I meant to write about this a week ago, but life in general has prompted me to repeatedly forget to post about it!
Let me start by saying that I very rarely weigh myself. I don't own a scale, and I don't regularly attend a gym, so I seldom know what I weigh. I weighed myself about once a week when I was home in CO for a month during the holidays since my parents own a scale. And aside from that, I am only weighed when I happen to go to the doctor. I usually just go with how my clothes fit. I used to be obsessive about weighing myself almost daily, and it was not a good cycle for me. I would be so upset if I hadn't lost any weight and, realistically, I shouldn't have been losing a pound a day anyway. It's not healthy to do it that way in my opinion, and it never stayed off for me if I did lose weight that quickly. That is why I decided to not purchase a scale.
I weighed 184.2 when I left CO, the last week of December, and as of a week and a half ago, at a doctor's appointment, I weighed 179.8! Yay!!! FOUR MORE POUNDS!!! I average about a pound a week, from what I have calculated, and I have not gained any weight back that I have lost so far! Slow and steady wins the race :)
At this rate, by the end of June, if I continue to lose one pound per week, I will have lost twenty more pounds, putting me around 159- I haven't been below the mid 160's in....well let's just say, it's been a while! I will see how I look and feel at that weight, then decide if I feel I could lose a few more pounds or if I'm satisfied at that point. I haven't been that "low" in weight in a long while and so I can't wait to see how transformed my body is at that point!
Controlling my eating still isn't super easy for me...I still have days when I struggle, especially when I'm feeling stressed/anxious, my go-to stress-reliever is eating...but I'm working hard! And when I get to see the scale creep slowly backwards, and know I am not, and will not, regain that weight again, I am so proud of myself and it motivates me to keep going!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Exercise!!!!!
The key to working out on a regular basis, for me, is finding something that I don't mind doing five days a week! I used to go on Tae Bo sprees, or do Jillian Michael's 20 minute power workouts, and I even tried P90X...but I got bored with all of those...I would power through the dvds a few times a week then I would get bored and not do any form of working out at all.
Pre-babies and husband, I worked out at the gym- ALL THE TIME (when I was in the weight loss phase of my weight cycle). I would be at the gym for at least 1 1/2 hours and most days 2 hours. Once I got married and had kids, the time I had spent at the gym was spent with people I love instead. Thus the intense weight loss/gain swings.
I don't like the gym now. Unless I have a babysitter (which we can't afford and I know no one here yet) I won't go. I know gyms have the childcare areas but, I'll be honest, I'm a germaphobe and don't want to put my kids in there for hours. I also don't like that I have to spend time to make myself look decent, drive to the gym, and drive back, all wasting the precious little time I have to work out.
So, a little over a year ago, we purchased an elliptical off of craigslist. It's nothing fancy, was only $400, and squeaks a bit, but it folds up and fits perfectly in the corner of my living room.
Every day, during my girls' coinciding nap time, I pull it out of the corner, plug it in, set up one of my recorded shows from the night before, and get moving! I love the fact that I can watch my favorite tv programs while getting a good workout in. I love that I don't have to look presentable, and that I can hop off and get right into my own shower and not have to drive home from a gym. For me, this is ideal. I would much rather get my workouts done in the comforts of my own home, where I can watch whatever shows I want (the gyms I used to attend always seemed to have news shows on...not very distracting for me 15 minutes in to a tough elliptical session), wear whatever I want, and not have to waste time driving.
I do at least 30 minutes on the elliptical, three to five times per week. Some days I do a low resistance level and keep my speed high, some days I do a high resistance with low speed. Some days, if I have had a "baking" day with my daughter, I add an extra fifteen minutes to help burn off the cupcake I ate. I do a two minute cool down at the end to bring my heart rate down slowly. Some weeks, I add in strength training two days per week (I usually do the strength training on Tuesdays and Fridays as it makes me pretty sore). Some weeks I have zero energy and the strength training seems too daunting so I just do the elliptical. I always ask myself though, "do I really have no energy (thanks to my 7 month old who still is up all-the-time at night)? Or am I being lazy?" because the strength training I do is quite difficult to me!
When I say "strength" training, I am referring to a thirty-minute workout that mainly uses my own body weight, as I don't have a bunch of free weights laying around at home. I start by doing one of the following- two minutes of "nose to the grindstone push ups*" (I'll explain below what these are) OR one minute of jumping jacks- to get my heart rate up. Following that exercise, I do a series of lower ab/oblique workouts, butt workouts, and squats (I'll also do something for triceps if I start with jumping jacks). Then I go back to the jumping jacks or push ups for another one to two minutes and continue that cycle for thirty minutes.
I also started doing a half and half day- I do fifteen hard minutes on the elliptical, then fifteen minutes of strength training.
I know sometimes, right before a workout, you don't want to do it. The couch and a snack seem soooooooo appealing, especially after dealing with kiddos all day- but I try and remind myself of how great I always feel once I'm done. Post workout I always feel better about my image, my health, and I feel accomplished.
I am definitely not a Professional Personal Trainer- these are just the things that work for me on a regular basis. Do-able exercises that I can commit to and am not dreading day after day. And when the weather warms up, I love to get out with my girls and be active outdoors as well! I just know that the more effort I put in, the faster I will reach my goal, and THAT is what motivates me to put on my tennis shoes and pull out that elliptical day after day!!!
*Nose the the grindstone push ups- I learned these when I was home in CO for the holidays; my parents have Comcast Cable in their home, and under the "sports and fitness" section they have TONS of free workout videos! I found a quick 20 minute one, and the "nose to the grindstone" move is the beginning of the workout. Anyway, here is how it's done:
-Stand up straight with your arms up and fingertips pointed to the ceiling.
-Bend your knees and go straight out to a push up position (I lack enough upper body strength to do a real push up so I go to my knees then do the push up, keeping my butt down and going down as far as I can so I work my triceps and chest)
-Push yourself up from your push up back to the "bent knee position"
-Then stand straight up again, fingertips to the ceiling!
Trust me, after two minutes of these, I'm feeling the burn!!!
Pre-babies and husband, I worked out at the gym- ALL THE TIME (when I was in the weight loss phase of my weight cycle). I would be at the gym for at least 1 1/2 hours and most days 2 hours. Once I got married and had kids, the time I had spent at the gym was spent with people I love instead. Thus the intense weight loss/gain swings.
I don't like the gym now. Unless I have a babysitter (which we can't afford and I know no one here yet) I won't go. I know gyms have the childcare areas but, I'll be honest, I'm a germaphobe and don't want to put my kids in there for hours. I also don't like that I have to spend time to make myself look decent, drive to the gym, and drive back, all wasting the precious little time I have to work out.
So, a little over a year ago, we purchased an elliptical off of craigslist. It's nothing fancy, was only $400, and squeaks a bit, but it folds up and fits perfectly in the corner of my living room.
Every day, during my girls' coinciding nap time, I pull it out of the corner, plug it in, set up one of my recorded shows from the night before, and get moving! I love the fact that I can watch my favorite tv programs while getting a good workout in. I love that I don't have to look presentable, and that I can hop off and get right into my own shower and not have to drive home from a gym. For me, this is ideal. I would much rather get my workouts done in the comforts of my own home, where I can watch whatever shows I want (the gyms I used to attend always seemed to have news shows on...not very distracting for me 15 minutes in to a tough elliptical session), wear whatever I want, and not have to waste time driving.
I do at least 30 minutes on the elliptical, three to five times per week. Some days I do a low resistance level and keep my speed high, some days I do a high resistance with low speed. Some days, if I have had a "baking" day with my daughter, I add an extra fifteen minutes to help burn off the cupcake I ate. I do a two minute cool down at the end to bring my heart rate down slowly. Some weeks, I add in strength training two days per week (I usually do the strength training on Tuesdays and Fridays as it makes me pretty sore). Some weeks I have zero energy and the strength training seems too daunting so I just do the elliptical. I always ask myself though, "do I really have no energy (thanks to my 7 month old who still is up all-the-time at night)? Or am I being lazy?" because the strength training I do is quite difficult to me!
When I say "strength" training, I am referring to a thirty-minute workout that mainly uses my own body weight, as I don't have a bunch of free weights laying around at home. I start by doing one of the following- two minutes of "nose to the grindstone push ups*" (I'll explain below what these are) OR one minute of jumping jacks- to get my heart rate up. Following that exercise, I do a series of lower ab/oblique workouts, butt workouts, and squats (I'll also do something for triceps if I start with jumping jacks). Then I go back to the jumping jacks or push ups for another one to two minutes and continue that cycle for thirty minutes.
I also started doing a half and half day- I do fifteen hard minutes on the elliptical, then fifteen minutes of strength training.
I know sometimes, right before a workout, you don't want to do it. The couch and a snack seem soooooooo appealing, especially after dealing with kiddos all day- but I try and remind myself of how great I always feel once I'm done. Post workout I always feel better about my image, my health, and I feel accomplished.
I am definitely not a Professional Personal Trainer- these are just the things that work for me on a regular basis. Do-able exercises that I can commit to and am not dreading day after day. And when the weather warms up, I love to get out with my girls and be active outdoors as well! I just know that the more effort I put in, the faster I will reach my goal, and THAT is what motivates me to put on my tennis shoes and pull out that elliptical day after day!!!
*Nose the the grindstone push ups- I learned these when I was home in CO for the holidays; my parents have Comcast Cable in their home, and under the "sports and fitness" section they have TONS of free workout videos! I found a quick 20 minute one, and the "nose to the grindstone" move is the beginning of the workout. Anyway, here is how it's done:
-Stand up straight with your arms up and fingertips pointed to the ceiling.
-Bend your knees and go straight out to a push up position (I lack enough upper body strength to do a real push up so I go to my knees then do the push up, keeping my butt down and going down as far as I can so I work my triceps and chest)
-Push yourself up from your push up back to the "bent knee position"
-Then stand straight up again, fingertips to the ceiling!
Trust me, after two minutes of these, I'm feeling the burn!!!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Learning to Love Vegetables
As a child, the main vegetables I encountered were the canned version- aside from fresh corn when it was in season, and "salads" from a chain restaurant known as "SouperSalad". I put the word salad in quotes because my "salad" consisted of more toppings and dressing than actual greens.
Once I made the decision to live a healthier lifestyle, I knew I had to learn a different approach to vegetables. In my adult years I mainly ate canned green beans and unhealthy salads, if I ate vegetables at all. I never really experimented with fresh veggies- until now.
I have learned that vegetables don't have to be boring; that they can in fact be delicious!
I have discovered that carrot sticks dipped in hummus brings them in to a whole new realm of deliciousness. My all-time favorite hummus is Trader Joe's Cilantro & Jalapeno Hummus. It has such bold flavors that you don't feel the need to scoop more than necessary, and the spice from the jalapeno adds a tasty kick of flavor!
I know now that green beans don't have to be squishy and dumped from a can to your plate- they can be snappy, bright, and tasty- topped with a bit of lemon! Or salty with a bit of sweet from an Asian-inspired sauce! Or simply roasted, or sauteed with a bit of olive oil and a spicy honey mustard dipping sauce!
Salads don't have to be boring! I always make sure to measure my dressing still (it's WAY too easy to over-do it) and my favorites are Hidden Valley Light Ranch (80 calories for 2 TB) and Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette (70 calories for 2 TB). I have loved ranch for years, but the original version is sooooooo high calorie- Hidden Valley's Light version tastes the most like regular ranch in my opinion! The Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette is DELICIOUS. It is sweet with a spicy undercurrent and tastes amazing over a bed of romaine! Speaking of Romaine...that is my "green" of choice. I have a very hard time with any darker greens than this...I'm working on learning to even like them, but so far, it's a no-go...it's a textural thing for me! My favorite toppings for my Romaine Lettuce are chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, and hard boiled eggs (sans the yellow inside- I don't like egg yolks).
Peppers. Bell Peppers are just yummy! I don't eat them raw often, but they are great in a bit of Light Ranch or hummus. I mainly use peppers in my eggs, or in a stir fry. For my breakfast, every day I eat 3 egg whites (egg whites are only 17 calories each! And a great source of protein!) and every once in a while I add some chopped peppers to increase my daily veggie intake. For dinners, I like to slice peppers in to strips and add them to some snap peas, mushrooms, onion, ginger and garlic for an Asian style dish. I also use LOTS of pepper strips in my fajitas or other Mexican-style dishes! And tossed in some olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted on the grill, peppers have a delicious sweet/smoky flavor!
I am still learning, every day. I try to look up recipes online and modify them to be healthier- less oil, more herbs/flavors. I try things that I didn't like as a kid- our taste buds change the older we get (mine have at least!). I also look at other "health food" blogs to get ideas from other healthy eaters that might spike some inspiration in me! Vegetables can be delightful- the secret is experimenting with different techniques and methods of seasoning to bring out flavors you love!
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