Food that is.
I've upped my workout routine and, according to my heart rate monitor, I am burning between 1500-2000 calories a day with exercise.
This means that I am supposed to be eating an extra 1500-2000 calories on top of the 1200 calories allotted a day. This seems like it's too much food for a day and I do have concerns about it.
I do not understand calories. I do not understand how one article says to burn more than you eat and another says to eat more to weigh less and that you should be eating those calories back. What I do understand is that when I'm hungry I want to eat and when I work out the way I have been then my appetite increases. I should be (and am trying to) eat back some of those calories the proper way (protein, fruits, veggies, complex carbs, etc) and I know that my body needs that fuel because it is working hard to keep up with my workout routine.
But... I get confused and I don't know what's the right way for me to go. This is where having a nutritionist or personal trainer who helps with nutrition would come in handy.
My first concern is that my heart rate monitor is not working correctly. I have taken my heart rate the old fashioned way a few times now and have compared it to my HRM watch. Every single time it has either said the same number or been 1-2 beats off. I can honestly say that when I go to the gym and spend 30 minutes on the bike or elliptical I am giving it my all. I am not, as Jillian Michaels would say, "phoning it in at the gym".
I'm not burning all of these calories at one time either. Tuesday, for example, looked like this:
4:45am- wake up
5am- quick snack and water
530am- gym (35 min bike, 30 min elliptical)- calories burned 784
7am- work (ate a banana and drank a cup of coffee)
9am- breakfast
10am- 1.37 mile walk (half uphill)- calories burned 215
1030am- snack
1130am- 2.10 mile walk (half uphill)- calories burned 333
1245pm- lunch
430pm- left work
5pm- 35 minute interval run- calories burned 479
615pm- dinner
I finished the day with eating 2200 calories and burning 1792 and I had 792 calories left over. I know that I could have picked better choices (dinner was out at Smashburger where I got a grilled chicken sandwich (yes with cheese!) and sweet potato fries (but I did not eat them all)), but when I got home I just was not hungry.
I am going to try to focus on the good healthy guidelines set by Weight Watchers- fruits & veggies, dairy, multivitamin, whole wheat, protein, healthy oils, etc. I think this will make up for some of those extra calories that I'm not eating, but I know I'm not going to be perfect every day.
I think that as long as I do one thing for the next 2-4 weeks (using the HRM for every workout, tracking, eating as many calories as I am hungry for and not forcing it) then it will be enough time to see if it's working or not. I know that my weight loss may stall for a while due to the intensity of the workouts and I am ready for that.
Right now I keep telling myself (and am believing) that I would much rather have a toned body with less body fat then see the scale get down to 150 (or whatever number in the healthy weight range it stops at). I know that if I continue to make these healthy lifestyle changes then my body is going to follow and I will slim down and have the body I'm working for.
The number on the scale is just one way to measure success. I passed up dessert last night at my in-laws... Success! I have been drinking 10+ glasses of water every day for the past two days... Success! I have tracked every bite, lick and taste for two days... Success! I have not binged for the past two days... Success! I have followed my workout schedule for the past two days... Success!
I need to stop the voices in my head that are confused about the calories in/calories out and just start listening to my body. I mean, if I'm working out, eating well (and to satisfaction) then everything else will fall into place.
This is not a sprint! My body may not see the results in the amount of time I wish. This is a marathon and it's going to take a while to get to that finish line. But I would be lying if I said that it isn't worth every painful step along the way to cross that finish line..
Showing posts with label Personal Trainer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Trainer. Show all posts
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Weekly Weigh In
Starting weight: 188.8
Last week's weight: 186.2
This week's weight: 185.4
This week +/-: -0.8
Total +/-: -3.4
I woke up this morning thinking that it was weigh in day, so I stepped on the scale and was both shocked and happily surprised by what I saw. But, I have a confession. I don't think I deserve this loss. I don't feel like I've been going too crazy with my eating, but I have not been tracking. At all.
I kind of fell off of the tracking/working out wagon and I'm trying to climb back on. I made a workout schedule for next week (that I will post tomorrow) and I am really looking forward to it. It seems like a lot, but it's really not that much and I know I can handle it. I have got to push myself in order to see the changes and I know that I am just an all around happier person when I am working out.
Tracking is such a simple thing to do. I have the app on my phone and have access to a computer at home and at work, so there really is no excuse. I will be tracking everything starting today and will post my menu's once a month so as not to get burnt out on doing that as well.
As far as the eating goes, I am hoping that since I am starting to train for all of the races I have scheduled that the eating healthy will become a priority and I can focus on fruits, veggies, protein, healthy fats and complex carbs. No more fast food or processed crap. It may be easier (and less calories) to grab a 100 calorie pre packaged snack, but it would be better for my body to grab a measured portion of nuts or veggies with hummus.
The workouts scheduled are hopefully going to burn both calories and fat and I do intend to stick with the My Fitness Pal way of thinking, eat more to weigh less. But again, I need to eat those calories the proper way- more ounces of chicken, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, etc.
It's all a choice and up until now I have been making the wrong choices.
So my decision is to get serious about this to earn my results, not just luck out in losing almost a pound when it may not have been deserved. It's appreciated, but not deserved. I know that I may see a stall in the scale continuing to go down once I start to work out again, but that's a part of the process and it's a reason as to why I am also focusing on measurements, body fat % and BMI.
Being so close to the first of the month I am getting a little antsy to check my BMI and my Body Fat %. I know that it's not going to have changed drastically since my beginning numbers are from a weight that I was at not that long ago, but it will be nice to see progress. I have decided to use an app on my phone to check both. I am fairly certain they are both accurate, however I would prefer to stick with the same calculator then different ones each month.
I am also looking forward to taking my measurements. I don't think that there will be much of a difference between last month and this month on these as well, but you really never know until you actually take the measurements.
I am so ready to see progress and to put in that work that is needed. I really think the negative experience I had with the personal trainer may have given me that extra push I needed. I know I shouldn't be doing this for anyone else but myself, but I find very little more motivating than someone telling me I can't. Granted she didn't say that I can't do it, but the whole situation just pushed me to that point that I want to prove to everyone (myself included) that I can and will do this on my own.
Last week's weight: 186.2
This week's weight: 185.4
This week +/-: -0.8
Total +/-: -3.4
I woke up this morning thinking that it was weigh in day, so I stepped on the scale and was both shocked and happily surprised by what I saw. But, I have a confession. I don't think I deserve this loss. I don't feel like I've been going too crazy with my eating, but I have not been tracking. At all.
I kind of fell off of the tracking/working out wagon and I'm trying to climb back on. I made a workout schedule for next week (that I will post tomorrow) and I am really looking forward to it. It seems like a lot, but it's really not that much and I know I can handle it. I have got to push myself in order to see the changes and I know that I am just an all around happier person when I am working out.
Tracking is such a simple thing to do. I have the app on my phone and have access to a computer at home and at work, so there really is no excuse. I will be tracking everything starting today and will post my menu's once a month so as not to get burnt out on doing that as well.
As far as the eating goes, I am hoping that since I am starting to train for all of the races I have scheduled that the eating healthy will become a priority and I can focus on fruits, veggies, protein, healthy fats and complex carbs. No more fast food or processed crap. It may be easier (and less calories) to grab a 100 calorie pre packaged snack, but it would be better for my body to grab a measured portion of nuts or veggies with hummus.
The workouts scheduled are hopefully going to burn both calories and fat and I do intend to stick with the My Fitness Pal way of thinking, eat more to weigh less. But again, I need to eat those calories the proper way- more ounces of chicken, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, etc.
It's all a choice and up until now I have been making the wrong choices.
So my decision is to get serious about this to earn my results, not just luck out in losing almost a pound when it may not have been deserved. It's appreciated, but not deserved. I know that I may see a stall in the scale continuing to go down once I start to work out again, but that's a part of the process and it's a reason as to why I am also focusing on measurements, body fat % and BMI.
Being so close to the first of the month I am getting a little antsy to check my BMI and my Body Fat %. I know that it's not going to have changed drastically since my beginning numbers are from a weight that I was at not that long ago, but it will be nice to see progress. I have decided to use an app on my phone to check both. I am fairly certain they are both accurate, however I would prefer to stick with the same calculator then different ones each month.
I am also looking forward to taking my measurements. I don't think that there will be much of a difference between last month and this month on these as well, but you really never know until you actually take the measurements.
I am so ready to see progress and to put in that work that is needed. I really think the negative experience I had with the personal trainer may have given me that extra push I needed. I know I shouldn't be doing this for anyone else but myself, but I find very little more motivating than someone telling me I can't. Granted she didn't say that I can't do it, but the whole situation just pushed me to that point that I want to prove to everyone (myself included) that I can and will do this on my own.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Personal Trainer- FAIL
I received an email regarding a free orientation with a personal trainer at the gym I belong to. So I went last week and she kicked my ass. We worked out for 10 minutes and I was ready to die at the end. Which either means she's a great trainer or I'm really out of shape.
We sat down at the end of the session, the part where she takes of her "trainer" hat and puts on her "sales person" hat. She took out a notebook and showed me a variety of prices: half hour sessions one time a week for four weeks, half hour sessions two times a week for four weeks, hour sessions once a week for four weeks, etc.
At that point in time I did not have the extra money to spend on personal training. It was not the responsible thing to do. No matter how hard she pushed. The responsible thing was to go home and sit with Patrick and discuss our budget. We both have received some very exciting promotions at work and it was time to update mint.com with that information. So we sat down and went through everything and it worked out that I could afford the extra $140 a month to meet with the trainer once a week for a 30 minute session.
YAY!
It was just a matter of time until I signed up with Mary, my very first personal trainer.
I called her last night to see if she was at the gym so that I could sign up with her. She wasn't there, so I left my name and number with the receptionist. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later that I received a phone call from an unknown number and it was her. I was excited to set up my first appointment for next Monday at 6pm. I would go directly to the gym after work, do cardio on my own for 45 minutes to an hour and then get my ass kicked for a full 30 minutes.
But, Mary didn't remember me. I shrugged it off because she obviously has other clients and meeting with one person once is not something to remember them by. But then she quoted me $150 for the four sessions. I shrugged that off too. $10 extra wasn't a big deal. Maybe I saw it wrong the first time. I'd figure it out, it's only $10 and our budget had a little extra wiggle room. I told her I would come in Tuesday night at 6pm to pay and we would start our sessions next week.
I had been feeling mixed emotions all day about going in to pay for the sessions. I had the money set aside. I had the mentality that this is the right thing. But something didn't feel right. I was already feeling buyers remorse for spending so much money on myself.
So when I got to the gym and Mary said it would be $160 for the four half hour sessions it didn't take much for me to tell her that she originally quoted me $140. She said she'd check her notebook, but came back saying $160. I simply said "That's out of my budget" and I walked out.
$20 over budget is not that big of a deal, and again there was wiggle room. But what happens if I keep wiggling? What happens if next month I see progress and want to keep going and it turns out that the prices increased to $180 or $200? What happens if our personalities don't match and I'm stuck with her each week for a month?
She called shortly after I left. I let it go to voicemail because I knew it was her and I was not in the right frame of mind to talk to her. She left a message and offered me 5 sessions for the $160 price, meaning one session free. Not good enough.
And at this point I'm in the mentality that I can (and will) do this on my own and prove to her (not that she cares or will ever know) and to myself that I do not need to spend $140 (or $160) for someone else to tell me what to do in order to become healthier and in better shape. Yes, the motivation and being held accountable by someone once a week would be helpful for me, I know that that is something I need in order to succeed, but I don't think that I was going about it the right way.
I am more than capable of using the gym equipment properly on my own. I am more than capable of sticking to a scheduled workout. I am more than capable of getting to a healthy weight range, a healthy BMI and a healthy body fat percentage on my own.
I mean, clearly. I have done oh so well on my own this far...
But to be positive, I am using this as motivation to schedule my workouts for the next week and start on my workouts for the month of August. I have already decided that my scheduled workouts will be posted in multiple locations so that I see it everywhere I go (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car, work desk, etc). I have no excuses not to do this.
I can not wish the weight away and expect results. I cannot wish for runners legs and expect results. I cannot wish for a smaller backside and expect results. I cannot wish for the after body without putting in all of the work to get there. Hard work and patience. I am lacking in both.
Here's to getting that after body. Here's to putting in the work to get there. Here's to making the healthier choices. Here's to my future. Here's to success!
We sat down at the end of the session, the part where she takes of her "trainer" hat and puts on her "sales person" hat. She took out a notebook and showed me a variety of prices: half hour sessions one time a week for four weeks, half hour sessions two times a week for four weeks, hour sessions once a week for four weeks, etc.
At that point in time I did not have the extra money to spend on personal training. It was not the responsible thing to do. No matter how hard she pushed. The responsible thing was to go home and sit with Patrick and discuss our budget. We both have received some very exciting promotions at work and it was time to update mint.com with that information. So we sat down and went through everything and it worked out that I could afford the extra $140 a month to meet with the trainer once a week for a 30 minute session.
YAY!
It was just a matter of time until I signed up with Mary, my very first personal trainer.
I called her last night to see if she was at the gym so that I could sign up with her. She wasn't there, so I left my name and number with the receptionist. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later that I received a phone call from an unknown number and it was her. I was excited to set up my first appointment for next Monday at 6pm. I would go directly to the gym after work, do cardio on my own for 45 minutes to an hour and then get my ass kicked for a full 30 minutes.
But, Mary didn't remember me. I shrugged it off because she obviously has other clients and meeting with one person once is not something to remember them by. But then she quoted me $150 for the four sessions. I shrugged that off too. $10 extra wasn't a big deal. Maybe I saw it wrong the first time. I'd figure it out, it's only $10 and our budget had a little extra wiggle room. I told her I would come in Tuesday night at 6pm to pay and we would start our sessions next week.
I had been feeling mixed emotions all day about going in to pay for the sessions. I had the money set aside. I had the mentality that this is the right thing. But something didn't feel right. I was already feeling buyers remorse for spending so much money on myself.
So when I got to the gym and Mary said it would be $160 for the four half hour sessions it didn't take much for me to tell her that she originally quoted me $140. She said she'd check her notebook, but came back saying $160. I simply said "That's out of my budget" and I walked out.
$20 over budget is not that big of a deal, and again there was wiggle room. But what happens if I keep wiggling? What happens if next month I see progress and want to keep going and it turns out that the prices increased to $180 or $200? What happens if our personalities don't match and I'm stuck with her each week for a month?
She called shortly after I left. I let it go to voicemail because I knew it was her and I was not in the right frame of mind to talk to her. She left a message and offered me 5 sessions for the $160 price, meaning one session free. Not good enough.
And at this point I'm in the mentality that I can (and will) do this on my own and prove to her (not that she cares or will ever know) and to myself that I do not need to spend $140 (or $160) for someone else to tell me what to do in order to become healthier and in better shape. Yes, the motivation and being held accountable by someone once a week would be helpful for me, I know that that is something I need in order to succeed, but I don't think that I was going about it the right way.
I am more than capable of using the gym equipment properly on my own. I am more than capable of sticking to a scheduled workout. I am more than capable of getting to a healthy weight range, a healthy BMI and a healthy body fat percentage on my own.
I mean, clearly. I have done oh so well on my own this far...
But to be positive, I am using this as motivation to schedule my workouts for the next week and start on my workouts for the month of August. I have already decided that my scheduled workouts will be posted in multiple locations so that I see it everywhere I go (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car, work desk, etc). I have no excuses not to do this.
I can not wish the weight away and expect results. I cannot wish for runners legs and expect results. I cannot wish for a smaller backside and expect results. I cannot wish for the after body without putting in all of the work to get there. Hard work and patience. I am lacking in both.
Here's to getting that after body. Here's to putting in the work to get there. Here's to making the healthier choices. Here's to my future. Here's to success!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Directions
I am having a difficult time deciding which direction I want my blog to go in. I want to stick with the health, weight loss, running, fitness theme, however I find that I am consistently setting and failing my goals. I highly doubt that anything I have put out there has been considered inspiring or insightful and that's really not the way I want to go.
I wanted to make a blog mainly for myself. A place to write down my thoughts and my accomplishments. A nice, neat place I could go to that held everything I wanted/needed to remember about this journey I'm on. Keeping a journal didn't seem realistic since I wanted to include photos and I could only imagine what number journal I would have filled by now. So I decided to start this blog.
I will not lie or pretend that I didn't care if I had any followers. Of course I do want people to read what I have to say. I don't consider myself to be inspirational or full of good advice, but in all honesty I was hoping that maybe I could be relatable. I want to share my experiences of successes and failures so that maybe, just maybe one person could know that there is someone out there dealing with similar things (weight struggles, self esteem issues, motivation issues, a love for running, etc).
I honestly don't know if I have been able to do that for anyone. All I know is that the way it's been going has not been working very well for me. My hope was to blog daily or at the very least 5 days a week. There have been weeks where I have had more to say and weeks where I am too exhausted at the end of the day to type out what I had to eat or the silly things that have been going through my mind.
So I'm thinking of changing the direction of my blog. I want there to be a specific thing I talk about each day. One day I will write about my running adventures, successes and failures for the previous week. Another day I may talk about personal training (as soon as that starts up). I am thinking about including a "throw back Thursday" where I include past pictures of myself (granted there are not that many since I'm usually behind the camera). Maybe a "thankful Tuesday" post to list a few things that I am thankful for from the past week (both about myself/my body and about the people in my life who support me along the way). And maybe once a week showing the outfits I've put together for work since dressing up helps with my self esteem.
I think having more of a schedule of things to write about will help with the direction I want to go in and make it less stressful when I'm sitting there trying to think of something to write about and have nothing insightful to say. It may continue to be thoughts that are not insightful, but at least I will be consistently posting and staying on topic.
Keep an eye out for these changes! I'll be incorporating some of them now, however I will be committing to all of these changes starting August 1st.
I am hoping that if I continue to see success with my weight loss and fitness goals then I will become somewhat of a motivation to other people, but more importantly I want to motivate myself. I need to be my number one cheerleader and I need to be the only one holding myself accountable. It is not up to my husband, my mom, a personal trainer..
If I'm not willing to do any of this for me then I know I won't do it for anyone else. I need to want this weight loss for me, my health, my happiness. I need to want this fitness challenge for me, my health, my happiness. And most importantly, I will find success, I will be healthy and I will be happy.
I wanted to make a blog mainly for myself. A place to write down my thoughts and my accomplishments. A nice, neat place I could go to that held everything I wanted/needed to remember about this journey I'm on. Keeping a journal didn't seem realistic since I wanted to include photos and I could only imagine what number journal I would have filled by now. So I decided to start this blog.
I will not lie or pretend that I didn't care if I had any followers. Of course I do want people to read what I have to say. I don't consider myself to be inspirational or full of good advice, but in all honesty I was hoping that maybe I could be relatable. I want to share my experiences of successes and failures so that maybe, just maybe one person could know that there is someone out there dealing with similar things (weight struggles, self esteem issues, motivation issues, a love for running, etc).
I honestly don't know if I have been able to do that for anyone. All I know is that the way it's been going has not been working very well for me. My hope was to blog daily or at the very least 5 days a week. There have been weeks where I have had more to say and weeks where I am too exhausted at the end of the day to type out what I had to eat or the silly things that have been going through my mind.
So I'm thinking of changing the direction of my blog. I want there to be a specific thing I talk about each day. One day I will write about my running adventures, successes and failures for the previous week. Another day I may talk about personal training (as soon as that starts up). I am thinking about including a "throw back Thursday" where I include past pictures of myself (granted there are not that many since I'm usually behind the camera). Maybe a "thankful Tuesday" post to list a few things that I am thankful for from the past week (both about myself/my body and about the people in my life who support me along the way). And maybe once a week showing the outfits I've put together for work since dressing up helps with my self esteem.
I think having more of a schedule of things to write about will help with the direction I want to go in and make it less stressful when I'm sitting there trying to think of something to write about and have nothing insightful to say. It may continue to be thoughts that are not insightful, but at least I will be consistently posting and staying on topic.
Keep an eye out for these changes! I'll be incorporating some of them now, however I will be committing to all of these changes starting August 1st.
I am hoping that if I continue to see success with my weight loss and fitness goals then I will become somewhat of a motivation to other people, but more importantly I want to motivate myself. I need to be my number one cheerleader and I need to be the only one holding myself accountable. It is not up to my husband, my mom, a personal trainer..
If I'm not willing to do any of this for me then I know I won't do it for anyone else. I need to want this weight loss for me, my health, my happiness. I need to want this fitness challenge for me, my health, my happiness. And most importantly, I will find success, I will be healthy and I will be happy.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Weigh In Day and a Weekend Recap
We went out last night. Like grown ups do on a weekend night. And Isabel stayed with Patrick's parents, all.. night.. long..
This is rare for us to have her stay with his parents. I feel weird asking them and that ends up to us not going out for dates as often as we should. In fact, we often go months without going on a real date. It's not unusual for Isabel to stay the night at my parents once a week, but that's usually for her benefit for the night before both Patrick and I have to work early.
She had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's though, and Patrick and I had a blast both last night at the party and this morning when we woke up at 9:30 in the morning.
I decided to try a new outfit for the party. I bought the pants a few days ago and paired it with a bright shirt. I'm not quite sure how it turned out, but I thought it looked cute and pretty well put together when I included the scarf I made.
The party was for a friend of my parents. It was his combination 60th birthday party and retirement party. It was a casino themed party, complete with a poker table, black jack tables and a crap's table. I don't understand how to play craps, so Patrick and I tried our hand at black jack. We were doing pretty well, but as soon as my parent's sat down to play Texas Hold 'Em, I knew it was time to get serious.
My dad is a poker player. He is at the nearby poker room no less than three times a week, and in Vegas about once a month. He's always being invited to play in tournaments and it is pretty intimidating playing with him.
So last night I thought it would be fun to play since it was a "friendly" game. The dealer was awesome and we were having such a great time. The plan was to stay until 9 or so and then Patrick and I were going to find something to do after, but we were having so much fun that we didn't leave until 10:30 or so, right after I knocked my dad out with an awesome hand that he thought I was bluffing on.
This wasn't really my hand, but all of those chips were mine... I started the evening with $500 in chips and ended the night with $1960. If only that was real!
It was a great night and I feel so lucky to have in laws that are willing to watch Isabel over night, as well as a family that I can actually have a wonderful time spending time with. Three hours of playing poker with my parents and husband is one of the highlights of my week.
Which brings me to this morning...
Patrick and I were lucky enough to sleep in until 9:30 AM again this morning. The second day in a row! This is so rare for us. Rare and appreciated. Glorious would be the best word.. Between Patrick usually working on the weekends, swap meets, training runs, children and other odd interruptions, I honestly couldn't even tell you the last time we slept in together.
Being Sunday morning that means that it is weigh in day and the start of my week for weight loss and fitness.
Last week's weight: 186.6
This week's weight: 186.2
This week +/-: -0.4
Total +/-: -2.6
Thoughts: I am so happy to see a loss this week! I was honestly anticipating a gain with the way this week has gone, and was just hoping to not have gained it all back and then some. But I ended up losing and am using it as motivation to do better this week.
I went off track this week. By off track I mean that I stopped tracking. After working with the trainer for a measly 10 minutes on Monday I felt extremely sore for three days afterwards. To the point where I moaned and groaned standing and sitting. To the point where I think I was less sore after the LA Marathon. Yes, I am that out of shape..
It made me realize that I need to go tomorrow after work to sign up with the trainer. No excuses! I desperately want to improve my numbers (weight, BMI, body fat % and measurements). I want to be in the best shape I can be in and that means that I need to make my health, my eating habits and my fitness a top priority.
I think I'm too focused on the end result, how long it's going to take to get there, and the frustration with it not happening faster, that I am not as invested in the process. I need to realize that this is not just about the end result. It's a daily struggle and it's a long process. If I focus on the day by day, and maybe even the meal by meal successes then my goals will be reached eventually.
So it's back to tracking today and back to picking healthy choices. Hoping to get in at least 4 cardio workouts this week, two at the gym and two running, and two strength workouts, one with my personal trainer and one on my own. I am not sure exactly what days I am going to get these workouts in, but I am committed to fitting it in when I can.
This coming week I am also planning on picking out some really cute outfits for work. I have purchased some new clothes from Kohl's and Marshall's and am really excited to play around with different outfit combinations. I think that it's a positive way for me to appreciate my body. Even if it has a negative impact for my bank account...
This is rare for us to have her stay with his parents. I feel weird asking them and that ends up to us not going out for dates as often as we should. In fact, we often go months without going on a real date. It's not unusual for Isabel to stay the night at my parents once a week, but that's usually for her benefit for the night before both Patrick and I have to work early.
She had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's though, and Patrick and I had a blast both last night at the party and this morning when we woke up at 9:30 in the morning.
I decided to try a new outfit for the party. I bought the pants a few days ago and paired it with a bright shirt. I'm not quite sure how it turned out, but I thought it looked cute and pretty well put together when I included the scarf I made.
The party was for a friend of my parents. It was his combination 60th birthday party and retirement party. It was a casino themed party, complete with a poker table, black jack tables and a crap's table. I don't understand how to play craps, so Patrick and I tried our hand at black jack. We were doing pretty well, but as soon as my parent's sat down to play Texas Hold 'Em, I knew it was time to get serious.
My dad is a poker player. He is at the nearby poker room no less than three times a week, and in Vegas about once a month. He's always being invited to play in tournaments and it is pretty intimidating playing with him.
So last night I thought it would be fun to play since it was a "friendly" game. The dealer was awesome and we were having such a great time. The plan was to stay until 9 or so and then Patrick and I were going to find something to do after, but we were having so much fun that we didn't leave until 10:30 or so, right after I knocked my dad out with an awesome hand that he thought I was bluffing on.
This wasn't really my hand, but all of those chips were mine... I started the evening with $500 in chips and ended the night with $1960. If only that was real!
It was a great night and I feel so lucky to have in laws that are willing to watch Isabel over night, as well as a family that I can actually have a wonderful time spending time with. Three hours of playing poker with my parents and husband is one of the highlights of my week.
Which brings me to this morning...
Patrick and I were lucky enough to sleep in until 9:30 AM again this morning. The second day in a row! This is so rare for us. Rare and appreciated. Glorious would be the best word.. Between Patrick usually working on the weekends, swap meets, training runs, children and other odd interruptions, I honestly couldn't even tell you the last time we slept in together.
Being Sunday morning that means that it is weigh in day and the start of my week for weight loss and fitness.
Last week's weight: 186.6
This week's weight: 186.2
This week +/-: -0.4
Total +/-: -2.6
Thoughts: I am so happy to see a loss this week! I was honestly anticipating a gain with the way this week has gone, and was just hoping to not have gained it all back and then some. But I ended up losing and am using it as motivation to do better this week.
I went off track this week. By off track I mean that I stopped tracking. After working with the trainer for a measly 10 minutes on Monday I felt extremely sore for three days afterwards. To the point where I moaned and groaned standing and sitting. To the point where I think I was less sore after the LA Marathon. Yes, I am that out of shape..
It made me realize that I need to go tomorrow after work to sign up with the trainer. No excuses! I desperately want to improve my numbers (weight, BMI, body fat % and measurements). I want to be in the best shape I can be in and that means that I need to make my health, my eating habits and my fitness a top priority.
I think I'm too focused on the end result, how long it's going to take to get there, and the frustration with it not happening faster, that I am not as invested in the process. I need to realize that this is not just about the end result. It's a daily struggle and it's a long process. If I focus on the day by day, and maybe even the meal by meal successes then my goals will be reached eventually.
So it's back to tracking today and back to picking healthy choices. Hoping to get in at least 4 cardio workouts this week, two at the gym and two running, and two strength workouts, one with my personal trainer and one on my own. I am not sure exactly what days I am going to get these workouts in, but I am committed to fitting it in when I can.
This coming week I am also planning on picking out some really cute outfits for work. I have purchased some new clothes from Kohl's and Marshall's and am really excited to play around with different outfit combinations. I think that it's a positive way for me to appreciate my body. Even if it has a negative impact for my bank account...
Friday, July 19, 2013
Personal Trainer
I joined a nearby gym about a month ago and I have consistently been going 2-3 days a week as cross training to my running obsession. I have not branched out farther than the elliptical and stationary bike.
I'm happy on those machines. I get a good workout on those machines. I am comfortable on those machines.
Too comfortable.
I feel like I am getting plenty of cardio in my routine, and yet I am doing very little if anything to tone up those muscles and in reality my body will never change if I don't start adding some of those workouts.
So I took up the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer after receiving an email for a free orientation. We met for a total of 45 minutes. We worked out for a total of 12 minutes.
In those 12 minutes I worked out harder than I have on my own in about a year. I would say when I was doing 30 Day Shred was the last time I sweat so hard, was so out of breath and wanted to die as much as I did in those 12 minutes. 12 minutes! And we only did three different moves! Granted, we did each move 12 times and then repeated all three four times, so at least there was a reason why my legs wobbled when we were finished.
That, or I really am that out of shape...
And after taking my body fat percentage it was clear that I really am that out of shape. I haven't calculated my body fat percentage in years. In fact, the last time I did I was still in college. So, it's been close to 5 years. I don't remember what it was then, but I was disappointed and frustrated and depressed by what it is now.
31.8%
0.2% away from being obese.
Don't get me wrong, I never expected to go in there and have her say that I was in great shape and that I had less than 10% body fat. But, I did think that after completing three marathons in the last 2 years I would be a little farther away from being obese.
I could have let it destroy me. It could have affected me the same as the number on the scale usually does. But I didn't. Instead I sat Patrick down, worked out our budget and made sure that four sessions a month is manageable.
My plan is to continue to go to the gym two days a week. One day I will use the stationary bike for 30 minutes and then meet with my trainer for 30 minutes. The other day I will do 30 minutes on the elliptical and then follow the same exercises as I did with my trainer except I'll be doing them by myself.
I'm excited to be starting this in a few weeks (after I get paid again). But, I'm also scared. She's going to kick my ass. It's a good thing, I know that. And it's my choice, I know that too. But it doesn't keep me from being so, so nervous. It's going to be the absolute most hard core workouts I ever do. And it's going to be exactly what I need.
Heck, I'm still feeling the pain from my workout on Monday. I haven't been this sore in too long.
I'm happy on those machines. I get a good workout on those machines. I am comfortable on those machines.
Too comfortable.
I feel like I am getting plenty of cardio in my routine, and yet I am doing very little if anything to tone up those muscles and in reality my body will never change if I don't start adding some of those workouts.
So I took up the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer after receiving an email for a free orientation. We met for a total of 45 minutes. We worked out for a total of 12 minutes.
In those 12 minutes I worked out harder than I have on my own in about a year. I would say when I was doing 30 Day Shred was the last time I sweat so hard, was so out of breath and wanted to die as much as I did in those 12 minutes. 12 minutes! And we only did three different moves! Granted, we did each move 12 times and then repeated all three four times, so at least there was a reason why my legs wobbled when we were finished.
That, or I really am that out of shape...
And after taking my body fat percentage it was clear that I really am that out of shape. I haven't calculated my body fat percentage in years. In fact, the last time I did I was still in college. So, it's been close to 5 years. I don't remember what it was then, but I was disappointed and frustrated and depressed by what it is now.
31.8%
0.2% away from being obese.
Don't get me wrong, I never expected to go in there and have her say that I was in great shape and that I had less than 10% body fat. But, I did think that after completing three marathons in the last 2 years I would be a little farther away from being obese.
I could have let it destroy me. It could have affected me the same as the number on the scale usually does. But I didn't. Instead I sat Patrick down, worked out our budget and made sure that four sessions a month is manageable.
My plan is to continue to go to the gym two days a week. One day I will use the stationary bike for 30 minutes and then meet with my trainer for 30 minutes. The other day I will do 30 minutes on the elliptical and then follow the same exercises as I did with my trainer except I'll be doing them by myself.
I'm excited to be starting this in a few weeks (after I get paid again). But, I'm also scared. She's going to kick my ass. It's a good thing, I know that. And it's my choice, I know that too. But it doesn't keep me from being so, so nervous. It's going to be the absolute most hard core workouts I ever do. And it's going to be exactly what I need.
Heck, I'm still feeling the pain from my workout on Monday. I haven't been this sore in too long.
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