I'm Still Here!

I got a new job this week -- but I've been going to the gym lol I promise! Except I feel like I've aggrivated my back again... I woke up this morning & it was not feeling good at all. So I took this morning off... I'm headed back for spin tomorrow morning.

I've been trying to do well on my diet, it's a lot easier said than done, but I'm figuring it out. I have to figure it out. It's definitely not as easy as they make it look on tv!!

40 Things to Try When You Don't Want to Workout

40 Things to Try When You Don't Want to Workout

I love this!

If you ever have one of those days you just don't want to work out -- just do something from this list.

I'm a fan of just telling myself I'll only do 15-20 minutes... and then I end up staying for an hour (it actually works lol)

Do You Have to Take an Intro Spin Class?

Someone asked me this. The answer is simply No.You do not need to take an intro spinning class before you decide you want to start spinning. However... there are some things you should be prepared for...(and these are things I experienced...not actually rules being told to me by an instructor). These things are:

1. Just because you ride the stationary bike at the gym...doesn't mean you're going to be awesome at spin. The bikes are different, the seats are different, the resistance is different. It will take a while to get the hang of it.
2. The seats...are terrible -- they are NOT as comfortable as the regular stationary bikes. They are firm & you will feel it the next day ... probably the next couple of days.
3. If you can't do the resistance the instructor is telling you to add... that's OK. Do what you can, it's YOUR workout not theirs.
4. Use your body weight for something, when you're standing, gently rock back and forth (like you see them do on tv sometimes); It makes things a whole lot easier.
5. You may want to quit after the first class (maybe even during it)...DON'T. It doesn't get easier, but you get used to the challenge, and you get better at it.

I'm off to a spin class now :) I did one yesterday, I'm doing one today (because I have the day off) and I'm doing one tomorrow! I think I'm going to make it my Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday thing. Wish me luck!

Spinning is No Joke

I tried my first spin class today at the gym. 5:45am, sweating like a pig lol I was less than amazing. It was so hard to keep up and the seats made my butt hurt! (I'm told that's normal & it doesn't get any better for at least a week). My legs felt like they were on fire the whole time & it was a work out just trying to get up and down out of the "saddle" (the bike seat). I didn't want to sit because my butt hurt & I didn't want to stand because my legs were on fire lol what a dilema! I spent most of the class sitting because I decided that was better than my legs being on fire? lol

But it was totally worth it. Great workout -- cardio without feeling like cardio. I recommend it to anyone & yes I will be back on Thursday. One of the girls there gave me some advice & that was "Just do what you can do, if she says add resistance & it's too much, don't add as much." I think Thursday I'm going to keep the resistance low & practice sitting & "standing" on the bike when she says -- we'll see how that goes lol

I also bought a heart rate monitor/calorie burn counter. This one exactly:


Got it at Sports Authority. $59.99. It's water proof up to 50m -- nothing fancy & I haven't used it yet but it's real easy to program & looks pretty simple, not a whole lot of things on the screen to read. That's what I like -- it's simple. I don't need all the bells & whistles.

Official review to follow :)

Rest Day

Don't forget to take time for you. You need a rest day -- your body needs a rest day. Pick one day a week to do nothing but hang out with friends, read a book, do whatever. Do nothing. OK, maybe stretch...maybe stretch a little haha

Tomorrow we'll get back to business.

How I Work Out

My cousin sent me a message on Facebook the other day asking what I was going in the gym & if I had any advice.. honestly...NO. I don't have a routine & that's one of the things that has been bothering me. I feel like I have no routine, and it's frustrating as hell... I know I'm not going for bulking up, I'm going for slimming down, so, I'm probably heavier than most other people on my cardio workouts.

Make no mistake, I go & lift weights too -- but not super heavy body building weights. And no ladies...it's not all yoga & zumba! Muscle eats away at fat, it speeds up your metabolism.. build some muscle!

Today, I marked as cardio day (I guess?) I went & did the following (in this order):

• 30 minutes on the stationary bike, low resistance, high speed
• 30 minutes walking on the treadmill (2.7mph) and incline between 1.0 & 5.0 (I switched throughout the walk at random order).
• 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer (random resistance setting) level 3.

I'm going to start doing a Couch-to-5k program. I'd really like to do my first 5k this fall. We'll see how that goes lol I'm terrible at running.

I'll start getting into more of a routine (or at least documenting what I do) and jot it all down on here for anyone who wants to read it :)

It's Definitely Not Easy

I suck at this whole "diet" thing...I know, I know, don't call it a diet, it's supposed to be a life style. But I still suck at it...folks... getting in shape isn't as easy as they make it seem on the Biggest Loser lol seriously -- it's insane.

I don't like to make excuses. I'm trying to take the stance that if you want something bad enough you'll find a way, if not, you'll find an excuse...However, I must say, having a limited income & living somewhere that you're not in charge of the groceries list... makes it very difficult to stay on track.

Currently, due to a break-up and a paycut at my (now former) job, I'm living with my grandparents. I'm so thankful for them helping me out, I'm living rent free, I have my own room, and I (for the most part) come and go as I please.

The down side to this... is that since I'm not giving them anything for rent, I feel like a jerk asking them to buy me specific things or taking over space in their refridgerator, so... it's been really hard for me to stay on track...I don't want to offend my grandmother by telling her I don't want to eat her food .... (plus it's DELICIOUS!).

I actually just got a new job (yay!). I start on the 25th, and it's a bit of a pay bump, plus they pay 100% of my healthcare which is also a big plus! So I'm hoping with the extra income, I'll be able to give them some money for rent & food (which would give me some bargaining power to request more healthy meals lol).

I have to give props to my g-ma though she just bought me a massive bag of salad yesterday when they went food shopping. I'm hoping that pattern sticks... I'm hitting a plateau & I'm not happy about it lol -- TIME TO LOSE SOME LBS!!

It's For Me

 

I used to be that girl that wouldn't go to the gym that often because I was afraid of looking like I didn't know what I was doing. When I started at my new gym, I was really intimidated & I wouldn't go unless it was with other people, or if I was going swimming so I didn't have to talk to anyone & no one could really see my body (which seems kind of stupid since I'm ok with being in a pool? ... I used to swim in high school so to me it's nothing I guess).

Yesterday I went to the gym, did 30 minutes on an elliptical machine, 30 minutes on a stationary bike, lifted weights (legs only) for 15-20 minutes & Then did another 10 minutes on the treadmill to cool down.... The above photo was the product of that workout. No filter, no make up, hair thrown back out of my face... THAT'S how I work out.

I've finally gotten to the point where I (mostly) don't care who is in the gym, I've realized no one is really watching me, and if they are, I just fake it til I make it & pretend I'm confident in what I'm doing lol I've finally convinced myself I'm not going to the gym every day because my friends will be there, I'm not going because someone told me I have to.. I'm setting my alarm for 4:30am & getting out of bed at 5 (yes it takes me 30 minutes to wake up, don't judge) because I want to. Because I'm doing it for me, not for anyone else, for me.

Beginnings Are Always the Hardest

So this is is. This is where it starts. This is where I hold myself accountable for everything I put in my mouth and every ounce of sweat I earn at the gym. I need to get serious. I’ve wanted to join the Army for a long time now. But for some reason I never had enough motivation to lose the weight so I always just gave up on the dream.

I’m 26 now. There’s no more room to give up. I need to do it by the end of the year, or it’s not going to happen. Eventually I’m going to be too old to join. So here it goes. The part where I put one foot in front of the other, and start the hardest journey of my life.

I can't even believe I'm putting this number out there... but according to military height and weight standards....I have 88 pounds to lose … AT LEAST (or get down to less than 30% body fat, which ever comes first). Let’s round it out to an even 90 because I like whole numbers… For my height (all 5’1″ of me) the Army says I can be no heavier than 137lbs or 30% body fat. I just stepped off the scale … it says I weigh 221.2, so ok that’s what only 85 pounds? That’s still a MASSIVE amount. If I want to do that by the end of the year it’s almost 9 pounds a month, consistently, through the holidays, through summer BBQs, everything. The one good thing I have motivating me is that in July 2012… I weighed 245 pounds… so I have lost almost 25 & kept it off at least… I just need to get back on track.

I’ve been nursing a back injury & am just getting back into my semi-normal routine back at the gym, although this time around...I'm going more often, and for longer. I will no longer be held back by fear of looking like I dont know what I'm doing, or embarassment that I'm not as skinny or in shape as that girl over there, because one day, I will be, and they'll be calling me Ma'am.

My biggest problem is that I LOVE food. I grew up in a very Italian family. If something good happened, we ate, if something bad happened.. we ate. And we ate hearty foods, pastas and stews, stuff I probably have to REALLLLLLY stay away from.

This blog is going to hopefully be a way to keep me honest about how my progress. The ups and downs. I’m not going to hold anything back. I'm going to try to stay positive, and try NOT to step on my scale every morning.... because that will just drive me bonkers. I'm going to remember that muscle weighs more than fat, and that cardio IS in fact my friend.. no matter how much I hate it.