What Does "Fitness" Mean?

Hello out there in bloggerland!

I got a wonderful bunch of comments on my latest blog post about my laziness, lack of work-out motivation, and the fitness journey I've had.

Sasha, the Breakup Coach, left me a great, brain squeezing question. I'd expect nothing less from her brilliant ass, 'cause she's a psychologist. I love this. Blogging is like free therapy.

Here is the comment she left me:

Thanks for another wonderfully honest and thought-provoking post.

Asking yourself "why can't I get motivated?" is kind of a dead end question guaranteed to make you frustrated. I'm really curious as to what "fitness" actually means to you. It means so many different things to different people. How do you define it for yourself?

I also got a whopper of a comment from my buddy Christy in Seattle:

I read this post with mixed emotions. You are so beautiful and seem to have a really positive spirit. If you are otherwise healthy (unlike me, who has high blood pressure and scoliosis and a family history of diabetes and near-constant illnesses for two years) then does a little extra weight really matter?

If it's self-discipline that you're craving, great. I'm sure there are many small changes you could make to get a little more active. Being active will benefit your body, your mind, and your spirit in a myriad ways ... but there are so many fun ways to exercise! Sex and dancing are two of my favorites ... with walking and Pilates catching up quickly.

At some point, I think all of us who are on the diet train should ask ourselves -- what are our weight-loss goals? If there are none besides "looking good" or "fitting into cute clothes" is that an adequate motivation truly to change our lives and the way we eat ... forever? Or, will that diet train turn into a rollercoaster, careering out of control, our self-esteem crashing with each little rise in weight?

I'd love to be in a size 6 again. When I started this diet, that was my goal.

Then I wondered ... why?

I mean, what's so great about a size six really? Sure, I loved the shape that I was in as a size 6 ... but even at an 8 and a 10, I kicked butt at cardio. I hiked and roamed just about any old where I wanted. My body was a good body, able to answer the demands I put on it with energy to spare.

Is size six okay, but every thing above it not okay? What about if you or I got into a size 8 or 10 or, yes, even a 12 and maintained it forever? Would we be happy with that (assuming, again, we were otherwise healthy)?

I'm not trying to tell you that you shouldn't lose weight. That's a personal decision that everyone has to make for herself. I'm here to support you in any way I can. Sometimes, though, the best support can come from a reality check.

Be kind to yourself. You've already come a long way on this journey. It's okay that you're not perfect! You'd be pretty freaking dull if you were.

Love,
Christy

SO, wow! It's clear that THIS should be the blog topic for the day. Let's see if I can answer these questions honestly and concisely. (Ha-ha! Good luck to me.)

What does "Fitness" mean to me?

I hear that word and I think of someone with a low body fat percentage, who can run a mile in 7 minutes. Someone who can lift a good amount of weights. Someone who is flexible, with kick butt muscle tone, who likes to participate in sports. Someone who maybe likes to go rock climbing or skiing or can run a marathon. Triathlon people. And honestly? I've never had any of those goals. Now, actually, that's SORT of a lie, 'cause I wouldn't mind being super flexible, but that's purely for non-working-out reasons. I also wanted to be able to run a 5K.

But here's the thing. I think each time I decide I'm gonna start working out hard core, or I'm going to train for a 5K, or I'm going to start to lift weights, it's false excitement. Or temporary excitement. I watched Tara from The Biggest Loser last season and was SO inspired because of how athletic she was. The clip of her running her ass off on that treadmill with Jillian holding a band around her waist made me so jealous. But I realized yesterday that it's the same kind of jealousy I feel when I watch Diana Krall play the piano, or Chris Angel perform magic, or Cate Blanchett deliver a moving performance in a film. I am the most jealous person on the planet. I would love to have all these talents and abilities. But it doesn't mean I'm going to start taking piano lessons again, studying magic and practicing my slight of hand skills, or sign up for classes at the local theater.

I really think with the working out thing, that's what it comes down to. I'd feel like a badass if I was "fit" like those folks, but I don't have the motivation to work for it.

In general terms, as Christy pointed out, I'm relatively healthy. I can walk up a flight of stairs or jog across the street without feeling winded now. I don't have pain in my knees or ankles because of weight. I don't have diabetes or any other weight related illnesses. I do have pretty decent strength in my legs and arms, and I think a lot of that has to do with being a photographer and lugging/hauling/lifting all my gear. But I am around 32% body fat (I'd guess.) I don't have good flexibility. I couldn't run an entire 5K, in fact I don't think I could run one mile without walking for part of it.

So, in regards to Christy's thoughtful comments... it's just in my head. There's nothing wrong with being a size 12. In fact, there is nothing wrong with being any size, as long as you're happy in that size. For me personally, getting into those size 12 jeans was a huge accomplishment, and I did a freakin' happy dance because of it. But, it's not my goal. Hitting a size 12 is not enough. Why is that? I don't know, exactly. Perhaps it has to do with the ridiculous amount of perfectionism I inherited from my Dad. I know I've been there before, and I NEED to get there again. It's something inside me that will claw and scratch and elbow its way around until it's satiated.

Being smaller makes me feel better about myself. It makes my sex life better. It makes me more likely to go out and be social. I feel better in virtually every facet of my life. And yes, part of it is absolutely about the clothes, I'm not going to lie to you. It's about attention ('cause it should be obvious that I'm an attention whore at this point. Plus I'm a Leo.) I want men, women, people to notice me, and it's not because I need to get a date. It's because it feels really good to be whistled at, looked at with admiration, jealously, whatever. It's so superficial, I know. But it FEELS good to me. It makes me feel like a million bucks. I want the people in my past who overlooked me to go, "Damn!" when they see me next. I want my ex boyfriends to kick themselves when they see me and fantasize about me from then on. (Yes I know, they should know what they lost because of WHO I am, but come on. These are MEN we're talking about here. They'll see my hot ass in a pair of hot jeans and think, "HOT.")

I take full, unabashed ownership of the sad, sad fact that I care absolutely, completely and obsessively about what people think when they look at me.

I think everyone has different motivations. I personally am very motivated by the way my stomach looks in a form fitting dress. Sometimes I don't keep that in my mind when I'm eating Ritz Crackers with cheddar cheese slices (my favorite snack, ever... it is to me what chips and dip are to Monica.)... But I don't know that any motivator actually holds over you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If it does, that's some pretty damn awesome motivation.

It's clear that I've been on the diet rollercoaster for the better half of my adulthood. And some before that too. I need to remember that it's not something I want to go through again, and that it's not healthy either. It's my ultimate goal to get to my desired weight, and maintain. Plus or minus five pounds, that's cool. I just need to remember that I change. My pants stay the same size, and I'd like to stay in them.

And I'd like to end this absurdly long blog post with my horoscope from today:

Friday, Oct 23rd, 2009 -- There is a wide gulf between how you feel now and what you are willing to do. In fact, your actions may say one thing while common sense says something else. Nevertheless, your emotions might prevail today in a skirmish between your head and your heart. Remember, logic can be used to answer a question, but not to share what's in your heart.

~J

Running Report

40 minutes
2.68 miles
490 calories
40% fat
Max heart rate = 174 90%
Avg heart rate = 151 78%

6 mins walking @L3.6
5 mins running @L5
6 mins walking @L3.4
3 mins running @L5
6 mins walking @L3.4
3 mins running @L5
6 mins walking @L3.2
2 mins running @L5
3 mins walking @L3.2

13 minutes running
27 minutes walking

Hellz yeah!

I can't believe I ran for 5 minutes straight right off the bat today. Makes me feel darn good. ;)~

~J

Self Sabotage and Other Oddities...

So, every time I go to the gym, it's packed. The gym I go to is very nice, and hugely popular. And every time I go, I see people drive in, and circle the parking lot several times trying to find the closest parking space to the gym.

... Why is that? Seriously. We're coming to the gym to work out, move around and get healthy. So what is a walk worth a dozen or two car widths to get through the front doors? I pull into the first open parking space within a reasonable distance (not the furthest from the front doors, but I don't do the rounds.) And... I just don't get why people make a close parking space such a big deal.

So, the other part of this post is about self sabotage. I know I've blogged previously about how a waitress sabotaged me with free carrot cake, but I'm talking about my willing and clear reach to Dan's bowl of starburst jelly beans when I know full damn well I should NOT be eating sugar. Why do I do that? I had a whole list a few weeks ago of things I "don't" eat. That included sugar and white flour. Yet, today, I had a big handful of pretzels. Yeah, those few snack bits in and of themselves aren't a huge deal. But I only crave sugar and white flour products when I eat them. When I cut them out, I don't WANT them all the time. And it's a mindless grabbing of a bite here, and a bite there, that make things worse for me in the long run. I'm not eating those things because I really want them. I'm not like, jonesing for a handful of banana chips. But after I eat them, a day or two passes, and I see them sitting there on the coffee table, and I'm like "ooh, yum! Banana chips!" And I eat a few more.

I need to quit that shit.

I have a small selection of "healthy" snacks in the house. I'm not inclined to make a quick salad instead of grabbing a handful of yogurt covered raisins or shoving my grubby fist down into a box of pops. But, I should be eating a yogurt or a kashi bar instead.

I'm a slave to my mindless noshing, and I need to break free.


~J

I'm not Catholic, but....

I'm giving up Laziness for Lent.

So, right about now I'm formally working out about 2-3 times a week and doing the Wii once or twice a week. I need to kick it into high gear. A bunch of bloggers are doing this Lent Challenge, giving up laziness and being active (I'm doing 30 minutes minimum each day) from tomorrow, Wed March 23rd, through April 12th (Easter.)

40+ Days of Exercise Awesomeness for Lent.

That means through my cruise and vacation, too y'all. Thankfully, the hotel I'm staying at from the 21st-24th has a fitness center, and there is one on the boat as well. So, for the inbetween time I'll have to take nice long walks on the beach! :)~

My plan for doing this at home? I will do ZUMBA Tuesday mornings and Thursday nights. I will do weight training twice a week (Monday and Friday) and I will do Pilates and/or the Wii on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

I can do this.

I WILL do this.

I want a tinier ass.


~J

Workout Numbers

So, today marked my third and (for the moment) final workout session with Tammy, my personal trainer. I will meet with her again in 6 weeks to modify my workout so my muscles get confused, and I don't get bored.

I wanted to share with you guys my numbers on various exercises that she has me do. This will help me track my progress later as well as share with you guys a bit of what I do at the gym. :) All of these exercises are strength training (whether weight lifting, ab/core exercises or general stuff using my body weight and a piece of equipment such as a bosu ball.) I'll post some visuals (found by google searching the exercise) so you know what they are.

Bosu side kicks = 15 reps on each side
I couldn't really find a picture for this one. So, I basically stand like she is, except with one leg off to the side. Then I push up and kick the leg on the floor to my side, and come back down to the squat pose.


Bosu 1/2 bicycle = 15 reps on each side.


Cable Row = 50 lbs/20 reps


Chest Press = 50 lbs/20 reps


Alternating Lunges = 20 reps (10 on each side)
I HATE these. Oh, and I don't put the ball out like that, I just hold it by my chest to keep better form and balance.


Captain Chair = 12 reps
This one, she said if I could do 4, she'd be happy. Boo-yah!


Lat Pull down = 45 lbs/25 reps


Overhead Press = 8 lb dumbbell/15 reps
I don't really like this photo. I start with the dumbbells lateral to my shoulders, just above the shoulders, and then finish sort of like she does, except I bring the dumbbells all the way up to nearly touching on the ends.


Arm Row = 15 lb dumbbell/12 reps on each side


Outer Thigh Machine = 130 lbs/15 reps
Inner Thigh Machine = 90 lbs/20 reps


Rope Press Down = 15 lbs/13 reps
Bye-bye change purse arms.


Cable Curls = 15 lbs/13 reps
This one makes me feel the weakest. Oh, and I use a bar, not the weird twisty bike handle lookin' things.


Miniball crunches = 20 reps
I do this, but not the twist portion.


Miniball "plank" (all fours) = 30 seconds


Foam Roller Knee Tucks = 3 reps (this one kills.)
This one starts in this position, then you roll your knees in underneath you, and then roll them back out while keeping your arms and body stationary. Ouch!


Foam Roller Miniball Crunches = 20 reps
This is the closest photo I could find. Basically I'm laying on the foam roller like he is except with my feet on the ground. And instead of holding another foam roller, I'm holding a mini ball. From there, I lift my shoulders and head off of the foam roller while extending the ball out toward the ceiling.


Side double Leg Lifts = 15 reps on each side



Stretches:
Butterfly, Figure 4, Side lying quad, Lunging hipflexor and ham/calf

Lighten Up Wisconsin!

So, I saw my personal trainer at the gym today and we talked about a few things while I was sweating my ass off on the elliptical and she was getting ready to see a client. She told me that she thinks I should join her team for "Lighten Up Wisconsin," which is a state-wide weight loss competition.



It's 100 days, and there are prizes and stuff involved. The website is cool, and once I'm signed up I'll be able to update, track and chat. The great thing is that it's kind of sponsored by personal trainers and they have "ask the experts" and things of that nature so... it'll be fun to challenge myself as well as a good bunch of resources.

Also, I'm pretty happy she asked me to join her team. I don't think she would have done that if she though I was going to quit after a month, or if she though I didn't have the ability and drive to lose the weight. :)

I'm so there.

~J

Hmmm... Confession.

Though you're probably expecting some awesome confession like "I ate three bags of chips last night" or "I made out with my ex boyfriend" or "I do heroin"...

It's really going to be about the fact that I let the scale run my life.

I weighed in at 217.8 this morning. I feel much, much, MUCH happier than I did yesterday. Yesterday I was sulking and pouting and pissed off because I felt like this wasn't working.

And who knows? Maybe it will.

I e-mailed my personal trainer and she was really responsive; we're going to review my diet and exercise and make sure I'm doing what I should be doing to drop the weight.

Woo-hoo!

~J

Who puts the "Work" in Workout?

Okay. So this little blog entry is dedicated to the "work" in workout.

My Dad tells me that he can see that I work hard on the machines at the gym instead of just leisurely sailing through my 30 minutes. I was on the bike next to another girl today at the gym and she got on about 5 minutes after I did. In 30 minutes I burned 165 calories on the bike, and that was with my not breathing very heavily, just sweating a bit and my legs being pretty sore (from yesterday specifically). I looked over at her screen (does anyone else do this? I'm so bad.) -- and she had burned 70 calories in 30 minutes.

So why is that? There are people who get next to me on a machine and they really bust their butts and kick my bootie on calorie burning. What's the "correct" amount of exertion? I try to keep my heart rate between 150-180 (a wide range, I know) - and I guess I know also that when you're heavier, you burn calories quicker while working out. (Is that right? Oops, maybe that's not right.)

I guess I don't really know what my question is.

But I should say that spending my 30 minutes on a stationary bike is NOT my favorite. I spend 30 minutes on an elliptical and burn around 300 calories. I much prefer the elliptical, but I went at 5:15 and all of them were taken. That's nuts. There are about 20 ellipticals at my gym. I just need to go at 7 or at 3. ;)~

By the by, I'm starting to get really frustrated with my weight loss. I'm so used to seeing the dramatic weight loss numbers on the scale with Atkins, that this eating healthy + working out = almost no change in the scale. I'm sticking around 1200 calories a day, sometimes a tiny bit more, and it's starting to piss me off.

I do not have patience.

And as a little visual picture, here is my calorie chart for the last 10 days.




~J

Beanie Sprouts.

I had a really good workout at the gym today. 30 minutes on the elliptical = 300 calories burned. With that, I also did some bosu work, some crunches and a bit of weight training. :)

Oh, and I'm down almost six pounds - through the holidays, that makes me really happy.

I came from the gym and I was ravenous. I decided to make a salad. I bought a bunch of spinach (was on sale, and it's soooo good for you!) - Dan doesn't like spinach, so I made this salad with some cucumber, mushrooms, bean sprouts, some of the leftover fish from last night and a sprinkling of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I use the BEST dressing - it's Newman's Own Light Walnut Raspberry dressing - it's delicious.

(266 calories - yum! Would have been less if I didn't use the seeds, and I actually think I'm overestimating the calories, but I'd rather be safe. I don't get into really measuring my food.)


I washed it down with a delicious Arizona Iced Tea (0 calories)


~J

A Few Changes.

I love the movie "The Mirror Has Two Faces." I don't know if any of you like Barbra Streisand movies, or if you've ever seen this one, but I find it to be particularly inspiring when it comes to working out, eating better and changing your body. There's a part when her husband (who married her because she was unattractive, because he didn't want sex to be a distraction or a factor in his relationships) comes home from a long business trip and she's lost a ton of weight, looks beautiful, got her hair done, is wearing makeup and a sexy dress. He is outraged and says "what did you do to yourself?!!!?" She says, "Do to myself? It's not like I had surgery. I just made a few changes."

That is really what it's all about. Making a few changes in the way you live your life. My Mom and I were talking about this over coffee today. It's the way I feel. Making a few changes: Eating more natural foods. Being more active.

I haven't worked out at the gym for three days. It's harder when I don't have a gym membership out here and my parents went to the gym early in the morning all three days. I'm a work out around 4-7pm type of person. But I've been walking a lot, and stretching a lot. I'm going to try to do some work on my Mom's Bosu Ball today. The good news is that I've been eating well and eating just at or under my recommended caloric intake for each day. Except yesterday I was about 100 calories over. No biggie.

I haven't weighed myself in two days... it's probably healthier to do that. I have an obsession with the scale and I could weigh myself several times a day if I let myself. I hope to get to the point that I weigh myself weekly instead of daily.

I went shopping with my Mom for our Christmas foods today, and we made a few small changes. Where we might previously have bought a bag of white flour rolls, we got these instead:



Where she usually buys a salad mix of iceberg lettuce (zero nutritional value), we bought this instead:



Those two things alone will provide us with healthier choices for our holiday meal.



I also wanted to share some of what I eat on a regular basis. I found a beautiful fruit salad with mango and kiwi... YUM! This is my after lunch snack:



I had Pho for lunch (Vietnamese beef noodle bowl) but I didn't get a photo of it... this is what pho looks like (image found at eatvancouver.net):




I love soy milk and all natural juice drinks and shakes:


Organic Yogurt:


Sprouted Grain Breads:


Kashi TLC crackers:


And affordable sushi from Costco... this was only 5 bucks!:


I love sushi. And, okay, I know that California rolls are NOT real sushi because it's imitation crab... and this contains white sushi rice. BUT... sushi is still a nice, light, healthy option and I feel great after I eat it. :)

Tonight I'm off to watch my friend and his band play a show, and then going out with some friends after that. Hurray for free time! :)~

~J

I love Sweet Tomatoes.

And I'm not talking about the food. I'm talking about the restaurant.

This place has a salad bar the length (practically) of the restaurant. The setup is perfect for portion control, which aside from the fact that this restaurant is environmentally friendly, using recycled paper products and such, makes them awesome. The bread/pasta/etc plates are tiny (think a teacup plate) and the plates for the salad are normal sized plates. You not convinced yet? Check out the size of their ice cream cones:




I love it. Additionally, if you're trying to record your caloric (or other) intake... the website has all the nutritional info for their foods. :)


So, went to the gym again today. 25 minutes on the elliptical trainer (Trying to do interval training now) -- it goes a lot faster in your brain because it's broken up into so many parts. My brother came with us and it was so fun to work out with him. We pushed each other, did plyometrics, work with the bosu, medicine balls and a few other tough moves he showed me (mountain climber with weights... ouch!)

Overall a great day.

I'm so sad that there aren't any Sweet Tomatoes restaurants by my house!

~J

A few things.

Today I worked out with my Dad again, did 21 minutes on the elliptical and some weight training... did the Bosu kicks again (12) and some lunges (got through 6 this time)... and did something to my left quad. It hurts. :(

And now those few things I was going to mention:

First, take a lookie at my delicious afternoon snack.

Organic vanilla yogurt with some sliced strawberries and cranberry granola



Second, take a lookie at my hot mom. This is why I'm so mad I didn't inherit her skinniness. You should see her legs.



Third, I have issues. I have serious food issues. I am very used to diet + no exercise, and doing this working out plus "eating healthy" thing is a huge challenge for me. I am used to a very specific, structured, rules oriented eating plan. Atkins was easy because it's simple: low carb. This "eating in moderation" and "eat healthy" thing is killing me. It's like... okay, so I just keep under a certain calorie count per day while trying to drink a lot of water and eat foods that are "better" for me in terms of high protein, whole grains, more natural, less processed. Okay. So... that's just really, really open ended for me.

We went to Woody's for dinner tonight and I did a huge salad and a cup of the beer cheese soup. I feel completely guilty for eating that freaking soup. Though I'm probably under my calories for the day (I haven't calculated yet) - if I'm on a diet and eating healthy, that shouldn't have gone in my mouth.

So what is acceptable for "cheating" as people call it? I don't even feel there SHOULD be cheating. I feel as though every bad thing I eat is a huge deterrent from my goal. That's why when I did Atkins, there was NO tasting of sugar, fruit, frosting, potatoes, fries, bread, nothing. The "one" taste will make me want the bad stuff more, and then it's over.

I have to look at everything and say "Will this help me achieve my goal?" No. The beer cheese soup will NOT help me achieve my goal.

I just don't get the flexibility thing.

So what eating style works best? Or, what works best for you?

Those with no food issues need not respond, thanks.

Drunky-Pants

Hi guys!

Sorry for the little update delay. I went out with Jesse and Wes last night and we went to the Compound here in Denver. We had a fabulous time, did some calorie burning dancing, and I got really drunk. Tee-hee! I definitely become the "I love everyone" person when I drink. I talked to a 59 year old man named Earl. He has a big white ZZ-Top style beard and I could tell he was there alone. He told me about his mining days and his stash of gold and diamonds he plans to cash in when he retires so he can move to Arkansas. I like to ocassionally talk to folks older than myself, usually those who are down and out or homeless... just because it really gives me a chance to hear a story, and it gives the person a few minutes to be able to talk to someone.

I know why drinking is supposed to be very minimal when you're eating healthy or "dieting"... it lowers your inhibitions, not only with other people, but also with the food you eat. I remember being on Atkins and being at parties at Jesse's house, and Wes would make his famous bean dip, and I would chow down on that without thinking twice.

We went to Mimi's Cafe for lunch/breakfast this morning and I had a delicious salmon/veggies combo with a salad to start, and a bit of the bread they bring out. Delicious! So I'm really glad, though I didn't eat anything crazy last night, that even in my hungoverness that I didn't spring for a hashbrownbaconeggathon at Denny's,. :)~

I dont' have photos of my yummy food yet because I can't figure out how to get them off of my phone, onto my computer. My cruddy cell phone doesn't e-mail the pictures I take, so I have to think of something else.

Oh! And we shopped for about 3.5 hours today, which happily equates to 811 calories burned, according to livestrong.com. I don't know if I buy it, though I felt totally exhausted when I got home. If that's the case, I should just shop all day and I'll be a size 8 in no time!!! ;)

~J

Hunky Dory

I love hunky, chunky, dense, fibrous, natural breads. I got this bread (similar to Ezekiel bread) that is preservative free, so you keep it in the fridge. I was ravenous this afternoon after shopping with my mom and had this for lunch:



Turkey, tomato, lettuce, light mayo, mustard on this bread, a handful of grapes and three strawberries. I was so full afterward. This bread is awesome. It's healthy, (only 80 calories per slice) and fills you up!

I showed my mom some of the ab exercises my trainer gave me and some lower back strengthening moves. She could barely do 5 of each one. That makes me feel a little better. ;) Considering how much she exercises and she's a size 6... she hasn't built up much ab or back strength. Even though I'm chubby she still asks me for advice on things like that, and it makes me feel good.

Tonight I'm off to the bars with Jesse and Wes to have a fun time. I'll be spending the night at Jesse's house and then we're all off to see "Milk" tomorrow... I can't wait!

Fleece and chicken grease,
~Jenn

First day in Denver!

Well lovelies... I'm home! It's really nice.

My parents picked me up and we went out for breakfast to Le Peep. They didn't exactly have a "healthy" section on the menu. I went with turkey/spinach/pepper crepes and substituted the potatoes for some fresh fruit. I also got a side salad to start and a small glass of orange juice.

My Mom and I did a bit of shopping and I introduced her to Whole Foods. That place has some serious sampling going on. Seriously. I am in Denver for 2 weeks, so I stocked up on some good food (fruit, sushi, avocado, yogurt, etc) for my stay here. I figure every other time I'll be eating out and I should be able to make healthy choices each time.

My Dad and I went to the gym. He works out at Bally's, which I hate, but it's better than running around the block in the cold. They don't have personal televisions on each cardio machine, which I find to be supremely helpful when I need to do cardio. Don't think I'm a snob... it's just because I have a much easier time doing 30 minutes of cardio when there's a show on, or a movie or something. It takes my mind off of the mundane-ness of the elliptical.

After my cardio I did 12 bosu ball kicks on each side and then was only able to do 5 lunges on each side. My legs are so weak! I did the bosu bicycle crunches (10 each side, ouchie!) and then did some weight training.

Let me tell you that my Dad is a MANIAC. He was busting out some crazy moves on the elliptical and was really good, he was on level 17 and doing 17+ for his strides. He then did walking lunges around the entire track.

So... reasons I don't like Bally's (aside from their terrible track record with customers and billing):

1. They don't provide towels
2. No screens on the cardio equipment
3. Poor housekeeping (the locker room stunk, and my parents say they laid off their cleaners)
4. Less miscellaneous tools (such as balls, bands, boards, mats, etc)

Maybe I'm spoiled at my current gym... but I know what I need to motivate me to go every day during the week... so it looks like I made a good choice. I just need to figure out how I'm going to keep it up for the rest of my vacation.

Oh, and a side note! The pants that were so tight were 14's. I found out that the pants I was wearing at work were 16's. I feel a lot better about that.

And here's a photo of the delicious salad I had for lunch. I'm telling you... Whole Foods salad bar = YUM!

Fruity Two Shoes

Can I just say how much I love fresh fruit?

Take a gander at my lunch:



Here is a small sampling of the various benefits of each fruit in my bowl:

Watermelon: Great source of Vitamin C and A, and helps counteract inflammation
Grapes: Vitamins A, C, and may be beneficial in fighting illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases
Cantaloupe: Vitamins C and A, battles cataracts in women, fights infection
Blueberries: High in antioxidants, battles vision loss, enhances brain function
Pineapple: Anti-inflammatory and digestive benefits, Immune support
Honeydew: Vitamin C, helps prevent diabetes and high blood pressure


Today I ran a crapload of errands, mailed out photos to a bunch of clients to get it overwith before my nice Christmas vacation with my family in Denver... and I did 9 miles on the bike at the gym. :)~

Zumba Craze!

So, my gym offers this class called "ZUMBA" which apparently is this crazy fitness craze sweeping the nation, and apparently the world. I did a quick search and came across several YouTube videos with Zumba classes and shows.

From what I've seen, it looks really fun and I might want to give it a try soon!

I found one very interesting one about a little girl who was very overweight. Her parents bought her a kids Zumba video and she got hooked, and lost 20 lbs in 6 months.



So... my question is now for all the whacked out parents who are giving their kids pills, putting them on super strict diets, and offering them liposuction and other surgeries. Why don't you encourage your kids to be healthy by being active?

I have heard a lot of stories about parents giving their kids all kinds of procedures to enhance their looks, everything from gastric bypass to breast enlargements. WHY???

I remember being young, feeling picked on and wanting to be pretty and thin, but in this society where so many young girls are falling victim to eating disorders and teenagers are resorting to quick fixes with diet pills and procedures... why are we not all encouraging our children to be active and healthy with their diets? If you do it as a family, it will become second nature. Plus, it'll be a bonding experience! The more time you spend with your family, the better.

~J

After the gym...

This is me, all sweaty.



I did 6.08 miles on the bike to try to get some oxygen flowing through my body to un-sore-ify my legs. I also did abs and upper body and lots of stretching. I talked to my personal trainer and she said that it would definitely help. She told me that she's "pretty concerned" that I was so sore after what we did on Monday... seriously, I did 10 bosu ball leg lifts to the side (per leg) and 10 lunges per leg. Add to that 15 reps on inner and outer thigh on the weight machines. And I'm this sore. So, it just comes down to the truth that I'm extremely out of shape. I've been sedentary for so long, I really need to get working.

I also talked to her about the "Biel Body" in 3-6 months theory, and she said that Dan has been watching too much "Biggest Loser." She said that if she was with me all day every day that 3-6 months could be possible, but that even for her to get to that body would require a great deal of work. That definitely makes me feel better, but also makes me realize I have a lot of work to do. I should be able to do 30 of those leg lift things, no problem.

On another note, I booked my 8th wedding! I've only been here in Milwaukee since November 1st, so I feel really good about the amount of work I've been getting.

After work-out lunch was the other half of my banana from breakfast and four Spelt Olive Oil Flat Breads with Italian Herbs with Red Pepper Hummus spread on top. YUM!





I also made a nice organic whole wheat Holyland pita with Nancy's Organic Cultured Cream Cheese, cucumber, avocado, lettuce and some smoked turkey. The pita didn't exactly hold together well, but it was still delicious.




Dinner tonight will be leftovers of the cod and rice I made last night, and a nice green salad.

Here's to another day, y'all.

Yum Yum Soy

So, for my first try with organic cereal and soy milk, I'm impressed! In fact, it was one of the more delicious breakfast cereals I've ever had. :)!

Silk Soy Milk
Dream Cinnamon Cluster Cereal
Banana



As far as soreness goes, it's just about the same as yesterday. I e-mailed my trainer at 1 this morning letting her know I couldn't do another session because I can barely sit down let alone do lunges. I don't want to pay for a session I can't get anything out of.

Exercise yesterday? I shoveled the sidewalk and around the house for about 15 minutes. Sans gloves. Don't try it.

Today I plan to go to the gym and try to do some cardio... and then I can do some upper body and ab work - they're much less sore than my quads.


....PS: I started this whole thing on December 1st. Today is the 10th and I'm down from 224 to 219.8. Down 4.2 lbs! :)~

Biel's Body

This woman is my INSPIRATION.




They say her diet is as follows:

* “Clean foods”— those that aren’t processed—are on the menu Walsh created. “She eats complex carbs at the beginning of the day,” he says, “and tapers off by the end.”
* Breakfast: 1 cup of oatmeal with handful of berries.
* Snack: 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1-1 ½ tbsp. of almond butter and sliced bananas on top.
* Lunch: Salad with 5-6 oz of chicken, vinaigrette dressing.
* Snack: A banana, apple or strawberries.
* Dinner: 6oz. of fish, plate full of veggies, 1/2 cup of low-glycemic basmati rice. Sweets A couple of pieces of dark chocolate.




Her workout regime:

* Stretch: One of her favorite warm-ups is the walking lunge. “This stretches the larger leg and glute muscles,” says Walsh. How-to: With feet together, lunge first with right leg. Bring left foot alongside right. Lunge with left. Do 8-10 per leg.
* Cardio: “It’s the cardio that leans her out,” says Walsh. After a ½-mile jog, they hit the track for two 200-meter, 150-meter and 100-meter sprints.
* Core: “Hanging leg raises don’t build a six-pack, but they flatten,” says Walsh. “Jessica hates them, but she powers through!” How-to: Hanging from a high bar or rings, pull knees up slightly above waist. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
* Plyometrics: “These hurt,” says Walsh of stair jumping. “Even athletes hate them. After Jessica did these the first time, she would’ve punched me if she had the energy.” How-to: Jump from the bottom step of a flight of at least 20 stairs to the third. Keep going, skipping a stair each jump.
* Weight Training: “We tend to use lighter weights and do more reps,” he says. “We keep moving, so it becomes a cardio workout too.”
* For the waist: They do the Russian Twist. Sit down and lean back slightly. Hold a 5-lb. medicine ball and twist from side to side, 15 twists per side, three reps.
* For shoulders/biceps: Stand with knees slightly bent. Hold 10-lb. weights in each hand. Curl to chest. Rotate hands, palms face outward. Press overhead together. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.





I told my personal trainer that I eventually would like to have Jessica Biel's body. Her response? "Well THAT'S realistic..." - I told her I knew it would take a long time and that I wouldn't achieve it overnight.

I told that to my boyfriend and he said, "Actually, 3-4 months." I was stunned. I said, "There's no way I could achieve that in 3-4 months. Women and men are different." He said, "Well, six months tops, but you can change your body in 30 days."

Jesus. Does he really have that expectation of my new fitness and eating plan? There's just no way. I know I can achieve results and feel and look better, but there's no way I could get to THAT body in that short amount of time.

So what's a REALISTIC time frame? Assuming I'm dedicated, work out like I should (weight and core training 3x a week and cardio 5x a week) and eat right (my diet should be between 1400-1600 calories a day, and hopefully less processed foods and more whole and natural foods) --- How long? 6 months? 8 months? 12 months? 16 months?

Reading online it appears it took her 8 months from the body she had (which is a far, far, far cry from mine) to get this body. I think my boyfriend is smoking crack.

Who can answer this for me?!?!