So this weekend my Dear Hubby and I went and picked up our workout equipment and mirrors for the home gym. We have both agreed to start the second round of P90X on February 7th. We are also going to be throwing in additional cardio, We are looking forward to making strides again....
in the meantime, this is just a little something that I lifted from another site that I thought was interesting:
10 Reasons Why Women Need to Lift Weights
By Whitney Provost
Many women believe that the only way to lose weight is to do cardiovascular (aerobic exercise). So they jog or take aerobics classes five times a week. Eventually, though, they notice that while their bodies are a little smaller, there are still a lot of flabby and jiggly bits. Sound familiar? Aerobic exercise is important for good health, but it's only half of the equation. Keep reading for the other half.
For optimal fitness, longevity, and a lean body, weight training is essential. If you avoid pumping iron because you're afraid of getting "bulky," then you're missing out on one of the best fat-burning methods around.
When you're weight training, you shouldn't rely exclusively on the scale to gauge your progress. You can use a body fat tester or a tape measure to track how many inches you're losing. The size of your body will shrink as you shed fat and build muscle, but your weight may not change as dramatically as you expect. Besides, what's more important, the number on the scale or how you look in your skinny jeans?
If you're still not convinced that you need to lift weights, here are 10 reasons why you should reconsider.
Burn more fat. Researchers at Tufts University found that when overweight women lifted heavy weights twice a week, they lost an average of 14.6 pounds of fat and gained 1.4 pounds of muscle. The control group, women who dieted but didn't lift weights, lost only 9.2 pounds of fat and gained no muscle. When you do an intense weight-training program such as ChaLEAN Extreme®, your metabolism stays elevated and you continue to burn fat for several hours afterward. During regular cardio exercise, you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.
Change your body shape. You may think your genes determine how you look. That's not necessarily true. Weight training can slim you down, create new curves, and help avoid the "middle-age spread." Just look at the amazing body transformations of the women who've completed P90X®. Dropping only 3 percent of your body fat could translate into a total loss of 3 inches off your hips and thighs. And no, you won't bulk up—women don't have enough muscle-building hormones to gain a lot of mass like men do. If you keep your diet clean and create a calorie deficit, you'll burn fat.
Boost your metabolism. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after the age of 40. When you diet without doing resistance training, up to 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle loss. Weight training while dieting can help you preserve and even rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you'll burn all day long.
Get stronger and more confident. Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying children, lifting grocery bags, and picking up heavy suitcases much easier. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular weight training can make you 50 percent stronger in 6 months. Being strong is also empowering. Not only does it improve your physical activities, it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.
Build strong bones. It's been well documented that women need to do weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain bone mass, and prevent osteoporosis. Just as muscles get stronger and bigger with use, so do bones when they're made to bear weight. Stronger bones and increased muscle mass also lead to better flexibility and balance, which is especially important for women as they age.
Fight depression. You've probably heard that cardio and low-impact exercises such as yoga help alleviate depression, and weight lifting has the same effect. The endorphins that are released during aerobic activities are also present during resistance training. Many women find that regular strength training, in conjunction with psychological treatment, helps lessen their depression symptoms substantially.
Improve sports fitness. You don't have to be an athlete to get the sports benefit of weight training. Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all physical activities, whether it's bicycling with the family, swimming, golfing, or skiing . . . whatever sport you enjoy.
Reduce injuries and arthritis. Weight lifting improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training safely and with proper form can help decrease the likelihood of injuries in your daily life. It can also improve physical function in people with arthritis. A study conducted at the University of Wales in Bangor, United Kingdom, found that mildly disabled participants who lifted weights for 12 weeks increased the frequency and intensity at which they could work, with less pain and increased range of movement.
Heart health. More than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the number-one killer of women over the age of 25. Most people don't realize that pumping iron can also keep your heart pumping. Lifting weights increases your "good" (HDL) cholesterol and decreases your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that people who do 30 minutes of weight lifting each week have a 23 percent reduced risk of developing heart disease compared to those who don't lift weights.
Defend against diabetes. In addition to keeping your ticker strong, weight training can improve glucose utilization (the way your body processes sugar) by as much as 23 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 weeks of strength training can improve glucose metabolism in a way that is comparable to taking diabetes medication. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood, which can reduce complications from diabetes or even help prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place.
Make it a great day!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Getting Healthy and Feeling Good is contagious
So, as I have shared with you all, I am trying to pay it forward to my colleagues and have organized a lunch hour workout program with Chalene and Turbo Fire. My intentions were to find a way that we could all get in at least one workout per day and we could motivate one another. Well, the first day there was two of us... YEP, just me and Super Woman, but today there was three of us... and we were burning down the building cause we were all on FIYA! OK... we really were not, but we had a good workout albeit short and I felt like we could have kept on pushing play but we are on our lunch break so we can not just keep on pushing play.
Anyway, here are the stats:
HIIT 15 + Stretch 10:
Calories: 331
Average HR: 126
Maximum HR: 180 !!!!
Chalene really gets my heart pumping!! Tonight I am planning on getting in a P90X workout too as long as everyone and everything cooperates. Unfortunately I will be traveling, for work, for the next two weeks and don't expect much workout time. I will be trying to make the time to run on the treadmill (at least) while staying at the hotel.
Make it a great day! Tomorrow I think that we are going to try the Core workout... just for fun! Then when I get back I will be back for two weeks before I have to travel again... that should give us some time to work out these routines and we will follow the schedule then.
Anyway, here are the stats:
HIIT 15 + Stretch 10:
Calories: 331
Average HR: 126
Maximum HR: 180 !!!!
Chalene really gets my heart pumping!! Tonight I am planning on getting in a P90X workout too as long as everyone and everything cooperates. Unfortunately I will be traveling, for work, for the next two weeks and don't expect much workout time. I will be trying to make the time to run on the treadmill (at least) while staying at the hotel.
Make it a great day! Tomorrow I think that we are going to try the Core workout... just for fun! Then when I get back I will be back for two weeks before I have to travel again... that should give us some time to work out these routines and we will follow the schedule then.
Life, and Death, gets in the way again
Just when you make a plan, set the stage and get ready to Dig DEEPER life throws a curve ball. The lack of updating is simply because there has been a lack of activity on my part. You see, we had a death in the family and it delayed my progress. Family has left today and I am getting back into my routine very soon.
In the meantime I have finally pushed play for Turbo Fire with a friend from work that I will justifiably call Super Woman :) Chalene kicked my ass and likely Super Woman did too but I was too busy trying to follow Chalene to really notice. I will say that it was fast paced and not very conscientious of newbies but fun. I am eager to see how long it is going to take me to get used to her program. As I have said in the past, I am no dancer nor am I coordinated so this is going to be fun!
Here are the stats:
Fire 30 Class
Calories: 459
Average HR: 145
Maximum HR: 182!!!!!
It helps push me knowing that I have Super Woman with me ... :P
On a side note my Mr. Wonderful and I have ordered some equipment to finally finish our home gym... here are the pics!
In the meantime I have finally pushed play for Turbo Fire with a friend from work that I will justifiably call Super Woman :) Chalene kicked my ass and likely Super Woman did too but I was too busy trying to follow Chalene to really notice. I will say that it was fast paced and not very conscientious of newbies but fun. I am eager to see how long it is going to take me to get used to her program. As I have said in the past, I am no dancer nor am I coordinated so this is going to be fun!
Here are the stats:
Fire 30 Class
Calories: 459
Average HR: 145
Maximum HR: 182!!!!!
It helps push me knowing that I have Super Woman with me ... :P
On a side note my Mr. Wonderful and I have ordered some equipment to finally finish our home gym... here are the pics!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday night workout with my daughter's friend
So, last night I was really SORE! I was hurtin' all over and I almost considered taking the night off... but my mind pulled me through. I knew that I had to blog this morning and post my stats and that helped; however, I also realized that I would feel great once I pushed play and that is what I did. I forced myself to push play and my oldest daughter's friend asked if he could join me and I said yeah... so I had company and that was nice even though he did not make it through 20 minutes of it :P
As for my nutrition yesterday, it was top notch! I have to admit that I tried Shakeology and I could not even drink it all. It made me think of chocolate cake batter and although I LOVE chocolate in the form of a bar (with fruit and nuts) I do not eat chocolate cake or pudding... and my opinion is that Chocolate Shakeology is NOT for me. I think that I will drink BSN Syntha 6 (banana flavor) for my lunch. I am so grateful to Coach Chris for providing me with the sample so I did not end up with a full month's supply that I could not get through. Supper last night was a light chicken and rice dish that I made and it had lots of yummy veggies in it!
Calories Carbs Fat Protein
Totals 1,117 136 34 56
Your Daily Goal 1,662 228 55 62
Remaining 545 92 21 6
So, here are the stats from last night's workout:
Arms and Shoulders
Calories: 462
Average: 119
Maximum: 169
Make it a great day!
As for my nutrition yesterday, it was top notch! I have to admit that I tried Shakeology and I could not even drink it all. It made me think of chocolate cake batter and although I LOVE chocolate in the form of a bar (with fruit and nuts) I do not eat chocolate cake or pudding... and my opinion is that Chocolate Shakeology is NOT for me. I think that I will drink BSN Syntha 6 (banana flavor) for my lunch. I am so grateful to Coach Chris for providing me with the sample so I did not end up with a full month's supply that I could not get through. Supper last night was a light chicken and rice dish that I made and it had lots of yummy veggies in it!
Calories Carbs Fat Protein
Totals 1,117 136 34 56
Your Daily Goal 1,662 228 55 62
Remaining 545 92 21 6
So, here are the stats from last night's workout:
Arms and Shoulders
Calories: 462
Average: 119
Maximum: 169
Make it a great day!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Doubles???
So, today at lunch I was thinking, "Self, how are you gonna get in the best shape of your life? How are you going to ensure that you get your workout in EVERYDAY? Self, you need to have your as$ kicked at least once a day because you have made a public declaration that you WILL be showing the world your before and after shots by the end of the year. Self... you must have been drunk when you said that!!"
So the internal dialogue got me thinking and I decided to invite others to do Turbofire with me on lunch and we will all keep one another accountable. To top it off my plan is to continue to do P90X at home but I may switch to the Classic version as I will be taking in enough cardio at work. Additionally, if something should arise that I have an appointment to make at night and I am not able to get the X workout in... well, I shouldn't see it on the scale quite as much! I am so smart :P
So the internal dialogue got me thinking and I decided to invite others to do Turbofire with me on lunch and we will all keep one another accountable. To top it off my plan is to continue to do P90X at home but I may switch to the Classic version as I will be taking in enough cardio at work. Additionally, if something should arise that I have an appointment to make at night and I am not able to get the X workout in... well, I shouldn't see it on the scale quite as much! I am so smart :P
Oh MY FREAKING Goodness
I am hurting... my core, my legs and knees almost everywhere but my shoulders and arms SO that must be the workout for tonight! (BTW, I checked and it is :P) I love the feeling but it takes me so terribly long to recover when my muscles break down. I am supporting myself when I am getting up from a seating position. I am wobbly while I am walking and look a little like a new calf just learning to walk. I am suffering a little but it serves me right for taking the month off.
I was limping around the kitchen today and my Mr. Wonderful said that he is going to be starting back with me shortly... I knew it!!
Ok, back to my current situation... sorry for the short interruption.
So, my diet was great yesterday! I treated myself to a new cookbook, (which was inspired by BettyRayBlogs) The Best of Clean Eating, and made this great recipe and it was VERY good. THe kids loved the biscuits and ate them all up. I did alter the recipe a little and added some garlic Mrs. Dash and put just one biscuit on each pot pie and the family all agreed that it was yummy. I should also state that I ate an avacado yesterday (with Mrs. Dash) so that is why my fat is over... but it was good fat :P I am registering all my meals and snacks into my food diary at My Fitness Pal, and the total calories ate yesterday was:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein
Totals 1,327 147 60 72
Daily Goal 1,766 242 58 66
Remaining 439 95 -2 -6
I also drank 68 ounces of water yesterday... and NO coffee, no soda and no juices!!
As for the workout, it was Cardio X. I have come a long way from my first days of my first round of the X... I can remember when I would take breaks and be thinking that I was not going to get through it. Thanks to Insanity, Cardio X was good but not exhausting. I actually danced around the room and kept my heart rate up for a bit afterwards. This is going to be a great round of the X, I am sure.
Anyway, here are the fun calorie facts for the day yesterday:
Cardio X + Freestyle Dance :P
Calories: 566
Average HR: 125
Maximum HR: 174
Make it a great day!
I was limping around the kitchen today and my Mr. Wonderful said that he is going to be starting back with me shortly... I knew it!!
Ok, back to my current situation... sorry for the short interruption.
So, my diet was great yesterday! I treated myself to a new cookbook, (which was inspired by BettyRayBlogs) The Best of Clean Eating, and made this great recipe and it was VERY good. THe kids loved the biscuits and ate them all up. I did alter the recipe a little and added some garlic Mrs. Dash and put just one biscuit on each pot pie and the family all agreed that it was yummy. I should also state that I ate an avacado yesterday (with Mrs. Dash) so that is why my fat is over... but it was good fat :P I am registering all my meals and snacks into my food diary at My Fitness Pal, and the total calories ate yesterday was:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein
Totals 1,327 147 60 72
Daily Goal 1,766 242 58 66
Remaining 439 95 -2 -6
I also drank 68 ounces of water yesterday... and NO coffee, no soda and no juices!!
As for the workout, it was Cardio X. I have come a long way from my first days of my first round of the X... I can remember when I would take breaks and be thinking that I was not going to get through it. Thanks to Insanity, Cardio X was good but not exhausting. I actually danced around the room and kept my heart rate up for a bit afterwards. This is going to be a great round of the X, I am sure.
Anyway, here are the fun calorie facts for the day yesterday:
Cardio X + Freestyle Dance :P
Calories: 566
Average HR: 125
Maximum HR: 174
Make it a great day!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Review post
Happy holidays to all of my readers! I have not been around because I tried to rest during my break... that did not work out so well for me :P
Holidays = loss of control. I should start by saying that I pride myself on my self-control. I know how it feels to be fat and unhappy and I also know that NOTHING tastes as good as skinny (must) feel... but during the holidays I lost any sense of normalcy. My children were wild, my stress level was wild and so were my eating habits. Now, had I continued working out that might not have been as bad a situation BUT ... in my wild schedule I did not make the time to work out - NOT EVEN ONCE!
Anyway, all I can say is that I am happy that I am not an at home Mom... cause I think that I would be the size of a whale. Thankfully I work and can stay focused on my career and my objectives while I am at work... then happily get swallowed up by the chaos that is my life when I get home. It seems that I can handle things better when I work... does anyone else feel the same way? I mean I work full time, on committees and have obligations outside of work and yet I seem to be able to make the time at home more valuable and productive when I have this schedule... weird eh!??
All that to say that this is the week that I start taking off the 8 pounds that I put on since the last time that I weighed in!!! 8 POUNDS.... that is a ton of weight... but I started taking it off already. I decided to begin the New Year with a little Lean P90X. This should last about 1 month and then my hubby will become inspired and join me. We also looked into getting a Landice L7 Treadmill and an Olympic bench, weights and all the fixin's... we are going to make 2011 the best year yet, we will be phyisically fit before 2012!! You heard it here first... and by the end of 2011 I will post my before and after pics and not just the face shots... the full body shots in workout wear :)
So, that is where I am for now... here are the stats from last night's workout:
Core Synergistics:
Calories: 594
Average HR: 129
Maximum HR: 177
Oh yeah, I also want to say that I am pushing harder this year... I WILL see results that I will be proud of. I should also say that my Beachbody Coach, Coach Chris, sent me a sample of Shakeology and I will be trying it tomorrow. If I like it I think that I will be including Shakeology as part of my New Year's commitment to healthy living.
Later readers...
Make it a great day!
Holidays = loss of control. I should start by saying that I pride myself on my self-control. I know how it feels to be fat and unhappy and I also know that NOTHING tastes as good as skinny (must) feel... but during the holidays I lost any sense of normalcy. My children were wild, my stress level was wild and so were my eating habits. Now, had I continued working out that might not have been as bad a situation BUT ... in my wild schedule I did not make the time to work out - NOT EVEN ONCE!
Anyway, all I can say is that I am happy that I am not an at home Mom... cause I think that I would be the size of a whale. Thankfully I work and can stay focused on my career and my objectives while I am at work... then happily get swallowed up by the chaos that is my life when I get home. It seems that I can handle things better when I work... does anyone else feel the same way? I mean I work full time, on committees and have obligations outside of work and yet I seem to be able to make the time at home more valuable and productive when I have this schedule... weird eh!??
All that to say that this is the week that I start taking off the 8 pounds that I put on since the last time that I weighed in!!! 8 POUNDS.... that is a ton of weight... but I started taking it off already. I decided to begin the New Year with a little Lean P90X. This should last about 1 month and then my hubby will become inspired and join me. We also looked into getting a Landice L7 Treadmill and an Olympic bench, weights and all the fixin's... we are going to make 2011 the best year yet, we will be phyisically fit before 2012!! You heard it here first... and by the end of 2011 I will post my before and after pics and not just the face shots... the full body shots in workout wear :)
So, that is where I am for now... here are the stats from last night's workout:
Core Synergistics:
Calories: 594
Average HR: 129
Maximum HR: 177
Oh yeah, I also want to say that I am pushing harder this year... I WILL see results that I will be proud of. I should also say that my Beachbody Coach, Coach Chris, sent me a sample of Shakeology and I will be trying it tomorrow. If I like it I think that I will be including Shakeology as part of my New Year's commitment to healthy living.
Later readers...
Make it a great day!
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