up (about 5 min) then go into your cardio.
If you have any questions, please email me at forgivenscreenprints@yahoo.com or leave me a message on here.
For some great workouts click here
TurboJam Toning/ Strength Training
Why is strength training so important?
When I was younger I was told that if you burn fat and then do strength training, that fat turns into muscle. Because of that I was always scared of strength training, thinking I would bulk up. But fat can't actually turn into muscle and muscle can't actually turn into fat. Tada! Biology mythbusting for us! They're made up completely different. So should we still strength train? Ummm yah! Why? Muscle burns calories. In fact, one pound of muscle burns up to 50 extra calories a day. That may not seem like much. Think about how much muscle you have already though... tacking onto that could actually be the difference of losing 1 lb a week to 2 lbs a week. Strength training also builds better bone density which means less chances of Osteoporosis and stronger muscle joints which means less of a chance of injury during cardio. Most trainers will tell you that you need to train to the point of muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is where you have worked the muscle to the point of "Oh holy crap I can't move it again". I don't fully understand it. In fact many doctors say it doesn't make a difference. I don't understand the ADP, metabolites, glycogen stuff (yet) but from what I'm reading it sounds like you should train to that point to build up resistance, purge the muscle of toxins, stimulate the metabolism, and open the muscle up to protein absorption. But because all of our bodies are different, if you're going to train to the point of muscle fatigue you really need to be working with your doctor AND (NOT OR) a trainer to keep you from really hurting yourself. Nothing makes weight loss harder than being stuck on your butt for a few weeks because you tore something. I usually start light (2 lb weights) when training a new muscle because I need to WORK UP to my limits, not work down from them. When you feel the acid burn, its ok, its just cleaning out the muscle and starting fatigue. When you feel you can't push again, you're at fatigue and need to take it down a notch. When it hurts like all holy crapola STOP. Your body doesn't lie to you. When something feels like its about to break, it probably is. I didn't listen to my body last summer and ended up with pelvic tendonitis... not fun.
You should try to do strength training at least twice a week with at least one day in between the same muscle group. Never train the same muscle two days in a row. Turbo Jam was great for the new toner. If you need a push, I don't see this one being your strength area.
You can buy turboJam and other beachbody products and workouts here
When I was younger I was told that if you burn fat and then do strength training, that fat turns into muscle. Because of that I was always scared of strength training, thinking I would bulk up. But fat can't actually turn into muscle and muscle can't actually turn into fat. Tada! Biology mythbusting for us! They're made up completely different. So should we still strength train? Ummm yah! Why? Muscle burns calories. In fact, one pound of muscle burns up to 50 extra calories a day. That may not seem like much. Think about how much muscle you have already though... tacking onto that could actually be the difference of losing 1 lb a week to 2 lbs a week. Strength training also builds better bone density which means less chances of Osteoporosis and stronger muscle joints which means less of a chance of injury during cardio. Most trainers will tell you that you need to train to the point of muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is where you have worked the muscle to the point of "Oh holy crap I can't move it again". I don't fully understand it. In fact many doctors say it doesn't make a difference. I don't understand the ADP, metabolites, glycogen stuff (yet) but from what I'm reading it sounds like you should train to that point to build up resistance, purge the muscle of toxins, stimulate the metabolism, and open the muscle up to protein absorption. But because all of our bodies are different, if you're going to train to the point of muscle fatigue you really need to be working with your doctor AND (NOT OR) a trainer to keep you from really hurting yourself. Nothing makes weight loss harder than being stuck on your butt for a few weeks because you tore something. I usually start light (2 lb weights) when training a new muscle because I need to WORK UP to my limits, not work down from them. When you feel the acid burn, its ok, its just cleaning out the muscle and starting fatigue. When you feel you can't push again, you're at fatigue and need to take it down a notch. When it hurts like all holy crapola STOP. Your body doesn't lie to you. When something feels like its about to break, it probably is. I didn't listen to my body last summer and ended up with pelvic tendonitis... not fun.
You should try to do strength training at least twice a week with at least one day in between the same muscle group. Never train the same muscle two days in a row. Turbo Jam was great for the new toner. If you need a push, I don't see this one being your strength area.
You can buy turboJam and other beachbody products and workouts here
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Turbo Jam day 2/ GO BANANA!
BTW I was wrong, TurboJam is 60$ which includes the weighted gloves and a diet plan.
Beachbody (P90X, TurboJam/Fire, Insanity)
One of my favorite people told me she eats a banana almost daily because of something that happened in college. There was a girl in her dorm that was anorexic. She died. My friend was told that the girl died from the lack of the amount of potassium you would find in ONE BANANA.
Mmmmmmm bananas! My favorite fruit. I used to sit with banana chips and finish a bag in seconds before I realized how many calories were in them. That was the day I yelled at banana chips. The average banana (7 inches) is 109 calories and 28 carbs. For some of us that's a ton of calories... compared to other fruit. But lets be realistic here. I don't think there's one person out there who hasn't bought a bag of "100 calorie right bites". The only reason people freak about a banana being about 100 calories and don't freak about those being around 100 is because cookies are not supposed to be bad for you. Cookies are naughty! They're a treat! Blah blah blah!!! BANANAS ARE A TREAT WITH BENEFITS! Excuse my behavioral language here but a tiny bag of cookies is a date with a peck on the cheek at the end of it and A BANANA is a date with a hottie that's actually fun and a full flat out hot and heavy makeout session at the end. Who actually gets full off of the right bites? They're just a bunch of wasted calories. I'm not even going to talk about the tons of carbs they have.
Let me tell you a little bit about your makeout session with bananas here.
-Carbs that break down straight into energy
-Five times as much Vitamin A (eye health) and iron (blood health) and three times as much phosphorus (cell health) as an apple.
-One banana will give you enough energy for a half hour workout with no crash at the end. Ditch the coffee.
-Potassium (oxygen to brain, helps manage water in body, and regulates heart beat)
- Tryptophan- the same element you find in turkey that calms and destresses you
-Natural laxative. Just enough banana will help regulate you. Too much can constipate you though. While it has the same fiber that is used in laxatives it's still a binding food (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast are used to stop diarreah.)
-B6- Reduces PMS pains and regulates mood
-Brain power! I know my mind likes to shut off sometimes. Banana time!
-Hungover? Eat a banana. It replenishes nutrients and calms your tummy.
-Helps quit smoking
-Pregnant? Bananas regulate blood glucose levels and ease morning sickness (which never showed up in the mornings for me... just the rest of the day)
-Neutralize acidity- If you get heartburn or have ulcers this is why your body naturally craves bananas
And then when you're done eating it take the peel and rub it on your mosquito bites to stop itching, rub it on warts to get them to go away and stop the bacterial growth, then throw it in your lawn for fertilizer. TADA!
I take a banana with my shakeology all the time. I LOVES IT! 140 calories for the shake, 109 calories in my banana- 249 calorie meal that will make me an unstoppable force.
Keep your right bites- me and banana have some warrior training to do.
Banana info pulled from "14 banana health benefits"
This was the FIRST website that came up when I googled benefits of bananas. OWN YOUR NUTRITION. You really are what you eat. BE HEALTHY! Take 10 mintues a day to research a new food. If it's good for you, add it to your grocery list. If it's bad for you FORGETABOUTIT! You don't need food that harm your body! You wouldn't invite someone abusive into your house. Don't invite abusive foods into your body.
Shakeology (What I use)
Beachbody (P90X, TurboJam/Fire, Insanity)
One of my favorite people told me she eats a banana almost daily because of something that happened in college. There was a girl in her dorm that was anorexic. She died. My friend was told that the girl died from the lack of the amount of potassium you would find in ONE BANANA.
Mmmmmmm bananas! My favorite fruit. I used to sit with banana chips and finish a bag in seconds before I realized how many calories were in them. That was the day I yelled at banana chips. The average banana (7 inches) is 109 calories and 28 carbs. For some of us that's a ton of calories... compared to other fruit. But lets be realistic here. I don't think there's one person out there who hasn't bought a bag of "100 calorie right bites". The only reason people freak about a banana being about 100 calories and don't freak about those being around 100 is because cookies are not supposed to be bad for you. Cookies are naughty! They're a treat! Blah blah blah!!! BANANAS ARE A TREAT WITH BENEFITS! Excuse my behavioral language here but a tiny bag of cookies is a date with a peck on the cheek at the end of it and A BANANA is a date with a hottie that's actually fun and a full flat out hot and heavy makeout session at the end. Who actually gets full off of the right bites? They're just a bunch of wasted calories. I'm not even going to talk about the tons of carbs they have.
Let me tell you a little bit about your makeout session with bananas here.
-Carbs that break down straight into energy
-Five times as much Vitamin A (eye health) and iron (blood health) and three times as much phosphorus (cell health) as an apple.
-One banana will give you enough energy for a half hour workout with no crash at the end. Ditch the coffee.
-Potassium (oxygen to brain, helps manage water in body, and regulates heart beat)
- Tryptophan- the same element you find in turkey that calms and destresses you
-Natural laxative. Just enough banana will help regulate you. Too much can constipate you though. While it has the same fiber that is used in laxatives it's still a binding food (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast are used to stop diarreah.)
-B6- Reduces PMS pains and regulates mood
-Brain power! I know my mind likes to shut off sometimes. Banana time!
-Hungover? Eat a banana. It replenishes nutrients and calms your tummy.
-Helps quit smoking
-Pregnant? Bananas regulate blood glucose levels and ease morning sickness (which never showed up in the mornings for me... just the rest of the day)
-Neutralize acidity- If you get heartburn or have ulcers this is why your body naturally craves bananas
And then when you're done eating it take the peel and rub it on your mosquito bites to stop itching, rub it on warts to get them to go away and stop the bacterial growth, then throw it in your lawn for fertilizer. TADA!
I take a banana with my shakeology all the time. I LOVES IT! 140 calories for the shake, 109 calories in my banana- 249 calorie meal that will make me an unstoppable force.
Keep your right bites- me and banana have some warrior training to do.
Banana info pulled from "14 banana health benefits"
This was the FIRST website that came up when I googled benefits of bananas. OWN YOUR NUTRITION. You really are what you eat. BE HEALTHY! Take 10 mintues a day to research a new food. If it's good for you, add it to your grocery list. If it's bad for you FORGETABOUTIT! You don't need food that harm your body! You wouldn't invite someone abusive into your house. Don't invite abusive foods into your body.
Shakeology (What I use)
Monday, May 9, 2011
First day of Turbo Jam
I've decided to start a 2 month program of Turbo Jam. It is a cardio/strength training program by Beachbody that has ChaLean show you propper form for toned results.
I started the program this morning and it came off as almost too easy. I could feel the work in my abs. I could feel the work in my legs. But I think I expected more sweat from a 15 minute program. I'm not going to give up on it the first day. Tomorrows program is 25 minutes and the other 4 are 40 minutes long. I'm thinking the "Learn and Burn" is something I'll only be doing on days I don't have much time or energy. I did have a ton of fun with it. I enjoyed how she breaks down the right posture so you can get the best results.
One tip I wanted to share that I loved was: When doing an upright ab exercise, stand and squat like you're pressed up against the wall. Keep your shoulders to the wall but pull your pelvis foreward away from the wall. That is crunch form while moving :)
Each week on Monday I will post up where my stats are. I took a few pictures of me in a sports bra and shorts to show beginning to end but after thinking about it, I don't think I want pictures like that of me up on the internet. Tomrrow I will put on some tighter fitting clothes and let you all see my start there. BUT FOR NOW:
Weight 250
Waist 48
Hips 51
Thigh 28
Upper arm 17
For more products by Beachbody go to
Beachbody (fitness programs, gear, and supplements)
Shakeology (a nutritional supplement that is saving my life)
I started the program this morning and it came off as almost too easy. I could feel the work in my abs. I could feel the work in my legs. But I think I expected more sweat from a 15 minute program. I'm not going to give up on it the first day. Tomorrows program is 25 minutes and the other 4 are 40 minutes long. I'm thinking the "Learn and Burn" is something I'll only be doing on days I don't have much time or energy. I did have a ton of fun with it. I enjoyed how she breaks down the right posture so you can get the best results.
One tip I wanted to share that I loved was: When doing an upright ab exercise, stand and squat like you're pressed up against the wall. Keep your shoulders to the wall but pull your pelvis foreward away from the wall. That is crunch form while moving :)
Each week on Monday I will post up where my stats are. I took a few pictures of me in a sports bra and shorts to show beginning to end but after thinking about it, I don't think I want pictures like that of me up on the internet. Tomrrow I will put on some tighter fitting clothes and let you all see my start there. BUT FOR NOW:
Weight 250
Waist 48
Hips 51
Thigh 28
Upper arm 17
For more products by Beachbody go to
Beachbody (fitness programs, gear, and supplements)
Shakeology (a nutritional supplement that is saving my life)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
I APOLOGIZE I APOLOGIZE I APOLOGIZE
I suck. I know. I'm supposed to be here for support and I haven't been.
What's been going on?
1. I went back to sparkpeople and got re-invested into that. I push that people give this site a try because IT SUPPORTS YOU FULLY! It's free. There's no damage in trying. I got invested in reading blogs and keeping up with groups and ran out of time to do my full blogs on here.
2. I've also been going to the gym at least an hour and a half a day. With the exception of Sundays I am a gym addict. I crave that adrenaline rush I get after a good workout.
3. I am now a beachbody coach. I started taking shakeology to be proof for a few coaches that it works. It worked enough that I decided to stay on it and become a coach to get the discount on it.
Any new results?
YAH
1. I'm down to 250 lbs WOOT WOOT! I've now lost 55 lbs. Can you believe that? Oh I'm so excited!
2. I'm now a size 18. I started as a size 24. The first few sizes dropped like crazy but getting down to a 16 is going to be a little hard since I had diastasis recti (stomach muscles detached during pregnancy) and never did anything about it. And no, unless insurance will cover it, this lady will never get a tummy tuck. PENNY PINCHERS UNITE!
3. I'm no longer binging. Every now and then I have a eating fest but not like I used to. Before it was because I felt I had to eat to make myself happy. Now it's because I'm being human. It only happens once a month and I don't feel ashamed afterward. I do, however, kick myself in the butt the next time I step on the scale ;p
4. I've come out of my shell. I'm talking to more people. I'm hanging out with people outside of gym classes and work. I've got real life friends instead of just online gaming friends. People I don't know who see me all the time have literally RAN to catch up to me and tell me how proud of me they are and ask how I've done it. It's become a daily ego boost. I said my plan was to inspire 10000 lbs of weight loss. I will never know when I've hit that mark but I can tell you I will. THANK YOU GOD!
5. I feel like my husband can be proud of me. Josh has never been ashamed to have me as a wife. Even when I'm a butt to strangers or when I don't get things done on time he's always loved me. But I never felt like he SHOULD have been proud of me. I finally feel like he has some bragging rights about me. I feel like he can say "Yah, she's actually succeeding at something." If that's the one thing I get out of this, I'm perfectly ok with it.
Why did I choose sparkpeople?
It's free... Ummm I can't push enough that this is free support. It's like a non-annoying myspace for people who want to be fit. You get your own personal page. There's a support group for everything. My favorite of the groups is the "Done Being the Fat Girl" group. We can talk about anything and everything. There's groups for tv shows, depression, video games, sports, anything you like or have in life, there's a group for. And they always start you off with a group based on your age and your location so you can find people to work out with or people who understand your generation. AND it helps you track your food with suggestions on how to lose up to 2.5 lbs a week. So it sets you up with a successful program. I dare you to try it. Sparkpeople
Why did I go back to the gym?
I've found that I'm more committed to working out if I have people to look forward to. I started with the zumba classes in Southlake. I was excited to be part of the group. Then I found out 24hour fitness does unlimited classes at any of their gyms plus weights plus machines plus a lap pool for less than I was paying for 8 classes a month at the private zumba classes. Now I take zumba or a dance class almost every day of the week. I'm also taking kickboxing, boxing, bodypump (freeweights), and other Xclasses. I'm still running outside but for my 5k training I'm hitting the treadmill to get my stamina up. Yes, I know, I said I hated treadmills. I do. I really do. But free daycare while I give my all to running.... yah I guess I could use the treadmill. I love running with my kids. I still do it at least 2 times a month, but they're not as dedicated to it as I am. This way they can play with other kids their age while I get an hour with just adults. If you want to give it a try 24hour does free 7 day passes. YOU DID NOT HEAR THIS FROM ME but the 24 hour fitness gyms are not linked when it comes to the 7 day passes. Use up one at one gym, get anther pass at another gym the next week. They cycle every 6 months. Again, you did not hear that from me.
Why shakeology?
Excuse my little advertisement here but this video really sold it for me.
The first time I tried HALF a shake I had been *coughconstipatedcough* for about a week. I had been staying away from red meats and when I finally had a ton of it in one sitting it did it's thing of plugging me up. I took the shake at a party and literally had to excuse myself an hour after having half of it because there was a rumble in my tummy that only meant get to the bathroom and get to it now. I thought maybe I was allergic to it but no, it was just working. It's a prebiotic, a probiotic (both are digestion aids meaning you get more nutrition out of your food and an easier "passing" of the waste. It levels out my hormones which means Hulk Laura does not show her ugly face as much. I used to be angry about everything. I would snap at the kids all the time. Now I'm much more level headed. The extra energy I get from it boosts my workout. Running is so much easier and I don't feel like I need to collapse on the couch when I get home after working out. I'm sleeping better every night. And it raises my HDL and lowers my LDL which means the world to me since heart disease runs in my family. Even my migrains are backing off. I just feel soooooo much better. It's amazing what good nutrition can do for you. If you don't want to give shakes a try please please please take a daily vitamin. It's so important for good health. You can't get the right nutrition just from food anymore. We don't grow food like they used to 40 years ago. Mass production means fertilizing instead of rotating which means less nutrients and minerals pulled from the ground. Now I'm a coach for the shakes because I get a major discount on them and I love spreading news about this because it's helped me so much. If you have questions on it let me know.
That all being said I'm happy to be back into a blogging mood. You'll be seeing a ton more videos and blogs from me. I'll try to talk about nutrition for the most part. If there's anything you guys want me to research or try out please let me know. Soon I'll be getting either turboFire or p90x because I get my discount. I'm excited to see the results from that.
Key Links
Sparkpeople
Beachbody (p90x, turbofire, revabs, hiphopjam, protein and vitamin supplements)
Shakeology (The shakes I've been taking.)
My tumblr
What's been going on?
1. I went back to sparkpeople and got re-invested into that. I push that people give this site a try because IT SUPPORTS YOU FULLY! It's free. There's no damage in trying. I got invested in reading blogs and keeping up with groups and ran out of time to do my full blogs on here.
2. I've also been going to the gym at least an hour and a half a day. With the exception of Sundays I am a gym addict. I crave that adrenaline rush I get after a good workout.
3. I am now a beachbody coach. I started taking shakeology to be proof for a few coaches that it works. It worked enough that I decided to stay on it and become a coach to get the discount on it.
Any new results?
YAH
1. I'm down to 250 lbs WOOT WOOT! I've now lost 55 lbs. Can you believe that? Oh I'm so excited!
2. I'm now a size 18. I started as a size 24. The first few sizes dropped like crazy but getting down to a 16 is going to be a little hard since I had diastasis recti (stomach muscles detached during pregnancy) and never did anything about it. And no, unless insurance will cover it, this lady will never get a tummy tuck. PENNY PINCHERS UNITE!
3. I'm no longer binging. Every now and then I have a eating fest but not like I used to. Before it was because I felt I had to eat to make myself happy. Now it's because I'm being human. It only happens once a month and I don't feel ashamed afterward. I do, however, kick myself in the butt the next time I step on the scale ;p
4. I've come out of my shell. I'm talking to more people. I'm hanging out with people outside of gym classes and work. I've got real life friends instead of just online gaming friends. People I don't know who see me all the time have literally RAN to catch up to me and tell me how proud of me they are and ask how I've done it. It's become a daily ego boost. I said my plan was to inspire 10000 lbs of weight loss. I will never know when I've hit that mark but I can tell you I will. THANK YOU GOD!
5. I feel like my husband can be proud of me. Josh has never been ashamed to have me as a wife. Even when I'm a butt to strangers or when I don't get things done on time he's always loved me. But I never felt like he SHOULD have been proud of me. I finally feel like he has some bragging rights about me. I feel like he can say "Yah, she's actually succeeding at something." If that's the one thing I get out of this, I'm perfectly ok with it.
Why did I choose sparkpeople?
It's free... Ummm I can't push enough that this is free support. It's like a non-annoying myspace for people who want to be fit. You get your own personal page. There's a support group for everything. My favorite of the groups is the "Done Being the Fat Girl" group. We can talk about anything and everything. There's groups for tv shows, depression, video games, sports, anything you like or have in life, there's a group for. And they always start you off with a group based on your age and your location so you can find people to work out with or people who understand your generation. AND it helps you track your food with suggestions on how to lose up to 2.5 lbs a week. So it sets you up with a successful program. I dare you to try it. Sparkpeople
Why did I go back to the gym?
I've found that I'm more committed to working out if I have people to look forward to. I started with the zumba classes in Southlake. I was excited to be part of the group. Then I found out 24hour fitness does unlimited classes at any of their gyms plus weights plus machines plus a lap pool for less than I was paying for 8 classes a month at the private zumba classes. Now I take zumba or a dance class almost every day of the week. I'm also taking kickboxing, boxing, bodypump (freeweights), and other Xclasses. I'm still running outside but for my 5k training I'm hitting the treadmill to get my stamina up. Yes, I know, I said I hated treadmills. I do. I really do. But free daycare while I give my all to running.... yah I guess I could use the treadmill. I love running with my kids. I still do it at least 2 times a month, but they're not as dedicated to it as I am. This way they can play with other kids their age while I get an hour with just adults. If you want to give it a try 24hour does free 7 day passes. YOU DID NOT HEAR THIS FROM ME but the 24 hour fitness gyms are not linked when it comes to the 7 day passes. Use up one at one gym, get anther pass at another gym the next week. They cycle every 6 months. Again, you did not hear that from me.
Why shakeology?
Excuse my little advertisement here but this video really sold it for me.
The first time I tried HALF a shake I had been *coughconstipatedcough* for about a week. I had been staying away from red meats and when I finally had a ton of it in one sitting it did it's thing of plugging me up. I took the shake at a party and literally had to excuse myself an hour after having half of it because there was a rumble in my tummy that only meant get to the bathroom and get to it now. I thought maybe I was allergic to it but no, it was just working. It's a prebiotic, a probiotic (both are digestion aids meaning you get more nutrition out of your food and an easier "passing" of the waste. It levels out my hormones which means Hulk Laura does not show her ugly face as much. I used to be angry about everything. I would snap at the kids all the time. Now I'm much more level headed. The extra energy I get from it boosts my workout. Running is so much easier and I don't feel like I need to collapse on the couch when I get home after working out. I'm sleeping better every night. And it raises my HDL and lowers my LDL which means the world to me since heart disease runs in my family. Even my migrains are backing off. I just feel soooooo much better. It's amazing what good nutrition can do for you. If you don't want to give shakes a try please please please take a daily vitamin. It's so important for good health. You can't get the right nutrition just from food anymore. We don't grow food like they used to 40 years ago. Mass production means fertilizing instead of rotating which means less nutrients and minerals pulled from the ground. Now I'm a coach for the shakes because I get a major discount on them and I love spreading news about this because it's helped me so much. If you have questions on it let me know.
That all being said I'm happy to be back into a blogging mood. You'll be seeing a ton more videos and blogs from me. I'll try to talk about nutrition for the most part. If there's anything you guys want me to research or try out please let me know. Soon I'll be getting either turboFire or p90x because I get my discount. I'm excited to see the results from that.
Key Links
Sparkpeople
Beachbody (p90x, turbofire, revabs, hiphopjam, protein and vitamin supplements)
Shakeology (The shakes I've been taking.)
My tumblr
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Diet Warrior
I've been pretty bad about getting to Church lately. Tonight we decided to start going again after not going for about a month and I'm really happy we went.
Tonight's message was about being a warrior. Everyone is a warrior. I can tell you when I look in the mirror I don't see one. I see someone who's weak and gross and someone I don't like very much sometimes. I love who I see in the mirror. I stick up for her all the time. But I'd never call her a warrior... until tonight.
The beginning of service started with the scene from Kung Fu Panda. It was the scene where the trainer guy (can't remember his name) holds the food out for Po and says he can have it... when he's trained. He's going to have to work for it. He fails and fails and fails to get the food but each time you see him learning, getting stronger, improving. Then at the end when he's earned the food, he doesn't want it anymore. He's found what he really wanted to achieve his kung fu dream. I was laughing so hard because I always see myself as Po. I see myself as someone who has huge dreams and no confidence to attain them. I see this weight loss as my food. I want it so bad. But to get the weight loss I have to do the work. And in the end I'll have that weight loss and not care... because my dream is to be a better me. God holds things back from us and we complain but what He wants us to do is EARN THEM. Earn it, appreciate, see the bigger picture, realize His full love for us.
In 1 Samuel 16, God sends Samuel out to get a new king over Israel. First Samuel sees Jesse's son Eliab. He thinks this is the next king because he was tall and strong. But God says he doesn't choose Eliab. This happens in verse 6. But it's the end of verse 6 that really sticks out to me. God says "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Talk about wanting to cry in the middle of a Church service. I was doing everything I could to hold it back. Every day I get on that scale and see the number and every day my same response is UGHHHHH. I see that big number and I judge myself on it. Then I go out in public and I LET others judge me on my appearance.
No amount of weight loss, no amount of makeup, no amount of cosmetic surgery is going to change my heart. Isn't it amazing that out of the entire world, including ourselves, God sees something completely different. He sees what we are. He knows who we aspire to be. He knows our intentions. He knows our purpose. God sees me as a winner. He knows my heart. But He sees how down I am on myself and I know it breaks His heart. Why? Because HE wants ME to see it. That's why He pushes me so hard.
I started this weight loss journey saying I was going to take God with me every step of the way. I was going to start my day with prayer. I was going to pray before every workout. I was going to be God's warrior who said "All things are possible though God." But I keep forgetting Him. I don't include Him in on this. Instead I ask people what THEY think. I go where the people go. But I have never just sat down with God and said "Hey, thanks for loving me the way that I am. Please give me the courage to love myself like you do. Please show me the good in me. Please give me the strength to improve myself. Please be with me through this hard journey." I don't need to stand in front of the mirror and criticize myself. I need to have a conversation with God. HE'S the one who has my back. HE'S the one who takes it and never leaves it.
He's training me to be a warrior, not a model. Because this world needs a warrior. He's put me through this battle for a reason. Sword in hand I will fight. I will put my body back together and show people we can be healthy for God. We can be happy for God. We can take care of ourselves, not for looks, but for God.
Ephesians 6:11- 13 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
The service ended with two of my favorite songs. So tonight I leave you with the song I left Church singing and links to the videos for them~~~~~~
"And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?"
Chris Tomlin- Our God
and
my favorite song in the world
David Crowder Band- He Loves Us
I love you guys. Be sure to say thank you to God before you go to bed tonight. He doesn't hear it enough and we could never say it enough.
Tonight's message was about being a warrior. Everyone is a warrior. I can tell you when I look in the mirror I don't see one. I see someone who's weak and gross and someone I don't like very much sometimes. I love who I see in the mirror. I stick up for her all the time. But I'd never call her a warrior... until tonight.
The beginning of service started with the scene from Kung Fu Panda. It was the scene where the trainer guy (can't remember his name) holds the food out for Po and says he can have it... when he's trained. He's going to have to work for it. He fails and fails and fails to get the food but each time you see him learning, getting stronger, improving. Then at the end when he's earned the food, he doesn't want it anymore. He's found what he really wanted to achieve his kung fu dream. I was laughing so hard because I always see myself as Po. I see myself as someone who has huge dreams and no confidence to attain them. I see this weight loss as my food. I want it so bad. But to get the weight loss I have to do the work. And in the end I'll have that weight loss and not care... because my dream is to be a better me. God holds things back from us and we complain but what He wants us to do is EARN THEM. Earn it, appreciate, see the bigger picture, realize His full love for us.
In 1 Samuel 16, God sends Samuel out to get a new king over Israel. First Samuel sees Jesse's son Eliab. He thinks this is the next king because he was tall and strong. But God says he doesn't choose Eliab. This happens in verse 6. But it's the end of verse 6 that really sticks out to me. God says "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Talk about wanting to cry in the middle of a Church service. I was doing everything I could to hold it back. Every day I get on that scale and see the number and every day my same response is UGHHHHH. I see that big number and I judge myself on it. Then I go out in public and I LET others judge me on my appearance.
No amount of weight loss, no amount of makeup, no amount of cosmetic surgery is going to change my heart. Isn't it amazing that out of the entire world, including ourselves, God sees something completely different. He sees what we are. He knows who we aspire to be. He knows our intentions. He knows our purpose. God sees me as a winner. He knows my heart. But He sees how down I am on myself and I know it breaks His heart. Why? Because HE wants ME to see it. That's why He pushes me so hard.
I started this weight loss journey saying I was going to take God with me every step of the way. I was going to start my day with prayer. I was going to pray before every workout. I was going to be God's warrior who said "All things are possible though God." But I keep forgetting Him. I don't include Him in on this. Instead I ask people what THEY think. I go where the people go. But I have never just sat down with God and said "Hey, thanks for loving me the way that I am. Please give me the courage to love myself like you do. Please show me the good in me. Please give me the strength to improve myself. Please be with me through this hard journey." I don't need to stand in front of the mirror and criticize myself. I need to have a conversation with God. HE'S the one who has my back. HE'S the one who takes it and never leaves it.
He's training me to be a warrior, not a model. Because this world needs a warrior. He's put me through this battle for a reason. Sword in hand I will fight. I will put my body back together and show people we can be healthy for God. We can be happy for God. We can take care of ourselves, not for looks, but for God.
Ephesians 6:11- 13 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
The service ended with two of my favorite songs. So tonight I leave you with the song I left Church singing and links to the videos for them~~~~~~
"And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?"
Chris Tomlin- Our God
and
my favorite song in the world
David Crowder Band- He Loves Us
I love you guys. Be sure to say thank you to God before you go to bed tonight. He doesn't hear it enough and we could never say it enough.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
It's been a while/ food regulating buttheads
I apologize that it's been so long since I've posted. I'm used to writing these on my laptop in a secluded (no 7 year olds going "Mom mom mom mom mommomomomomomom") area of the house. I'm sad to say my laptop is in critical condition right now and being held hostage by the computer repair shop that seems to not be fixing it but refuses to give it back because they ordered (honestly I don't think they know what to order) the expensive part for it already.
Note to all: When your computer needs to be repaired, pay the extra and take it to a non mompop shop unless you've heard awesome reviews.
So until I get the laptop back I will be sharing the computer/game/ living room with my kids who tend to say "Mom" a lot.
I have a ton that I've been wanting to talk about so today I'm going to start with my anger towards money hungry companies and their lack of empathy for the human body.
When we were little, I'm sure all of us heard in some way or another that "Killing is bad mmmkay". The boogie man is bad, he kills people. Murderers are bad, they kill people. Killing people sends you to jail. Killing hamsters means you're either an older brother with a sister who had a hamster or a sadistic maniac. Any way you put it you're bad joojoo if you kill something.
But apparently if you kill someone slowly it's all good. Add to it YOU'LL GET RICH QUICK! That's right people, killing strangers or even the ones you love slowly has become a get rich quick pyramid scheme. Here's how you do it. You open up a company that regulates or provides food.
For those who regulate:
Step one: Get a notepad, a pencil, and a seal of approval.
Step two: Take notes on how bad the food is for a human and act like you're shocked that someone would put this crap in their mouth.
Step three: Wait for the food making company to slip you a few hundreds in return for the seal of approval.
Step four: Wash your sinful soul clean by writing a few statements that say you were not allowed to further regulate due to the loose laws on the food.
Since when was common sense thrown out the window? Food regulations should be so easy that even a caveman could do it. Sorry mr. caveman on the car insurance commercials. Food bad, food eventually kill, food not approved. Tadah! That's how it should go. If the company wants to complain about it and says you're going against the laws of the FSIS, USDA, or FDA, go back and get those rules changed to save the lives of people. Instead they say nothing.
Now if you provide the food:
Step one: Find companies based on price instead of quality to provide the food you sell.
Step two: Fill these foods (if you're selling meat that is) with expanders and addictives (salt and sugar and others).
Step three: Advertise in a way that not only pulls crowds in thinking you're their friend, but also spreading MASSIVE white lies to further promote your product.
Did you know the bottled water companies do not have to tell the public where they get their water, that they only have to filter a certain percent of the water in the bottle, and that the bottle itself has enough toxins in it that it has been proven to lead to cancer because it leaks into the water? Did you know Beef Co. (who provides the beef for over 80% of fast food chains) sprays your meat with ammonia? Did you know that a french fry has so many preservatives in it that it never molds and never decomposes? Try letting your body system work on that one for a while. DID YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR FOOD IS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO DECOMPOSE?!?!
Taco Bell says they never freeze their meat. Bull, I've worked there, they do. They even re-freeze it and then sell it the next day. Very few companies can actually not freeze their meat and get away with it. Why? Either they over salt it or they own their own meat producing and packing plants. In and Out Burger is one of the few companies that goes out of its way to grow their own so they can watch the product from start to finish. Braum's also. These companies are not on every street corner. Why? They don't let their food get far enough away from their farms that it in any way should need to be sprayed by ammonia or frozen. Don't even get me started on McDonalds and their Happy (because we're killing your kids!) Meals.
Does drinking Fiji Water or Ozarka or Arrowhead water make it any better for you? Umm no, no it doesn't. Sam's Club actually tested better than all three and I hate to admit that because I hate anything Walmart. All those nice wonderful gas stations that have the pallets of water stacked outside are being very nice and speeding up the breakdown of the plastic for you. That heat leaches the toxins straight into the water creating waste that your body treats as a virus. So how do we get around the toxins of the plastic bottle (in which the water could sit for months and months pulling every toxin they can out of that plastic)? How do we get good clean water that doesn't taste like a chemical mixture? Brita makes a nice big pitcher that easily fits in the fridge. A stainless steel bottle with a filter keeps your water nice and cold, toxin free, and tasteless (the way water should be.) If the water is going to sit in plastic for more than a week, run far far away from it.
So where's my proof. Google this stuff. I dare you. Look up the date of the first microwave dinner, track obesity rates starting from that year on and try to come back and tell me preservatives are not killing us. Can't believe everything you see on the internet? LOOK AROUND YOU. Cancer is spreading like wildfire. Our grandparents are outliving us even though they ate bacon every morning and smoked since they were 10. Why? Government regulations on food and cigarettes have changed and gotten so loose they it seems like they don't even care. In fact I'm going to go extreme here and say it almost seems like they want the weaker of our species to die off faster. Look at people who are already dieing. Do you see doctors urging them to eat organic? Why do doctors do this? Because they know organic food actually extends our life span, fights off disease, and makes our bodies and minds happier. My mother in law comes to visit us and we go out to eat, she throws up. We eat at the house with a full organic meal and she's fine. I made a promise to my family that we wouldn't eat fast food anymore. I dropped 20 lbs with very little exercise in the first month. Why? I shopped on the outside of the store and ate mostly organic and my body didn't have to work so hard to pull out the nutrients and let the food exit the body. Last year we stopped eating McDonalds and Jack in the Box for 2 months because we were trying to save money. The day my kids and I went back all three of us immediately threw up. Our bodies are talking to us. They're mad.
YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR BODY. You are the only one who can keep your liver from becoming a freak show of fat. No more saying "We'll we're all going to die anyways." Live a little longer. Yes we're going to die but I'm not going out without a fight. You owe it to yourself to fight also.
I hope everyone is having a good day.
Godbless
Note to all: When your computer needs to be repaired, pay the extra and take it to a non mompop shop unless you've heard awesome reviews.
So until I get the laptop back I will be sharing the computer/game/ living room with my kids who tend to say "Mom" a lot.
I have a ton that I've been wanting to talk about so today I'm going to start with my anger towards money hungry companies and their lack of empathy for the human body.
When we were little, I'm sure all of us heard in some way or another that "Killing is bad mmmkay". The boogie man is bad, he kills people. Murderers are bad, they kill people. Killing people sends you to jail. Killing hamsters means you're either an older brother with a sister who had a hamster or a sadistic maniac. Any way you put it you're bad joojoo if you kill something.
But apparently if you kill someone slowly it's all good. Add to it YOU'LL GET RICH QUICK! That's right people, killing strangers or even the ones you love slowly has become a get rich quick pyramid scheme. Here's how you do it. You open up a company that regulates or provides food.
For those who regulate:
Step one: Get a notepad, a pencil, and a seal of approval.
Step two: Take notes on how bad the food is for a human and act like you're shocked that someone would put this crap in their mouth.
Step three: Wait for the food making company to slip you a few hundreds in return for the seal of approval.
Step four: Wash your sinful soul clean by writing a few statements that say you were not allowed to further regulate due to the loose laws on the food.
Since when was common sense thrown out the window? Food regulations should be so easy that even a caveman could do it. Sorry mr. caveman on the car insurance commercials. Food bad, food eventually kill, food not approved. Tadah! That's how it should go. If the company wants to complain about it and says you're going against the laws of the FSIS, USDA, or FDA, go back and get those rules changed to save the lives of people. Instead they say nothing.
Now if you provide the food:
Step one: Find companies based on price instead of quality to provide the food you sell.
Step two: Fill these foods (if you're selling meat that is) with expanders and addictives (salt and sugar and others).
Step three: Advertise in a way that not only pulls crowds in thinking you're their friend, but also spreading MASSIVE white lies to further promote your product.
Did you know the bottled water companies do not have to tell the public where they get their water, that they only have to filter a certain percent of the water in the bottle, and that the bottle itself has enough toxins in it that it has been proven to lead to cancer because it leaks into the water? Did you know Beef Co. (who provides the beef for over 80% of fast food chains) sprays your meat with ammonia? Did you know that a french fry has so many preservatives in it that it never molds and never decomposes? Try letting your body system work on that one for a while. DID YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR FOOD IS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO DECOMPOSE?!?!
Taco Bell says they never freeze their meat. Bull, I've worked there, they do. They even re-freeze it and then sell it the next day. Very few companies can actually not freeze their meat and get away with it. Why? Either they over salt it or they own their own meat producing and packing plants. In and Out Burger is one of the few companies that goes out of its way to grow their own so they can watch the product from start to finish. Braum's also. These companies are not on every street corner. Why? They don't let their food get far enough away from their farms that it in any way should need to be sprayed by ammonia or frozen. Don't even get me started on McDonalds and their Happy (because we're killing your kids!) Meals.
Does drinking Fiji Water or Ozarka or Arrowhead water make it any better for you? Umm no, no it doesn't. Sam's Club actually tested better than all three and I hate to admit that because I hate anything Walmart. All those nice wonderful gas stations that have the pallets of water stacked outside are being very nice and speeding up the breakdown of the plastic for you. That heat leaches the toxins straight into the water creating waste that your body treats as a virus. So how do we get around the toxins of the plastic bottle (in which the water could sit for months and months pulling every toxin they can out of that plastic)? How do we get good clean water that doesn't taste like a chemical mixture? Brita makes a nice big pitcher that easily fits in the fridge. A stainless steel bottle with a filter keeps your water nice and cold, toxin free, and tasteless (the way water should be.) If the water is going to sit in plastic for more than a week, run far far away from it.
So where's my proof. Google this stuff. I dare you. Look up the date of the first microwave dinner, track obesity rates starting from that year on and try to come back and tell me preservatives are not killing us. Can't believe everything you see on the internet? LOOK AROUND YOU. Cancer is spreading like wildfire. Our grandparents are outliving us even though they ate bacon every morning and smoked since they were 10. Why? Government regulations on food and cigarettes have changed and gotten so loose they it seems like they don't even care. In fact I'm going to go extreme here and say it almost seems like they want the weaker of our species to die off faster. Look at people who are already dieing. Do you see doctors urging them to eat organic? Why do doctors do this? Because they know organic food actually extends our life span, fights off disease, and makes our bodies and minds happier. My mother in law comes to visit us and we go out to eat, she throws up. We eat at the house with a full organic meal and she's fine. I made a promise to my family that we wouldn't eat fast food anymore. I dropped 20 lbs with very little exercise in the first month. Why? I shopped on the outside of the store and ate mostly organic and my body didn't have to work so hard to pull out the nutrients and let the food exit the body. Last year we stopped eating McDonalds and Jack in the Box for 2 months because we were trying to save money. The day my kids and I went back all three of us immediately threw up. Our bodies are talking to us. They're mad.
YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR BODY. You are the only one who can keep your liver from becoming a freak show of fat. No more saying "We'll we're all going to die anyways." Live a little longer. Yes we're going to die but I'm not going out without a fight. You owe it to yourself to fight also.
I hope everyone is having a good day.
Godbless
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What does it really take?
After stepping on the scale today I got what I had asked for. I gained two pounds. No I did not ask for it out of excitement. I asked for it by not following through with the goals I had set for myself.
It's moments when you gain that put your diet into a true perspective. After losing a few pounds you don't sit down and say what can I do better? If you're losing you're probably on the right track. But gaining... ughhh gaining... you know in your heart why you did. If you were hitting the gym or exercising and sticking to your diet, you probably gained muscle. Kudos to you if you did because that's two extra pounds of muscle speeding up your metabolism and hacking away at those calories. But if you're second guessing before you even step on the scale, it's time to decide where to go from here.
So what does it take to lose weight?
So far I keep hearing the word willpower. I heard from a brilliant lady yesterday that there are two types of willpower, negative and positive. Each decision takes willpower. You run far far away from the cookie, you're using your jedi willpower: that willpower that tells you to show those girl scouts your grrr face and abandon those calories. If you take the cookie you have just practiced your darkside willpower: the willpower that says I don't care what that nutrition label says, those girls baked me cookies and it's my job to eat them.
Now that I've brought up my little star wars analogy I'm going to tell you what I thought about today in a way that would make star wars fans like my brother truly proud.
Here's your cast:
Darth Vader (Boooooooooo)- Temptation and bad habits you've learned.
Luke Skywalker (he had a crush on his sister hahahaha nerd)- Willpower, the thing that keeps you from picking up that cookie.
Hans Solo- Motivation, the thing that points you in the right direction and moves you foreward
Chewbaca (I'd do my chewbaca noise but it only sounds like a dieing herd of sheep)- Support group, the cute furry friends you have that don't mind hugging you when you need it
Yoda- Discipline, lets face it, you have to stick to things, this is a life long journey, not an 80 lbs lost and its over with.
Luke Skywalker could not have defeated the dark side alone. Willpower will not shed those pounds. Willpower gives in. Which one do you want to be? I don't want to be on the dark side but I gave in and didn't do my runs and made excuses and nibbled on this and that and ate foods I knew were bad for me. I wasn't just missing willpower. I didn't look at my motivation. I didn't practice discipline and follow my week's schedule. I had tons of support from friends so thank you Chewy for always being there. But Chewy really only shot a few stormtroopers and made funny noises. It's the whole group that is going to put me back together again.
So do you get my analogy? I hope so.
Well this is what I leave you with today.
My goals for this week:
1.walk/run 9 miles
2.burn at least 350 cal a day on the kinect
3. stay within my cal/protein/carbs/fat limits
4. forgive myself for this week
5. laugh at a stormtrooper
It's moments when you gain that put your diet into a true perspective. After losing a few pounds you don't sit down and say what can I do better? If you're losing you're probably on the right track. But gaining... ughhh gaining... you know in your heart why you did. If you were hitting the gym or exercising and sticking to your diet, you probably gained muscle. Kudos to you if you did because that's two extra pounds of muscle speeding up your metabolism and hacking away at those calories. But if you're second guessing before you even step on the scale, it's time to decide where to go from here.
So what does it take to lose weight?
So far I keep hearing the word willpower. I heard from a brilliant lady yesterday that there are two types of willpower, negative and positive. Each decision takes willpower. You run far far away from the cookie, you're using your jedi willpower: that willpower that tells you to show those girl scouts your grrr face and abandon those calories. If you take the cookie you have just practiced your darkside willpower: the willpower that says I don't care what that nutrition label says, those girls baked me cookies and it's my job to eat them.
Now that I've brought up my little star wars analogy I'm going to tell you what I thought about today in a way that would make star wars fans like my brother truly proud.
Here's your cast:
Darth Vader (Boooooooooo)- Temptation and bad habits you've learned.
Luke Skywalker (he had a crush on his sister hahahaha nerd)- Willpower, the thing that keeps you from picking up that cookie.
Hans Solo- Motivation, the thing that points you in the right direction and moves you foreward
Chewbaca (I'd do my chewbaca noise but it only sounds like a dieing herd of sheep)- Support group, the cute furry friends you have that don't mind hugging you when you need it
Yoda- Discipline, lets face it, you have to stick to things, this is a life long journey, not an 80 lbs lost and its over with.
Luke Skywalker could not have defeated the dark side alone. Willpower will not shed those pounds. Willpower gives in. Which one do you want to be? I don't want to be on the dark side but I gave in and didn't do my runs and made excuses and nibbled on this and that and ate foods I knew were bad for me. I wasn't just missing willpower. I didn't look at my motivation. I didn't practice discipline and follow my week's schedule. I had tons of support from friends so thank you Chewy for always being there. But Chewy really only shot a few stormtroopers and made funny noises. It's the whole group that is going to put me back together again.
So do you get my analogy? I hope so.
Well this is what I leave you with today.
My goals for this week:
1.walk/run 9 miles
2.burn at least 350 cal a day on the kinect
3. stay within my cal/protein/carbs/fat limits
4. forgive myself for this week
5. laugh at a stormtrooper
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It's a different way of thinking
I was reading some of the introductions to a few friend pages on sparkpeople.
HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO JOIN SPARKPEOPLE.COM! GO DO IT NOW! Then come back and read the rest of this.
So I came across a new friend on my page and here was her intro
"
I've been told that I'm ugly, I believe this. I've been told I'm beautiful, I don't believe this. What is my point here? Because I believe I'm ugly, I do ugly things e.g. disregarding my health, stuffing my emotions, etc. For the record, more people often than not have told me I'm pretty but it's the people who've told me that I'm ugly that have taken over my heart and mind. I'm trying to change this. I'm trying to let it be, in the famous words of John Lennon! I forgive myself for neglecting my health and treating myself like crap. I thought losing weight was the hardest thing I'd ever have to do, but forgiving myself and others is what's the hardest thing to do. I feel like I've wronged myself more than others have wronged me, and that I've not wronged others as much as I've being wronged, but that is not true. When I was in pain, I did some foolish and mean things to people who cared for me and who were innocent, for that I'm sorry and will and have made restitution to those people as best I can. I've had a sense of entitlement because I've been hurt and my pain demanded accountability. I've shared that I've had some things happen to me that shaped the way I viewed my body but my body is not mine to misuse. I am God's vessel. I'm done with regrets, anger and it's odious relative, resentment. For me, it's about feeling my emotions and processing them in an appropriate manner. All this time, I've been thinking that weight loss would be the cure all for loving myself but the truth is, losing weight is a way for me to gain love from others and myself, because I think I'm ugly. It's a double edged sword that I have to lose weight not because I'm ugly and don't deserve love but because my health is at stake. I've lost eighteen pounds but I've had setbacks. Why? Well, I can attribute some of this to not getting the praise I deserve from people I love. I know it takes time to notice weight loss, but I want my Mom to be proud of me. I used to think I hate her but I don't. I love her because she gave birth to me, and deep down I think I'm all that and a bag of chips. We all have our reasons for our behavior and I believe we act certain ways due to hurts in our past. I was so consumed by my own pain, that I didn't think about my Mom's pain, my Dad's pain, my sister's pain, etc. I believe that life is about feelings and while feelings can be fickle, feelings are a part of us and who we are. The weight loss portion of this journey of mine can be read in my blogs and on the Goals and Program section of this page."
Don't you want to hug her? I do. I think we all need to step back from this weight loss journey thing and take a good look at ourselves. Look at what we do have. I can tell you I have my skin, my eyes, 10 fingers, 10 toes, laugh lines, a smile, all the things I SHOULD be looking at in that mirror. Yes I am overweight. Yes I'm unhealthy. But I'm me. My image was inspired by GOD. He made me exactly the way I should be. I need to take care of it but it feels good to know that I HAVE LIFE. I have a beating heart under all of this. I have lungs to take in oxygen. Can you make a human? I know I can have a baby but I can't speak a child into existence. I can't make their heart beat. I can't make their liver work. I can't make their stomach digest. I AM A MIRACLE IN ACTION. So what does that make me? BEAUTIFUL. Never forget you are a miracle. Never forget you were spoken into creation. Never forget your life has a purpose. It's not about that mirror. It's about loving life.
My reply to her
"I was reading your intro and I honestly just want to hug you right now. I spent years looking into a mirror asking why my sister was so beautiful and God made me so ugly. My husband could tell me I'm beautiful all he wanted but the mirror didn't lie to me. After praying and handing my weight over to God I saw a new image. I looked in the mirror and I saw God's creation. Skin, eyes, a beating heart, laugh lines, 10 fingers, 10 toes. A child of God is never an ugly thing. Yes you need to lose weight for your health but never look in that mirror and feel like you deserve anything less than what God wants to give you. And every day He gives you another day. Another day to take care of yourself, another day to nourish your body with food that will keep you healthy, a new day to get out realize the ground under your feet and the sky above your head. The devil wants you to doubt yourself and your relationships. But I can tell you that the fact that you can look in that mirror and want to change... makes you beautiful. "
That's my message to all of you today. Take control of your life, not your weight. Enjoy your life. This is your existence. This is your one chance. Love it for everything it's made available to you.
Peace.
HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO JOIN SPARKPEOPLE.COM! GO DO IT NOW! Then come back and read the rest of this.
So I came across a new friend on my page and here was her intro
"
Finding Bella!
I've been told that I'm ugly, I believe this. I've been told I'm beautiful, I don't believe this. What is my point here? Because I believe I'm ugly, I do ugly things e.g. disregarding my health, stuffing my emotions, etc. For the record, more people often than not have told me I'm pretty but it's the people who've told me that I'm ugly that have taken over my heart and mind. I'm trying to change this. I'm trying to let it be, in the famous words of John Lennon! I forgive myself for neglecting my health and treating myself like crap. I thought losing weight was the hardest thing I'd ever have to do, but forgiving myself and others is what's the hardest thing to do. I feel like I've wronged myself more than others have wronged me, and that I've not wronged others as much as I've being wronged, but that is not true. When I was in pain, I did some foolish and mean things to people who cared for me and who were innocent, for that I'm sorry and will and have made restitution to those people as best I can. I've had a sense of entitlement because I've been hurt and my pain demanded accountability. I've shared that I've had some things happen to me that shaped the way I viewed my body but my body is not mine to misuse. I am God's vessel. I'm done with regrets, anger and it's odious relative, resentment. For me, it's about feeling my emotions and processing them in an appropriate manner. All this time, I've been thinking that weight loss would be the cure all for loving myself but the truth is, losing weight is a way for me to gain love from others and myself, because I think I'm ugly. It's a double edged sword that I have to lose weight not because I'm ugly and don't deserve love but because my health is at stake. I've lost eighteen pounds but I've had setbacks. Why? Well, I can attribute some of this to not getting the praise I deserve from people I love. I know it takes time to notice weight loss, but I want my Mom to be proud of me. I used to think I hate her but I don't. I love her because she gave birth to me, and deep down I think I'm all that and a bag of chips. We all have our reasons for our behavior and I believe we act certain ways due to hurts in our past. I was so consumed by my own pain, that I didn't think about my Mom's pain, my Dad's pain, my sister's pain, etc. I believe that life is about feelings and while feelings can be fickle, feelings are a part of us and who we are. The weight loss portion of this journey of mine can be read in my blogs and on the Goals and Program section of this page."
Don't you want to hug her? I do. I think we all need to step back from this weight loss journey thing and take a good look at ourselves. Look at what we do have. I can tell you I have my skin, my eyes, 10 fingers, 10 toes, laugh lines, a smile, all the things I SHOULD be looking at in that mirror. Yes I am overweight. Yes I'm unhealthy. But I'm me. My image was inspired by GOD. He made me exactly the way I should be. I need to take care of it but it feels good to know that I HAVE LIFE. I have a beating heart under all of this. I have lungs to take in oxygen. Can you make a human? I know I can have a baby but I can't speak a child into existence. I can't make their heart beat. I can't make their liver work. I can't make their stomach digest. I AM A MIRACLE IN ACTION. So what does that make me? BEAUTIFUL. Never forget you are a miracle. Never forget you were spoken into creation. Never forget your life has a purpose. It's not about that mirror. It's about loving life.
My reply to her
"I was reading your intro and I honestly just want to hug you right now. I spent years looking into a mirror asking why my sister was so beautiful and God made me so ugly. My husband could tell me I'm beautiful all he wanted but the mirror didn't lie to me. After praying and handing my weight over to God I saw a new image. I looked in the mirror and I saw God's creation. Skin, eyes, a beating heart, laugh lines, 10 fingers, 10 toes. A child of God is never an ugly thing. Yes you need to lose weight for your health but never look in that mirror and feel like you deserve anything less than what God wants to give you. And every day He gives you another day. Another day to take care of yourself, another day to nourish your body with food that will keep you healthy, a new day to get out realize the ground under your feet and the sky above your head. The devil wants you to doubt yourself and your relationships. But I can tell you that the fact that you can look in that mirror and want to change... makes you beautiful. "
That's my message to all of you today. Take control of your life, not your weight. Enjoy your life. This is your existence. This is your one chance. Love it for everything it's made available to you.
Peace.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Dear Self, Dear Heart
Dear Self,
I'm going to be brutally honest with you, this attitude does not look good on you. Yes, periods suck. Yes your back has been hurting. Yes you've been tired. But this "Oh well" attitude has no excuses. Sunday you walked back into the house after a fast walk and wanted to kick the door down with joy. Saturday you ran a .4 miles when you thought you only had .1 in you. You finished the mile in 14 mintues. 14!!!! You were so excited! Friday you were giggling and laughing with your kids while they rollerbladed and you ran with them. You didn't even complain after falling and bruising both knees. Don't step on that scale. If you've lost weight over the last few days I'm not happy for you. Yes this was about weight. But it was about a new mindset also. In fact THIS WAS ALL ABOUT BEING A BETTER NEW YOU. This is all you Laura. Wake up and smell the roses, there's no magical cure that's going to do this for you. You put the food in your mouth. You kept your butt on that couch. You made those excuses. No one forced you to do all that. Today is a new day. Today is the day YOU tell ME off. Today is the day you stop typing, stop reading, stop procrastinating, put on those new shoes, and get out there and run. Hate me today. I'm ok with that. You're going to love me later. It's time you loved yourself. Get back to me when you're done whining and ready for winning. I love you girly. I just want to see the best for you.
Love always,
Your heart
Dear Heart,
I understand your concern. I should have taken into consideration your health is in my hands. I'd be pretty mad at me too. Just wanted to let you know after I read your note I decided to go out to our favorite park. I went 2 miles in 40 min which means I took 2 min off each mile. BOOYAH! IN YO FACE!
Love you too,
Self
I'm going to be brutally honest with you, this attitude does not look good on you. Yes, periods suck. Yes your back has been hurting. Yes you've been tired. But this "Oh well" attitude has no excuses. Sunday you walked back into the house after a fast walk and wanted to kick the door down with joy. Saturday you ran a .4 miles when you thought you only had .1 in you. You finished the mile in 14 mintues. 14!!!! You were so excited! Friday you were giggling and laughing with your kids while they rollerbladed and you ran with them. You didn't even complain after falling and bruising both knees. Don't step on that scale. If you've lost weight over the last few days I'm not happy for you. Yes this was about weight. But it was about a new mindset also. In fact THIS WAS ALL ABOUT BEING A BETTER NEW YOU. This is all you Laura. Wake up and smell the roses, there's no magical cure that's going to do this for you. You put the food in your mouth. You kept your butt on that couch. You made those excuses. No one forced you to do all that. Today is a new day. Today is the day YOU tell ME off. Today is the day you stop typing, stop reading, stop procrastinating, put on those new shoes, and get out there and run. Hate me today. I'm ok with that. You're going to love me later. It's time you loved yourself. Get back to me when you're done whining and ready for winning. I love you girly. I just want to see the best for you.
Love always,
Your heart
Dear Heart,
I understand your concern. I should have taken into consideration your health is in my hands. I'd be pretty mad at me too. Just wanted to let you know after I read your note I decided to go out to our favorite park. I went 2 miles in 40 min which means I took 2 min off each mile. BOOYAH! IN YO FACE!
Love you too,
Self
Monday, January 10, 2011
I lurrrrve my nike+
So I got them. (Nike+ shoes and sensor). I think it's one of my better decisions.
For those of you who don't know what they are, it's a shoe, basic running shoe, but it has a sensor in the bottom of the left shoe. That sensor connects to a sensor in a watch that you have to buy. If you have an IPod or IPhone you only have to get the + connection which is much cheaper... but I love my droid phone and Apple can suck it. *cough cough* I mean *cough cough* I would rather have my droid phone. In the wristband or your IPhone (sigh) the sensors record your run speed, your calories burned, your mileage, and once you plug that device into your computer it stores and records it all for you and draws out a map of your run. It shows your peaks (faster runs) and dips (where you were walking you cheater!) and makes a little bar graph of it. It even lets you challenge others, challenge yourself, and creates a running plan for you. I find all this extremely motivating.
My post prior to this one I explained my first day with the shoes. Since then I have figured out how to change the accuracy of the mileage. Nike has this program set up so basic that even ignoramouses like myself could figure it out. I ended up running again on Saturday. That time was .4 miles running and .6 walking. Even with the freezing weather I was craving a run on Sunday to see if I could beat that. BUT the weather outside was frightful, and my heater was so delightful,... and out of grrrrrrrness I walked my 1.13 miles at a speed of 22 min a mile. According to my wristband, because of my weight that was 250 calories. Some might say "Pfffft 250 calories. I can get that in 10 min on my treadmill." I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is my alone time. My me, music, and nature time. It's fresh air, different scenery, a wave from a stranger, a cheer from another stranger, a trip off the sidewalk, and an instant laugh right after that. There's something so freeing about using your God given path... that has been covered with asphalt, distorted by streetlights, and very little trees... Ok I made that sound bad but its not a wall or a tv in front of you with the buzz of your belt rotating underneath you. I can also promise you that a treadmill will not get me ready for this 5k. It lacks... everything. Running on a street and a treadmill are like baking from scratch and baking out of a box. You get the same result (miles, cal burned, recorded time) but there's so many more obstacles and a sense of accomplishment from scratch.
I do have a few requests if you're going to try the running path.
1. Buy a few 2 lb weights with hand straps. I got some from Walmart for 6$. I prefer the strap because I tend to drop things when I trip. I trip a lot.
2. If you have a smart phone, download the Pandora application. This lets you pick an artist and then streams continuous music from that artist or music from someone else that your artist recommends. It pretty much all follows the same genre. Then pick an artist who's music tends to make you auto-strut if you're walking while listening. And I'm not talking about a beegees strut. I'm talking "My booty has a mind of it's own and I feel like waving my hands up in the air and dancing" strut. The one you have to hold in or people will look at you funny. Anything in the grouping of "Happy hardcore" tends to work. These are "rave" songs that have a ton of bounce to them. Why this music? It tends to make you walk faster with the rhythm. That way you're not letting your mind wander and getting a 25 min mile.
3. STRETCH. This probably should have been number one but I don't feel like going back and fixing it now. You may think you look goofy but honestly your neighbors and people in the parks know what a stretch is. They'll understand and get over it. Without stretching you could seriously tear some muscles. No pain no gain right? Ehhhhhh maybe but if you're in pain because you didn't stretch you're a butthead for caring more about your appearance than your body. Save yourself a couple of tylenol and just stretch. It's not that bad and only takes 2 min of your time.
4. Start out walking. I've been walking which is why I've now turned to running. But if your full goal is a 5k start out walking the full 3.2 miles. Let this be your time to figure out how much time would be your worst. Get comfortable with walking heel to toe. Learn to breath through your mouth and nose at the same time. If you rush into running you're going to end up giving up. Once you've done that for 1-2 weeks THEN transition some running in. But don't expect to run the whole 3 miles the first day. Your lungs won't be ready. Your leg muscles are going to laugh at you. It's just not going to work out. Here are a few websites that help you get started on running:
http://running.about.com/od/getstartedwithrunning/ht/getstarted.htm
http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/a/first5K.htm
http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm
There are a ton more but running.about.com has been my biggest help. I understand I've only been running for a week but after working with a ton of marathon runners running.about.com has agreed with them the most. In fact most of my tips have come from my friends who actually use up vacation time just to run. So with that being said
6. Talk to friends who love to run. Ask them what's worked for them, why it's become an addiction. Without their help I wouldn't have even started walking and now I'm actually enjoying the adrenaline rush of a run... even if it's only .1 miles at a time.
So there's my blog for today. I'll be able to give more info the more I run.
Tomorrow I'll be talking about music and why it's so important to your exercise.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!
For those of you who don't know what they are, it's a shoe, basic running shoe, but it has a sensor in the bottom of the left shoe. That sensor connects to a sensor in a watch that you have to buy. If you have an IPod or IPhone you only have to get the + connection which is much cheaper... but I love my droid phone and Apple can suck it. *cough cough* I mean *cough cough* I would rather have my droid phone. In the wristband or your IPhone (sigh) the sensors record your run speed, your calories burned, your mileage, and once you plug that device into your computer it stores and records it all for you and draws out a map of your run. It shows your peaks (faster runs) and dips (where you were walking you cheater!) and makes a little bar graph of it. It even lets you challenge others, challenge yourself, and creates a running plan for you. I find all this extremely motivating.
My post prior to this one I explained my first day with the shoes. Since then I have figured out how to change the accuracy of the mileage. Nike has this program set up so basic that even ignoramouses like myself could figure it out. I ended up running again on Saturday. That time was .4 miles running and .6 walking. Even with the freezing weather I was craving a run on Sunday to see if I could beat that. BUT the weather outside was frightful, and my heater was so delightful,... and out of grrrrrrrness I walked my 1.13 miles at a speed of 22 min a mile. According to my wristband, because of my weight that was 250 calories. Some might say "Pfffft 250 calories. I can get that in 10 min on my treadmill." I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is my alone time. My me, music, and nature time. It's fresh air, different scenery, a wave from a stranger, a cheer from another stranger, a trip off the sidewalk, and an instant laugh right after that. There's something so freeing about using your God given path... that has been covered with asphalt, distorted by streetlights, and very little trees... Ok I made that sound bad but its not a wall or a tv in front of you with the buzz of your belt rotating underneath you. I can also promise you that a treadmill will not get me ready for this 5k. It lacks... everything. Running on a street and a treadmill are like baking from scratch and baking out of a box. You get the same result (miles, cal burned, recorded time) but there's so many more obstacles and a sense of accomplishment from scratch.
I do have a few requests if you're going to try the running path.
1. Buy a few 2 lb weights with hand straps. I got some from Walmart for 6$. I prefer the strap because I tend to drop things when I trip. I trip a lot.
2. If you have a smart phone, download the Pandora application. This lets you pick an artist and then streams continuous music from that artist or music from someone else that your artist recommends. It pretty much all follows the same genre. Then pick an artist who's music tends to make you auto-strut if you're walking while listening. And I'm not talking about a beegees strut. I'm talking "My booty has a mind of it's own and I feel like waving my hands up in the air and dancing" strut. The one you have to hold in or people will look at you funny. Anything in the grouping of "Happy hardcore" tends to work. These are "rave" songs that have a ton of bounce to them. Why this music? It tends to make you walk faster with the rhythm. That way you're not letting your mind wander and getting a 25 min mile.
3. STRETCH. This probably should have been number one but I don't feel like going back and fixing it now. You may think you look goofy but honestly your neighbors and people in the parks know what a stretch is. They'll understand and get over it. Without stretching you could seriously tear some muscles. No pain no gain right? Ehhhhhh maybe but if you're in pain because you didn't stretch you're a butthead for caring more about your appearance than your body. Save yourself a couple of tylenol and just stretch. It's not that bad and only takes 2 min of your time.
4. Start out walking. I've been walking which is why I've now turned to running. But if your full goal is a 5k start out walking the full 3.2 miles. Let this be your time to figure out how much time would be your worst. Get comfortable with walking heel to toe. Learn to breath through your mouth and nose at the same time. If you rush into running you're going to end up giving up. Once you've done that for 1-2 weeks THEN transition some running in. But don't expect to run the whole 3 miles the first day. Your lungs won't be ready. Your leg muscles are going to laugh at you. It's just not going to work out. Here are a few websites that help you get started on running:
http://running.about.com/od/getstartedwithrunning/ht/getstarted.htm
http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/a/first5K.htm
http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm
There are a ton more but running.about.com has been my biggest help. I understand I've only been running for a week but after working with a ton of marathon runners running.about.com has agreed with them the most. In fact most of my tips have come from my friends who actually use up vacation time just to run. So with that being said
6. Talk to friends who love to run. Ask them what's worked for them, why it's become an addiction. Without their help I wouldn't have even started walking and now I'm actually enjoying the adrenaline rush of a run... even if it's only .1 miles at a time.
So there's my blog for today. I'll be able to give more info the more I run.
Tomorrow I'll be talking about music and why it's so important to your exercise.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Nike+ first day
Songlist for today:
Cascada: Evacuate the dance floor
Katy Perry: Fireworks
Scooter: Jumping all over the world
Scooter: Hypa Hypa
Far East Movement: Rocketeer
Fort Minor: Remember the Name
Tip for the day:
Find a song that you can put a movie of your weight loss to. Example- Katy Perry, Firework. Imagine moments in your weight loss you would love put on camera and make a mental slideshow as you listen to your song. Even better, if a friend is with you, ask them to take a few pictures of you on your workout and every 20 pounds make a new video.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
shapeups and 5k training no no
I had fun doing this after work and taking the boys to school today. It was great thinking time. I was so happy with 20 min a mile at just walking because that means I can do the 5k in an hour. I'm aiming for 40 min. Think I can do it?
sick but still going
I'm sorry it's been a while. I keep falling asleep before work which is when I usually exercise and post. I'm feeling tons better today and hopefully will be back to normal tomorrow.
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