Are you wondering what this "HIIT" I rave about is?
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training & it's THE way, THE WAY, to lose fat. I absolutely love it.
Basically, what you do, (after you warm up, of course) that you work ANAEROBICALLY for a short burst and then have an active recovery period. Generally speaking, you may sprint for 30 seconds and then jog or walk for 1 minute. You would repeat this workout routine numerous times for the best effect.
Anaerobic literally means "without oxygen" so when I say you work anaerobically, I mean you're are GOING AS FAST AS YOU CAN GO. I want you sucking wind by the end of the 30 seconds, kid!!
If you're NOT sucking wind, you just worked aerobically. Still good, NOT the purpose of HIIT, however. Still, if you're new to HIIT, it's understandable that you start slower. I actually don't run as much as I used to but I did go a few weeks ago after having gone without running for, uh, a good while. I was worried. But the wonderful bonus about HIIT is that it builds your endurance and your cardiovascular strenght so I actually ran faster and longer than I had before.
So WHY anaerobically?? Ben Greenfield of "Quick and Dirty Tips" explains it like this:
“When you exercise, your body uses oxygen to create energy. But when you reach a high intensity during exercise, your body’s demand for oxygen exceeds your ability to breathe in that much oxygen and deliver it to the muscles. When this happens, your body goes into an “oxygen debt.” Once you go into oxygen debt, not only do your muscles begin to burn and you begin to breathe hard, but you also put your body into a state where it needs to “repay” that oxygen debt after exercise….when you breathe more and breathe deeper, your body burns more calories. Depending on how hard you’ve worked, this oxygen repaying can help you burn anywhere from a few dozen to over a hundred extra calories each hour after you exercise, for up to 24 hours after you’ve finished!”
Imagine having that afterburn effect where your metabolism is working fast and your burning mega amounts of fat for 24 hours after a HIIT! Wow. Amazing because your average HIIT workout is between 15-30 minutes long.
I do want to mention, however, that you DO NOT do HIIT every single day. You'll over train and you'll be more prone to injury. Please stretch afterwards for 5-10 minutes and keep your stretching to a minimum BEFORE you begin. Warm-up, though.
Some people like to do 30 seconds of HIIT workout then actively rest.
Others, like me, like to do several HIIT's in 45 seconds then rest for 60 seconds.
Research and play around with it. Do what you prefer but keep it challenging.
A sample HIIT of what I do is this:
SPRINT - 8 counts/seconds
JUMPING JACKS - 4 counts/sec.
BURPEES - 4 cnt/sec.
SPRINT - 8 cnt/sec.
KNEE TUCK JUMPS - 6 cnt/sec.
SPRINT - 8 cnt/sec
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS - 8 cnt/sec.
ACTIVELY REST - 60 seconds
REPEAT.
Now you can repeat the above HIIT workout one more time, twice, as many times as you want. I'd say 3 times. Then do a different HIIT workout, repeat 3 times. You can either finish there or do yet another HIIT workout, repeat 3 times.
I put 8 counts OR seconds because while you need to go as fast as you possibly can, it's not going to take the exact amount of seconds to do several counts. Challenge yourself but be aware of what your body (NOT MIND!) is telling you. So if I say "Sprint, 8 counts", I literally mean, "Count 1-2-3-4-5-6--7-8", & NEXT.
Always remember to keep good form/technique. You don't want to hurt yourself.
Again, finish up by stretching. I can't stress that enough. I also want to recommend you buy, wear and utilize a heart monitor so you know how many calories you've burned.
I hope this blog helps y'all out if you've been wondering about HIIT. If you've got any questions, please post here or on my facebook, Alegria Fitness.
*Always consult your physician before starting a new workout program.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
My Eating, Present
Evening! Well, I have been a tad late in writing this, part deux, about my present eating habits. But I'm sure everyone, all 2 of you, totally understand. (Granted, I haven't made an honest effort of promoting my blog. But I enjoy just writing it so I'm guessing that's why.)
I'll try to keep it short and simple. I am NOT a nutritionist, by the way. There is a lot I have yet to learn.
I eat real food. & one of my biggest pet peeves is for someone to tell me that I do not eat enough. I always get those friendly comments about how I "hardly ate anything" or those tips like, "You should add ___/more/etc." I don't mind the tips from people who know what they're talking about (nutrition/health), and I'm sorry if that offends anyone. Really, I eat just fine. I have 3 square meals a day with snacks in between. I consume PLENTY. I just don't do it in one sitting. Or unhealthily.
This might turn into a Pro-Organic blog posts because that is what I am. There is just WAY too much information out there for me to even want to go into WHY but I will recommend to you this awesome, awesome book: "Master Your Metabolism". I did a lot of researching and reading (besides this book) and finally made the personal choice that I'm just not willing to throw my hands in the air, say "We'll see what happens!" about what the food I put into my body contains. I eat meat, mostly chicken, turkey but also red meat, though not too much in one sitting.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits and nuts which we've all heard before! You're probably tired of hearing it but here it is again. & why do you think that is? Guess what, folks, exercise alone will not get you healthy and fit. It has a lot to do with what you fuel your body with.
My mornings usually consists of oats so I might eat a bowl of oatmeal with fruits mixed in. I'll have 8oz of organic apple juice and a slice of whole grain, whole wheat bread with peanut butter instead of butter.
I don't deprive myself of anything REAL & GOOD. I'm not anti-fat, anti-carbs or anti-whatever else is new. I simply do not eat too much of anything.
Mid-Morning snack might be a piece of grilled chicken I packed the night before and shredded into pieces. I usually take this to school because I get hungry in class #2 so I can pop it out and it doesn't make the crunching sound nuts might make. I'll have water on hand too. At all times. Haha. Honestly, you won't find me without water. But it could also be a nut mix, a piece of fruit or a KIND bar.
Lunch might consists of veggie mix/salad, a tuna patty cooked with a bit of olive oil, avocado and a few of my Late July Organic crackers. & water.
After my workout, I have my Isopure Dutch Chocolate protein drink with 8oz of water.
I'm usually ravenous within the hour of finishing my workout so I have another snack:
Apple/Banana/Orange/You get the idea.
Dinner might be home made beans, grilled fajita on a whole grain tortilla, Mexican homemade salsa (never store bought), and some rice. With homemade lemonade.
As for the question, "Is eating at night bad for me?". Answer, maybe.
When you sleep, your body is in fasting mode. It hasn't stopped working just because you're dreaming. & if you don't have SOMETHING in there, it could have a catabolic effect on your muscles. NOT good. All that hard work you've put in at the gym is going to waste because all there is for your body to "eat" is your muscle. ::sad face::
Which is why I don't really eat before bedtime. But I do take my Isopure protein shake WITH 8OZ OF MILK this time. Casein protein is ESSENTIAL as a pre-bedtime snack. & while my Isopure is not a casein protein powder, MILK is 80% casein so, yea - you guessed it, I take it only with non/low fat ORGANIC milk.
I don't really eat a lot of dairy. I don't think it's essential in our diets as adults but I do take it with my protein at night and I sometimes eat yogurt. I digest it just fine, I buy dairy only if it's organic and I'm okay with eating/drinking it in moderation.
I know I only touched on a few things here and some might have questions so feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer questions as to why I do or don't do something in specific. This was just a sample and not what I eat every day. Variety is the spice of life!
(PS., please keep in mind that your meals should reflect your goal. If I had a clone and one wanted to lose weight, the other wanted to build muscle, they would both have different meal plans.)
I'll try to keep it short and simple. I am NOT a nutritionist, by the way. There is a lot I have yet to learn.
I eat real food. & one of my biggest pet peeves is for someone to tell me that I do not eat enough. I always get those friendly comments about how I "hardly ate anything" or those tips like, "You should add ___/more/etc." I don't mind the tips from people who know what they're talking about (nutrition/health), and I'm sorry if that offends anyone. Really, I eat just fine. I have 3 square meals a day with snacks in between. I consume PLENTY. I just don't do it in one sitting. Or unhealthily.
This might turn into a Pro-Organic blog posts because that is what I am. There is just WAY too much information out there for me to even want to go into WHY but I will recommend to you this awesome, awesome book: "Master Your Metabolism". I did a lot of researching and reading (besides this book) and finally made the personal choice that I'm just not willing to throw my hands in the air, say "We'll see what happens!" about what the food I put into my body contains. I eat meat, mostly chicken, turkey but also red meat, though not too much in one sitting.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits and nuts which we've all heard before! You're probably tired of hearing it but here it is again. & why do you think that is? Guess what, folks, exercise alone will not get you healthy and fit. It has a lot to do with what you fuel your body with.
My mornings usually consists of oats so I might eat a bowl of oatmeal with fruits mixed in. I'll have 8oz of organic apple juice and a slice of whole grain, whole wheat bread with peanut butter instead of butter.
I don't deprive myself of anything REAL & GOOD. I'm not anti-fat, anti-carbs or anti-whatever else is new. I simply do not eat too much of anything.
Mid-Morning snack might be a piece of grilled chicken I packed the night before and shredded into pieces. I usually take this to school because I get hungry in class #2 so I can pop it out and it doesn't make the crunching sound nuts might make. I'll have water on hand too. At all times. Haha. Honestly, you won't find me without water. But it could also be a nut mix, a piece of fruit or a KIND bar.
Lunch might consists of veggie mix/salad, a tuna patty cooked with a bit of olive oil, avocado and a few of my Late July Organic crackers. & water.
OR
I'm usually ravenous within the hour of finishing my workout so I have another snack:
Apple/Banana/Orange/You get the idea.
Dinner might be home made beans, grilled fajita on a whole grain tortilla, Mexican homemade salsa (never store bought), and some rice. With homemade lemonade.
As for the question, "Is eating at night bad for me?". Answer, maybe.
When you sleep, your body is in fasting mode. It hasn't stopped working just because you're dreaming. & if you don't have SOMETHING in there, it could have a catabolic effect on your muscles. NOT good. All that hard work you've put in at the gym is going to waste because all there is for your body to "eat" is your muscle. ::sad face::
Which is why I don't really eat before bedtime. But I do take my Isopure protein shake WITH 8OZ OF MILK this time. Casein protein is ESSENTIAL as a pre-bedtime snack. & while my Isopure is not a casein protein powder, MILK is 80% casein so, yea - you guessed it, I take it only with non/low fat ORGANIC milk.
I don't really eat a lot of dairy. I don't think it's essential in our diets as adults but I do take it with my protein at night and I sometimes eat yogurt. I digest it just fine, I buy dairy only if it's organic and I'm okay with eating/drinking it in moderation.
I know I only touched on a few things here and some might have questions so feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer questions as to why I do or don't do something in specific. This was just a sample and not what I eat every day. Variety is the spice of life!
(PS., please keep in mind that your meals should reflect your goal. If I had a clone and one wanted to lose weight, the other wanted to build muscle, they would both have different meal plans.)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Are Minimalist Shoes For You?
I am a minimalist when it comes to shoes. I must admit that before I started exercising, I, like most others, bought shoes based solely (no pun intended) based on LOOKS. Does it look cute/cool? Do I like the colors? Sad, I know. But I had no idea what type of shoe I should be buying based on my foot type! Hell, I didn't know what my foot type was.
My husband has been asking me how I know minimalist shoes are for me and if, perhaps, they are for him too. I, myself, will not really go into it too much since I am not a qualified to do so and I certainly don't want to be responsible for anyone decision making when it comes to types of shoe but I did want to share some information and links on the subject to further educate. Once you are educated, you will have to make your own decision.
First link/resource is an article written by Daniel Kraushaar, PT, CSCS from Columbus, Georgia. VERY well written, thorough, with GREAT illustrations. Before moving on, I suggest you look at the illustrations (at the very least). "Finding your running shoe: Matching foot type to shoe type"
The illustrations show you what a flatfoot, normal and high arch look like and whether your foot supinates or pronates. Good stuff.
Here is another blog/article written on the subject. Minimalist Shoes: Are They Right For You? Again, this man is a Doctor. I am not, which is why I am only sharing these resources/links, not delving into the subject so please educate yourself. Dr. Evan Osar explains what a minimalist shoe is and how to tell if they'll work for your foot type. He includes a video which more thoroughly covers what he's explaining so watching is optional. Good information, though.
I will borrow the disclaimer he used, though, since I agree with it 100%:
DISCLAIMER: Minimalist-type shoes have gotten a bad rap, in my opinion, because so many individuals go from supportive foot wear or orthotics to minimalist-type shoes without developing any tolerance.
Very true. Some people, such as myself, have taken a liking to Vibrams, the five-finger shoes. They are very cool indeed but people really need to take their time getting there. There are my shoes and they work very well for me. I absolutely love them and are a step towards Vibrams.
My husband has been asking me how I know minimalist shoes are for me and if, perhaps, they are for him too. I, myself, will not really go into it too much since I am not a qualified to do so and I certainly don't want to be responsible for anyone decision making when it comes to types of shoe but I did want to share some information and links on the subject to further educate. Once you are educated, you will have to make your own decision.
First link/resource is an article written by Daniel Kraushaar, PT, CSCS from Columbus, Georgia. VERY well written, thorough, with GREAT illustrations. Before moving on, I suggest you look at the illustrations (at the very least). "Finding your running shoe: Matching foot type to shoe type"
The illustrations show you what a flatfoot, normal and high arch look like and whether your foot supinates or pronates. Good stuff.
Here is another blog/article written on the subject. Minimalist Shoes: Are They Right For You? Again, this man is a Doctor. I am not, which is why I am only sharing these resources/links, not delving into the subject so please educate yourself. Dr. Evan Osar explains what a minimalist shoe is and how to tell if they'll work for your foot type. He includes a video which more thoroughly covers what he's explaining so watching is optional. Good information, though.
I will borrow the disclaimer he used, though, since I agree with it 100%:
DISCLAIMER: Minimalist-type shoes have gotten a bad rap, in my opinion, because so many individuals go from supportive foot wear or orthotics to minimalist-type shoes without developing any tolerance.
Very true. Some people, such as myself, have taken a liking to Vibrams, the five-finger shoes. They are very cool indeed but people really need to take their time getting there. There are my shoes and they work very well for me. I absolutely love them and are a step towards Vibrams.
Adidas Rockets
Next, I am looking into some Merrells, which is working with, and using, Vibram "technology". They look like this:
Again, the decision is yours. I find that, for me, minimalist shoes are the best. If you're still not sure, please consult your doctor/podiatrist. Happy researching!!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
My Eating, Past
I was asked if I could go into what I eat on a daily basis so here is, first, some background on my eating habits growing up and, second, my eating habits now.
Up until around 4th grade, I really do not recall what our eating habits as a family were. I don't think we really sat down to eat as a family at the dinner table, but I could be wrong. I do know that I had a deep love for Texas "Ranch Style Beans" since before 4th grade because my mom would feed that to me, & it wasn't until 2 years ago that I began to dislike them. We were never really limited on sweets but we were low income so I don't recall every having a bag of chips or cookies in the house either. Once we moved to Washington & lived in a motel, ramen noodles was a daily staple in our...motel table. But, again, low income so never really had other junk around & we were active kids; falling down with our Rollerblades (gift from church), rolling down big hills, chasing after each other in the motel parking lot and laundromat (good times, actually) & all that jazz.
We didn't have video games, never really watched television but we loved to go to the library & play board games. In fact, one of our favorite games was, & is, Battleship. Imagine our surprise when my brother & I realized there was an actual Battleship game. Before then, we used to take a piece of wide-ruled writing paper, use a pen to make a deeply inked circle on one side of the paper, fold it, press on the circle & then see if it "landed" on the opposing players deeply inked circle (battleship). We can't be the only ones that did that......
Anyway, once we got a home, dinner become a nice routine, complete with prayer. But, the truth is, that food was never our focus. Sometimes we had a lot, sometimes we had very little but our lifestyle was healthy in that we were active kids with active imaginations & no real junk food around the home.
Things changed when we moved back to Texas & my mom started working. This was probably my freshmen year in high school &, from then on, our lives consisted of frozen, microwavable anything. I'm talking burritos, taquitos, pizzas, hot pockets, chicken nuggets, fries, pop tarts....& I really don't want to go on because it's making me nauseous. How disgusting! But that was life for a long time. On top of that, McDonalds, Burger King or Whataburger were on our DAILY menu. DAILY.
We were still low-income but the difference was that, in my younger years, low-income meant you bought what you needed (even if you were using government help) and that was it. While now, it means being able to use your foot stamp EBT card on Hot Cheetos and 12-packs of Coke. It's a sad thing. But anyway, I do recall that's when I began to get unhealthy (duh) & what is considered, "skinny fat". I was not big, nor did I appear overweight, but had my BMI ever been taken around that time, it would have shown that I was all fat, almost no muscle and very unhealthy.
So what happened? What made me change?
There was never just ONE "ah-ha" moment were I realized my eating habits were bad. There were a series of events that led me to change my life for the better.
The first one was when I was 16/17 & I began to wake up 3-4 times during the night just to take a few sips of Coke. I actually remember opening the fridge, popping one open, taking a few sips, putting it back for later & thinking, "this can't be good.". I decided then to not drink coke so much. Not quiet the "quit" step but a step nonetheless.
The second was when I was getting ready to join the military. We were going to run 3 miles and I stopped at about 5 yards. Not. Even. Shitting you.
The third was just knowledge. After having 2 kids, being moderately active, kind-of, sort-of working out & not really losing any fat, I began to research on how to fuel the body, what is good, what is not great, how it affects your body, life and health, etc.
Finally, making the decision to become a personal trainer made me step everything up a few notches. I can't expect others to change their lifestyle if I hold on to old habits out of nostalgia.
Either way, it all worked out the way it did for a reason. Tomorrow, I'll go into a few things I learned and how my daily eating habits reflect both my knowledge and my human-ness. :)
Up until around 4th grade, I really do not recall what our eating habits as a family were. I don't think we really sat down to eat as a family at the dinner table, but I could be wrong. I do know that I had a deep love for Texas "Ranch Style Beans" since before 4th grade because my mom would feed that to me, & it wasn't until 2 years ago that I began to dislike them. We were never really limited on sweets but we were low income so I don't recall every having a bag of chips or cookies in the house either. Once we moved to Washington & lived in a motel, ramen noodles was a daily staple in our...motel table. But, again, low income so never really had other junk around & we were active kids; falling down with our Rollerblades (gift from church), rolling down big hills, chasing after each other in the motel parking lot and laundromat (good times, actually) & all that jazz.
We didn't have video games, never really watched television but we loved to go to the library & play board games. In fact, one of our favorite games was, & is, Battleship. Imagine our surprise when my brother & I realized there was an actual Battleship game. Before then, we used to take a piece of wide-ruled writing paper, use a pen to make a deeply inked circle on one side of the paper, fold it, press on the circle & then see if it "landed" on the opposing players deeply inked circle (battleship). We can't be the only ones that did that......
Anyway, once we got a home, dinner become a nice routine, complete with prayer. But, the truth is, that food was never our focus. Sometimes we had a lot, sometimes we had very little but our lifestyle was healthy in that we were active kids with active imaginations & no real junk food around the home.
Things changed when we moved back to Texas & my mom started working. This was probably my freshmen year in high school &, from then on, our lives consisted of frozen, microwavable anything. I'm talking burritos, taquitos, pizzas, hot pockets, chicken nuggets, fries, pop tarts....& I really don't want to go on because it's making me nauseous. How disgusting! But that was life for a long time. On top of that, McDonalds, Burger King or Whataburger were on our DAILY menu. DAILY.
We were still low-income but the difference was that, in my younger years, low-income meant you bought what you needed (even if you were using government help) and that was it. While now, it means being able to use your foot stamp EBT card on Hot Cheetos and 12-packs of Coke. It's a sad thing. But anyway, I do recall that's when I began to get unhealthy (duh) & what is considered, "skinny fat". I was not big, nor did I appear overweight, but had my BMI ever been taken around that time, it would have shown that I was all fat, almost no muscle and very unhealthy.
So what happened? What made me change?
There was never just ONE "ah-ha" moment were I realized my eating habits were bad. There were a series of events that led me to change my life for the better.
The first one was when I was 16/17 & I began to wake up 3-4 times during the night just to take a few sips of Coke. I actually remember opening the fridge, popping one open, taking a few sips, putting it back for later & thinking, "this can't be good.". I decided then to not drink coke so much. Not quiet the "quit" step but a step nonetheless.
The second was when I was getting ready to join the military. We were going to run 3 miles and I stopped at about 5 yards. Not. Even. Shitting you.
The third was just knowledge. After having 2 kids, being moderately active, kind-of, sort-of working out & not really losing any fat, I began to research on how to fuel the body, what is good, what is not great, how it affects your body, life and health, etc.
Finally, making the decision to become a personal trainer made me step everything up a few notches. I can't expect others to change their lifestyle if I hold on to old habits out of nostalgia.
Either way, it all worked out the way it did for a reason. Tomorrow, I'll go into a few things I learned and how my daily eating habits reflect both my knowledge and my human-ness. :)
Friday, September 23, 2011
The Truth About Tendinitis
Now, as you are well aware, I am not a medical professional. Rather, I am a physical trainer, knowledgeable on how to train your body for power, strength or fat loss. I can tell you what good form is & how often to do what sets of exercise for your goal.
Physical Trainers are also humans with human bodies, as opposed to robotic ones.
Earlier this week, after a cardio session, I began to notice an uncomfortable feeling in my right knee. It wasn't painful so, for the next few days, I simple iced it for a few hours before bedtime. Then, after weight training session, I felt both my knees get warm from the inside, and then get hotter. I immediately RICE'd my knees and decided that I needed to take a break.
As someone who works out 6x's a week, 1-2 hours a day, the thought of not getting my daily burn on was really a huge bummer. My first mistake, however, was not listening to my body when it gave me the first clue that something was not right. Often times, CPT's do this because we get so into our workout routines, it's as natural as brushing our teeth, and it's very hard to pull away even for a few days.
I am neither the first, or the last CPT that gets tendinitis. Remember, training is our job and, if we have clients, we feel obligated to be there for them no matter what injury we have. There are group instructors that have instructed on sprained ankles, a broken toe, and many other injuries, because we love our client(s) and we will do our job to keep them happy. I don't have, nor am I taking, clients at the moment because of my already very full schedule (mom, wife, full time student thing) but being a CPT is not an easy job, even if it's just to yourself.
Both alone, with a client or a group, we all tend to get complacent because we know the routine or we know the drill and, in my case, when doing high-intensity cardio for an hour, it's not hard to see how the tendon might get inflamed due to over-use.
I know most of my friends/family are not CPT's and might not even be sure what tendinitis is so I thought I'd take the time to explain what it is a little bit. Disclaimer: Again, I am NOT a medical professional. If you have further questions about tendinitis, please ask your physician.
Now, I know why I got tendinitis and the answer is in my routine because aside from doing my 3x's weekly weight training session, I was doing 5x's weekly 45-60 minute cardio session with no real stretching time at the end. I know. I know better but {insert excuse here} and now I have tendinitis due to over-use.
Tendinitis does not always occur because of bad form, but it can. If you do a lot of plyometric moves or play a sport where you're using a specific muscle constantly (basketball, tennis, etc), it's easy to strain the muscle and tendons and develop this injury.
Is tendinitis something only amateur athletes get? No.
Many seasoned, professional athletes have been benched, so to speak, due to this injury. It's very common, unfortunately, because it can be prevented by making sure that you're stretching before and after your workout. I wasn't stretching post-workout because I made an error in judgement. Usually, the little one only gets a 2 hour nap so by the time she woke up, I'd finish up and didn't want to feel guilty about not spending that time with her because I had either been at school in the morning or I was now headed to an afternoon class. In retrospect, I should have just gotten some 10 extra minutes and stretched.
Since my hot-knee incident, I've really just taken a step back and given my body time to recover. It's still recovering and, the truth is, that while I miss my workout schedule, fitness is about ways to affect your health positively, not to do things that are a detriment to it. If I continue because of stubbornness, it could lead to an injury that won't set me back a week or two, but months. I just don't have that kind of time to waste.
You know, I love challenging my body. I know plenty of people who go to the gym, kind-of, sort-of play around with the weights and machines, jump on one, sweat a little & call it a day. I'm not one of those people. I don't stop until I'm no longer in my comfort zone. I don't stop until I'm drenched or my muscles are fatigued. Am I the best athlete out there? Absolutely not and, obviously, I make mistakes and errors in judgement but I'm not upset that I pushed my body. I'd be more upset if I never did.
The key is, and this goes for me as well, to stretch and never get too comfortable to see what is good, or bad for you. I'll keep y'all updated.
Judy
Physical Trainers are also humans with human bodies, as opposed to robotic ones.
Earlier this week, after a cardio session, I began to notice an uncomfortable feeling in my right knee. It wasn't painful so, for the next few days, I simple iced it for a few hours before bedtime. Then, after weight training session, I felt both my knees get warm from the inside, and then get hotter. I immediately RICE'd my knees and decided that I needed to take a break.
As someone who works out 6x's a week, 1-2 hours a day, the thought of not getting my daily burn on was really a huge bummer. My first mistake, however, was not listening to my body when it gave me the first clue that something was not right. Often times, CPT's do this because we get so into our workout routines, it's as natural as brushing our teeth, and it's very hard to pull away even for a few days.
I am neither the first, or the last CPT that gets tendinitis. Remember, training is our job and, if we have clients, we feel obligated to be there for them no matter what injury we have. There are group instructors that have instructed on sprained ankles, a broken toe, and many other injuries, because we love our client(s) and we will do our job to keep them happy. I don't have, nor am I taking, clients at the moment because of my already very full schedule (mom, wife, full time student thing) but being a CPT is not an easy job, even if it's just to yourself.
Both alone, with a client or a group, we all tend to get complacent because we know the routine or we know the drill and, in my case, when doing high-intensity cardio for an hour, it's not hard to see how the tendon might get inflamed due to over-use.
I know most of my friends/family are not CPT's and might not even be sure what tendinitis is so I thought I'd take the time to explain what it is a little bit. Disclaimer: Again, I am NOT a medical professional. If you have further questions about tendinitis, please ask your physician.
Now, I know why I got tendinitis and the answer is in my routine because aside from doing my 3x's weekly weight training session, I was doing 5x's weekly 45-60 minute cardio session with no real stretching time at the end. I know. I know better but {insert excuse here} and now I have tendinitis due to over-use.
Tendinitis does not always occur because of bad form, but it can. If you do a lot of plyometric moves or play a sport where you're using a specific muscle constantly (basketball, tennis, etc), it's easy to strain the muscle and tendons and develop this injury.
Is tendinitis something only amateur athletes get? No.
Many seasoned, professional athletes have been benched, so to speak, due to this injury. It's very common, unfortunately, because it can be prevented by making sure that you're stretching before and after your workout. I wasn't stretching post-workout because I made an error in judgement. Usually, the little one only gets a 2 hour nap so by the time she woke up, I'd finish up and didn't want to feel guilty about not spending that time with her because I had either been at school in the morning or I was now headed to an afternoon class. In retrospect, I should have just gotten some 10 extra minutes and stretched.
Since my hot-knee incident, I've really just taken a step back and given my body time to recover. It's still recovering and, the truth is, that while I miss my workout schedule, fitness is about ways to affect your health positively, not to do things that are a detriment to it. If I continue because of stubbornness, it could lead to an injury that won't set me back a week or two, but months. I just don't have that kind of time to waste.
You know, I love challenging my body. I know plenty of people who go to the gym, kind-of, sort-of play around with the weights and machines, jump on one, sweat a little & call it a day. I'm not one of those people. I don't stop until I'm no longer in my comfort zone. I don't stop until I'm drenched or my muscles are fatigued. Am I the best athlete out there? Absolutely not and, obviously, I make mistakes and errors in judgement but I'm not upset that I pushed my body. I'd be more upset if I never did.
The key is, and this goes for me as well, to stretch and never get too comfortable to see what is good, or bad for you. I'll keep y'all updated.
Judy
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sacrafices & What We're Made Of
So, first of all, my apologies for having been gone for...too long. I don't really want to get on with excuses & whatnot but suffice it to say that, 3 out of 4 people in my little family (including me) are back in school. It's been very hectic, especially because we decided to give our youngest another year at home (& home school until next year - as we did with our eldest) which is great but my husband and I had to get alternating schedules. The only time we see each other during the day now is switch out the driver of the car so the one who was in school can go home and the one who was at home can go to school. Ha ha. It all sounds very stressful but it really hasn't been bad at all. We both really enjoy school & we realize that there are certain sacrifices a person must make in order to accomplish goals.
We really take pride in that we have been able to focus our goals, time and again, without compromising family time and its priority. We both get quality time with the youngest, I still do lessons with her and get my workout in while she naps and by the time the eldest is home, we're home too.
One thing that did become an issue for me was lunch. I surprised myself because I'm a very organized person but having never had this type of schedule before, I was caught off guard a bit. I always pack a snack & take water in my 32oz shaker, as well as have three little cubes each filled with one serving of my supplements (just in case), especially my Isopure Dutch Chocolate protein. But I must have underestimated how hungry I get at lunch time so I've been buying KIND bars, which I truly love. (You might want to check the nutritional value information to see if it fits into your diet but, for me, it's always, always been more about the pureness of the ingredients rather than just calorie count. That's just me though! I'd rather have an organic/natural health bar that's 300 calories than one with a bunch of things I can't pronounce at 120 calories.)
Aside from the KIND bars, we have had to eat fast food. & I crrrrrringe when I say "had to" because I really did have to BUT because I didn't plan ahead of time. Big mistake on my part. While I did make the healthiest choices possible each time, I always left feeling like crap -- because that's what I had fueled my body with! Crap. You are what you eat, indeed.
I finally set aside some time to plan some cold meals I can take to school, pack in my backpack and eat when I get hungry. Which is often. :)
As far as my workouts, they've been getting GOT! As usual. That's just never been negotiable & I truly believe that when working out BECOMES non-negotiable & it's as natural as brushing you teeth, that's when you can have real success. It would have been real easy to just throw my hands up & say, "Nope, can't do it! Too busy!" (actually, no it wouldn't have. Not for me. Not anymore.) but when someone can do that, it really says a lot about them & their mind set.
I'm not saying there aren't certain circumstances where, yes, you just absolutely must make it up later or tomorrow but far too many people use that easy excuse way too often.
Are you willing to make sacrifices? or just excuses?
Are you important to YOU?
Can you take the time to schedule your time for the benefit of your physical, mental and emotional health?
You can rise above the excuses. Believe that. Because we all have them but you must be able to dig deep and be real with yourself because no one else is going to do it. It has to be you.
YOU control your destiny. YOU make your life what it is. Others can affect it, sure, but YOU have the power to choose HOW they affect your life.
I have wonderful people in my life who always tell me how inspiring I am to them but, most, add they wouldn't be able to do it. BUT THEY CAN! They just won't. It's going to hurt!! It's supposed to! If if were easy, our nation wouldn't be where it is now with the obesity rates. There are plenty of people out there who've lost over ONE HUNDRED pounds just with exercise and proper nutrition. They cried, they were sore, it hurt but they WANTED it. That's the difference.
We take our bodies for granted, many of us.
The things they can do! But instead we poison them to the ground.
Be willing to sacrificed. Show yourself what you're made of.
You have it in you.....let the fire ignite...get angry about it & GO.
We really take pride in that we have been able to focus our goals, time and again, without compromising family time and its priority. We both get quality time with the youngest, I still do lessons with her and get my workout in while she naps and by the time the eldest is home, we're home too.
One thing that did become an issue for me was lunch. I surprised myself because I'm a very organized person but having never had this type of schedule before, I was caught off guard a bit. I always pack a snack & take water in my 32oz shaker, as well as have three little cubes each filled with one serving of my supplements (just in case), especially my Isopure Dutch Chocolate protein. But I must have underestimated how hungry I get at lunch time so I've been buying KIND bars, which I truly love. (You might want to check the nutritional value information to see if it fits into your diet but, for me, it's always, always been more about the pureness of the ingredients rather than just calorie count. That's just me though! I'd rather have an organic/natural health bar that's 300 calories than one with a bunch of things I can't pronounce at 120 calories.)
Aside from the KIND bars, we have had to eat fast food. & I crrrrrringe when I say "had to" because I really did have to BUT because I didn't plan ahead of time. Big mistake on my part. While I did make the healthiest choices possible each time, I always left feeling like crap -- because that's what I had fueled my body with! Crap. You are what you eat, indeed.
I finally set aside some time to plan some cold meals I can take to school, pack in my backpack and eat when I get hungry. Which is often. :)
As far as my workouts, they've been getting GOT! As usual. That's just never been negotiable & I truly believe that when working out BECOMES non-negotiable & it's as natural as brushing you teeth, that's when you can have real success. It would have been real easy to just throw my hands up & say, "Nope, can't do it! Too busy!" (actually, no it wouldn't have. Not for me. Not anymore.) but when someone can do that, it really says a lot about them & their mind set.
I'm not saying there aren't certain circumstances where, yes, you just absolutely must make it up later or tomorrow but far too many people use that easy excuse way too often.
Are you willing to make sacrifices? or just excuses?
Are you important to YOU?
Can you take the time to schedule your time for the benefit of your physical, mental and emotional health?
You can rise above the excuses. Believe that. Because we all have them but you must be able to dig deep and be real with yourself because no one else is going to do it. It has to be you.
YOU control your destiny. YOU make your life what it is. Others can affect it, sure, but YOU have the power to choose HOW they affect your life.
I have wonderful people in my life who always tell me how inspiring I am to them but, most, add they wouldn't be able to do it. BUT THEY CAN! They just won't. It's going to hurt!! It's supposed to! If if were easy, our nation wouldn't be where it is now with the obesity rates. There are plenty of people out there who've lost over ONE HUNDRED pounds just with exercise and proper nutrition. They cried, they were sore, it hurt but they WANTED it. That's the difference.
We take our bodies for granted, many of us.
The things they can do! But instead we poison them to the ground.
Be willing to sacrificed. Show yourself what you're made of.
You have it in you.....let the fire ignite...get angry about it & GO.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Unhealthy Mentality & Our Children
As you might imagine, our children's health is very important to me, and not just in the physical sense. To me, at least, being healthy also includes having a solid self-esteem no matter what size you are.
The truth is, everyone, that loving yourself and your body doesn't mean that we are not capable of seeing and accepting that perhaps our body isn't at its healthiest. We should be able to love everything our body does, every single day. It's that body - whether it's underweight, fit, overweight, big, small, round, pear shaped - that allows us to do things throughout our day that we really take for granted.
It's that body that allows you to stay or get in shape.
If you have a few "trouble" areas, guess what? Everyone does! But there are two kinds of "trouble" areas; the kind you can change and the kind you cannot. Simple truth. There ARE things you CANNOT change. If that's something you can't live with and want to go the cosmetic surgery route, that's a personal choice but, also, another blog.
For most of us who either don't want to go that route, or can't for whatever reason, our body's flaws is just something we have to accept. I want you to see yourself and be able to ask, "Is this something I can change?", "Will it make me a better me, physically, mentally and emotionally?". If the answers are "yes" then by all means, go for it! Changing your body when it's for your well-being doesn't mean you don't love your body. On the contrary, it means you love yourself and your body enough to recognize when change is necessary.
However, while we should be able to see those pounds creeping up on the belly (worst place to have fat because it's wrapped around your organs and can lead to diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, etc.), it's important to keep a healthy mentality. When we begin to obsess about a number on a scale, get depression over it, beat ourselves up mentally and/or even hate our body, it is no longer healthy! Our mental well-being is just as important and, at all times, we should be able to say, "My body isn't perfect but I love it for all it can do, all it will do and all it could do."
You might be wondering what all that has to do with our children and the answer is that it has a lot to do with our children. How we see ourselves and how we see and describe others is what YOU are passing on to those young, innocent minds. I really am so disturbed by this video on Yahoo! ( "Maggie Goes On A Diet" ) that I feel compelled to write how it made me feel.
If you don't want to go to the link, it's about a children's book about a little 14 year old girl who goes on a diet and becomes healthy and fit, joins soccer and becomes popular and famous. While I get, and actually like, parts of the book, I just can't agree with the idea that telling young children that being thin is going to make them popular or famous.
The video goes on with the journalist interviewing 5 & 6 year olds, shows them pictures, asks them which girl stands out and a little girls actually calls her "chubby wubby". I just don't get how come, we as parents, actually TEACH our children to be so cruel. I have to say, the word "fat" is not allowed up in this household. And before anyone goes up in arms about why I consider "fat" a bad word, let me explain that what I consider bad is the context in which the word is usually used and I have found that if my daughters want to describe something to me (teddy bear, cat, what-have-you), there is almost always a better, more intellectual way of saying that the object/animal is big rather than just saying "it's fat".
With that said, I don't allow meanness at all. There are many people, young and old, who struggle with being under-weight and actually get picked on, being called "anorexic", "stick", among other things. It's just not nice to go on describing someones body in a non-complimentary manner as if we knew their health history. So why would anyone teach their child to do that?
I've said this before in other blogs; I am not a perfect parent but I know right from wrong and as soon as I could, I began to teach my child the very basic lesson of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I also sat down with them and explained that while many people who are too overweight are unhealthy, so are many people who are too underweight. I explained that we cannot tell someones diet or lifestyle just by looking at them so it's really just better to not judge. What if the person has an underlying medical condition? What if the person has already taken steps to become healthier? But we can't tell so WHY judge?
What we really gets me is that we can teach our children to be motivators, friends, caring, understanding human beings but because we, as adults, have such an unhealthy relationship with our own bodies, we have passed on a sort of hatred to our children towards other children who are "too skinny" or "too fat". It has a horrible domino effect because, in case you didn't see the video I linked earlier, eating disorders amongst children is up 119%. That same unhealthy relationship most have with their own body is being passed on to children 10 fold. That's a sad truth I hope we can change.
It starts at home.
The truth is, everyone, that loving yourself and your body doesn't mean that we are not capable of seeing and accepting that perhaps our body isn't at its healthiest. We should be able to love everything our body does, every single day. It's that body - whether it's underweight, fit, overweight, big, small, round, pear shaped - that allows us to do things throughout our day that we really take for granted.
It's that body that allows you to stay or get in shape.
If you have a few "trouble" areas, guess what? Everyone does! But there are two kinds of "trouble" areas; the kind you can change and the kind you cannot. Simple truth. There ARE things you CANNOT change. If that's something you can't live with and want to go the cosmetic surgery route, that's a personal choice but, also, another blog.
For most of us who either don't want to go that route, or can't for whatever reason, our body's flaws is just something we have to accept. I want you to see yourself and be able to ask, "Is this something I can change?", "Will it make me a better me, physically, mentally and emotionally?". If the answers are "yes" then by all means, go for it! Changing your body when it's for your well-being doesn't mean you don't love your body. On the contrary, it means you love yourself and your body enough to recognize when change is necessary.
However, while we should be able to see those pounds creeping up on the belly (worst place to have fat because it's wrapped around your organs and can lead to diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, etc.), it's important to keep a healthy mentality. When we begin to obsess about a number on a scale, get depression over it, beat ourselves up mentally and/or even hate our body, it is no longer healthy! Our mental well-being is just as important and, at all times, we should be able to say, "My body isn't perfect but I love it for all it can do, all it will do and all it could do."
You might be wondering what all that has to do with our children and the answer is that it has a lot to do with our children. How we see ourselves and how we see and describe others is what YOU are passing on to those young, innocent minds. I really am so disturbed by this video on Yahoo! ( "Maggie Goes On A Diet" ) that I feel compelled to write how it made me feel.
If you don't want to go to the link, it's about a children's book about a little 14 year old girl who goes on a diet and becomes healthy and fit, joins soccer and becomes popular and famous. While I get, and actually like, parts of the book, I just can't agree with the idea that telling young children that being thin is going to make them popular or famous.
The video goes on with the journalist interviewing 5 & 6 year olds, shows them pictures, asks them which girl stands out and a little girls actually calls her "chubby wubby". I just don't get how come, we as parents, actually TEACH our children to be so cruel. I have to say, the word "fat" is not allowed up in this household. And before anyone goes up in arms about why I consider "fat" a bad word, let me explain that what I consider bad is the context in which the word is usually used and I have found that if my daughters want to describe something to me (teddy bear, cat, what-have-you), there is almost always a better, more intellectual way of saying that the object/animal is big rather than just saying "it's fat".
With that said, I don't allow meanness at all. There are many people, young and old, who struggle with being under-weight and actually get picked on, being called "anorexic", "stick", among other things. It's just not nice to go on describing someones body in a non-complimentary manner as if we knew their health history. So why would anyone teach their child to do that?
I've said this before in other blogs; I am not a perfect parent but I know right from wrong and as soon as I could, I began to teach my child the very basic lesson of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I also sat down with them and explained that while many people who are too overweight are unhealthy, so are many people who are too underweight. I explained that we cannot tell someones diet or lifestyle just by looking at them so it's really just better to not judge. What if the person has an underlying medical condition? What if the person has already taken steps to become healthier? But we can't tell so WHY judge?
What we really gets me is that we can teach our children to be motivators, friends, caring, understanding human beings but because we, as adults, have such an unhealthy relationship with our own bodies, we have passed on a sort of hatred to our children towards other children who are "too skinny" or "too fat". It has a horrible domino effect because, in case you didn't see the video I linked earlier, eating disorders amongst children is up 119%. That same unhealthy relationship most have with their own body is being passed on to children 10 fold. That's a sad truth I hope we can change.
It starts at home.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Measuring Up
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
Over a year ago, November 2009, I began a journey of health, wellness & self discovery. I recall many accomplishments because every Sunday, after 6 intense workout days, I'd take a break & measure myself.
Hips. Waist. Left thigh, Right thigh. Left arm. Right arm.
It's easy to not see the changes at first because you see yourself in the mirror every day & if you are anything like how I was, you'd undress for a shower, glance at yourself in the mirror & scrunch up your face, maybe shaking your head in bitter acceptance that, yes, that IS your body.
Over time, however, I'd see changes on PAPER showing that I'd lost an half an inch or an inch here, maybe there. Then, my clothes began to fit loosely.
I even recall going to the store, picking clothes in a smaller size but, having both kids with me, I opted for just buying them. There was no way I was an 8 or a small! It hadn't even crossed my mind. When I got home & tried on the clothes, I made an astonishing discovery: the clothes I had bought in a smaller size were too big. What the heck?
The next day, I return with my purchases & this time decide to try the clothes on because, to be honest, I just didn't believe I was smaller despite having put on the clothes & feeling it too big!! It's amazing how you train your brain to NOT BELIEVE IN YOU that it actually holds you back from pursuing goals. That is what was happening because despite working out, despite all the sweat & even tears I'd shed over trying to shed the fat, in my mind, I was limiting myself to "average", not "fit".
My mind no longer believed I could be anything other than just okay & it had become so ingrained in my daily thinking that I didn't even CONSIDER a smaller size could fit me. But, alas, there I was in the fitting room & as I prepared for the size 8 jeans to stop somewhere around the thighs, they slipped all the way up. No struggle, no pulling...just slipped right on. I actually wanted to cry. I believe I did like an Ashley Simpson jig.
Yes, I have reached many mini-goals throughout my journey. A mini-goal...the biggest of the mini-goals to be exact....I actually reached this past July. See, every time I measured myself around the belly area, I'd check to see how far away I was from a certain number & over the months, I've gotten closer & closer. Sometime early this year, I hit a plateau & it was just STUCK. Stuck an inch away. It just would not budge. I felt defeated at times but only for a moment & then I'd just keep at it. About 2 months ago, I stopped measuring myself every week. I decided that not seeing the number move was depressing me & I didn't need it because I was planting good seeds, so to speak.
I measured myself a month ago & the number finally moved. I was excited, thinking FINALLY! Geez. But I decided to keep the measuring to a minimum. I love working out, I love feeling great; there are other benefits to my healthy living than the number on a measuring tape. Of course, while this is true, I am not one to give up on goals.
Last week I measured myself. The measuring tape did not land on the number. It surpassed it.
I was pleasantly surprised because, no, I didn't go in there thinking "this is the day!" but my way of thinking had changed over time because I believed it. I wanted to do my jig again but I believed it because it was one of the reasons I had been busting my butt!
Just another mini-goal reached but I keep reaching, creating NEW goals because my harvest is one I want to reap for the rest of my life. I will keep planting each day new seeds. Will you?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
One small step
Several years ago when I last had a gym membership, I was told that for every one person I got to enroll, I would, in turn, receive a month for free. I thought, "sweet deal!" because, in all honesty, I loved that gym. What was there to NOT like? They had free monitored childcare, televisions in every direction & angle imaginable so I could watch what I wanted (one channel being the childcare room). I had free access to all areas of the gym including the pool, jacuzzi, sauna, women's machine room as well as ALL fitness classes (I took belly dance). And the price was about what all other gyms were charging too.
Who's NOT going to want to join me, I wondered.
As I began to invite friends and family, even people I'd small talk with, I'd mention all these great qualities & amenities; how I was losing weight & fitting into old jeans again. I'd get great comments about how motivated it made them feel, how they were meaning to get a gym membership because they "really need it". Great! It was a win-win so I was ecstatic that (a) I was going to have workout buddies & (b) that I was going to get a free month in return.
But of course, as days passed, then weeks, I'd ask them, "So when are you coming by?". Most would answer, "Oh, I'm too busy these days" or "I don't have the money right now". Excuse after excuse after excuse. It upset me but not because of the free month I was missing out on (really), but because these were not reasons...they were EXCUSES. Not even well-thought out excuses. Just simple, "I've given up" excuses! They might disagree on the meaning of said excuses but I know what half-ass "trying" looks like! I invented half-assed "trying"!
When you tell yourself or "admit" (whatever) you don't have time, what you are really saying is that YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT. If you were important to yourself, if you cared about your well-being, if you cared MORE about YOU...you'd FIND the time.
Sometimes my husband likes to criticize and say that the only thing in my schedule that's a sure-thing is my workout session. I don't like that because it's not true; I find the time for many other things but he's also right about my workout session. There's been times that he's tried to get me to not do it or he gives me other "chores". He wasn't very happy when right before his bedtime, when I got un-busy, I changed into my workout clothes & jumped, squatted & jacked right next to the bed. I wasn't lying when I had told him, "That it's going to get done, it's going to get done."
I'm currently on a school break but I have ran a small business, volunteered at my daughters school, attended classes, remained the ever-present Stepford wife AND worked out. Many others do it as well, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here. I sat down & I actually created a schedule for myself to follow because, it's true, that unless I have that to guide me, I would have too much to do (in my eyes)! But with a schedule, it was not impossible.
My schedule (Dec. 2010)
When all those people finally said "I'm not going to the gym", I realized that a whole lot of people really mean to, want to or need to go workout....but few rarely ever do.
You can sit there, write goals, plan workouts with friends or even print a schedule out but none of it matters unless you take the first step to reaching those goals & working out.
You don't have to hit the gym running, doing bent over rows with 20 pounders or doing 200 lunges as if you were Kim Kardashian....but go. Take a step, any step...it doesn't have to be a big one.
It just has to be a step.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Inspiration...
"Surround yourself with those who won't compete with you,but will revel in your success and somehow see your ascent as a reflection of their own possibilities. & don't forget that success is not just cash in the bank or degrees on the wall; it's living out your purpose in life."
I almost want to apologize for not writing but, as of now, I've no subscribers. That doesn't bother me though. As I've mentioned (perhaps in another blog), I've decided that being able to write is therapeutic for me & even if it means it's just to myself, it makes me feel good.
One of my best friends put the above quote as her status on FB & it resonates with me SO much. That is exactly, 100% how I feel friends should be. I really don't think I expect too much from a friendship & perhaps I shouldn't expect anything but I can't help it. I'm the kind of person that loves & is protective of friends. I don't really like acquaintances, much less the "frenemie". I don't believe in "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" thing. No. The people I have in my life, I want to have real bonds with. Otherwise, to me, it's pointless & a waste of perfectly good energy both for me & for the other person.
When I offer my friendship, I admit, I expect some in return. Not in favors or anything of that sort but if I can't find comfort in a friend when I'm feeling down, I question whether that's a friendship at all. To make it clear, I also don't like "yes" friends. I like realness. I'm a conservative but some of my best friends are way more liberal. When it comes to decisions or plans I have, I can respect the friend that tells me their thoughts on the matter without beating around the bush. I'm not a perfect human being & because of that, I am grateful that I have a few friends that can call me on my bull.
To me, friends should be inspiration not competition. I've tried many times to open myself up to other women, to be there for them & to allow them to be there for me but, most of the time, I'm met with one-uppers. These people don't really wish you well in my mind & I don't see it as "healthy competition" either. It's really very difficult to find friends that you can really depend on.
So what does all this have to do with fitness?
Everything.
I mostly use my FB for posting about the days workout plan, my menu ideas & to inspire but I also like to hear my friends plans, ideas & to GET inspired. I find that people that allow you to inspire them but that also inspire you are the type of people that help you thrive. Even if you have a one upper in your life who, okay, might push you a bit to beat a record or whatever, it's not as great as having found the motivation positively. You're doing it for the wrong reason. Some might say, "So? It's getting done!". That may be but, eventually & gradually, they'll be something else that person did that now YOU want to do. & something else. & something else. & another thing. & pretty soon, your goals & not your own.
If you want to feel good about your outcome, your source has to be a positive one.
Today I posted a picture of my workout plan for the next 3 weeks & a friend posted about how she needed help getting organized like me so, naturally, I offered to help. She replied & said that would be great, mentioning that I was "truly an inspirational woman". I was so pleasantly surprised by that because she works out regularly, looks great & I didn't think I really had anything to offer her but she went on to say that our FB feedback was always motivating. It made me feel great. &, really, the wonderful thing is that it's true for me as well! Her updates or pictures have on many occasions motivated ME positively. That's the kind of friendship I cherish because we "feed" each other with snippets of inspiration rather than negative competition. She encourages me some days, I encourage her some other days but, either way, we're always wishing one another the best.
So now I encourage you.
I encourage you to rid yourself of people who want to constantly one up you, who you feel bring even the slightest negativity into your life. I know you may not be able to rid yourself of all of them (my husband is, at times, the negative force) but perhaps that's a good thing in it's own way. I'm not really talking about kicking your family to curb here. This is more concerning acquaintances you keep on FB, people you small talk with at work or school. If they're not too close to you & aren't bringing anything positive into your life, be done with it. Be mature about the matter but be done with it.
This is YOUR life. Run it however you want but I think we can all agree if at least on ONE thing: positive thoughts produce positive results.
Best of luck.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Food Revolution!!
I'm not much for TV. A few years ago, my husband & I decided to kick satellite/cable out of our lives & we've never turned back since. I've read that this "trend" is a growing one but we didn't do it because we heard it was a good idea nor did we do it because we lacked the money; we just didn't see the point anymore.
Anyway, not long after, I discovered Hulu & have been watching the shows I want, when I want, on there. I guess that's all another blog but I've been keeping up with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (ABC) & I.am.absolutely.in love with this guy. Not IN love...no, but I definitely love his cause and his PASSION.
Moving from San Diego back to South Texas gives you a certain perspective on things. My eldest always ate breakfast at home but the one day we were running late that I allowed her to eat breakfast at school, they served crackers, raisins and orange juice. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, upon inspection of the menu, I noticed some familiar dishes from MY childhood such as breakfast pizza, waffle sticks and pop-tarts. Now maybe it's just me but neither options aren't real breakfast in my book. How about an egg? whole grain toast? But crackers?? Waffle sticks?? C'mon.
Needless to say that while I disliked San Diego's idea of breakfast, I really buckled down in making lunch for my eldest here in South Texas. Some of those things I just was not down for being put into my child's body. & so I started to wonder if there was a way to bring Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution HERE, to the Valley! Well, apparently there is!
I've already requested to start an "Edinburg TX Food Revolution" & the good people at Jamie Oliver's FR have given me the page on Facebook. Visit HERE & I ask you all to join me by either "liking" or sharing the page. Since it is new, exposure it greatly needed. I've already partnered with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition of Edinburg TX & am in talks with my daughters new school, IDEA.
The wonderful thing about IDEA is that they are a charter school so they have more control over what is served in the school. They have their own organic garden, serve salads every day & are truly making a difference.
I really want to get more into this but pending further dialogue with both Max Muscle and IDEA, I'll wait.
I'm very excited though. This is a great chance to make a change locally & I cannot wait.
Anyway, not long after, I discovered Hulu & have been watching the shows I want, when I want, on there. I guess that's all another blog but I've been keeping up with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (ABC) & I.am.absolutely.in love with this guy. Not IN love...no, but I definitely love his cause and his PASSION.
Moving from San Diego back to South Texas gives you a certain perspective on things. My eldest always ate breakfast at home but the one day we were running late that I allowed her to eat breakfast at school, they served crackers, raisins and orange juice. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, upon inspection of the menu, I noticed some familiar dishes from MY childhood such as breakfast pizza, waffle sticks and pop-tarts. Now maybe it's just me but neither options aren't real breakfast in my book. How about an egg? whole grain toast? But crackers?? Waffle sticks?? C'mon.
Needless to say that while I disliked San Diego's idea of breakfast, I really buckled down in making lunch for my eldest here in South Texas. Some of those things I just was not down for being put into my child's body. & so I started to wonder if there was a way to bring Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution HERE, to the Valley! Well, apparently there is!
I've already requested to start an "Edinburg TX Food Revolution" & the good people at Jamie Oliver's FR have given me the page on Facebook. Visit HERE & I ask you all to join me by either "liking" or sharing the page. Since it is new, exposure it greatly needed. I've already partnered with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition of Edinburg TX & am in talks with my daughters new school, IDEA.
The wonderful thing about IDEA is that they are a charter school so they have more control over what is served in the school. They have their own organic garden, serve salads every day & are truly making a difference.
I really want to get more into this but pending further dialogue with both Max Muscle and IDEA, I'll wait.
I'm very excited though. This is a great chance to make a change locally & I cannot wait.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's ALIVE!!
I've been trying to think about a subject to write about for this weeks blog but I don't like to write just to write so I figured I'd play it by ear & see what came up. Something always does, after all!
Well this afternoon, I was sitting down adding some flaxseed to my organic yogurt (that sounds very uppety, I know) when my sister-in-law & I got to talking about live cultures/bacteria. She was somewhat surprised to hear what I had to say & went on to ask, "You mean, there's a bacterial war in my stomach?" Ha ha. Well, in a way, YES.
I'm going to keep this as simple as possible, not because I don't think y'all will understand (I've tried keeping "y'all" out of my blogs. Can't do it) but because it can get REALLY confusing for anyone & it's easy to get lost in the terminology.
We all have bacteria in our stomachs. Some is bad. Some is good.
You may have noticed a relatively new term flying around in the world of dairy; "probiotic". When a yogurt claims to be probiotic &/or to include live cultures/bacteria, what it's basically stating is that the yogurt you are about to eat is ALIVE. This, believe it or not, is a GOOD thing. You WANT live yogurt & I'll tell you why.
Sometimes, when we put into our bodies the not-so-great stuff, our good bacteria team gets overwhelmed by the BAD bacteria team. Bad bacteria in our stomachs can cause many health issues such as diarrhea or yeast infections. You could even become more susceptible to other bacterial infections or develop food allergies. It could even make you fat.
Washington University researchers conducted a study that showed that when people on low-fat/carb diets lost weight, the "proportion of two key microflora - Bacteriodetes and Firmicutes, which compromise 90% of the gut flora - change." The study, by the way, was done first on mice then on humans. In both cases, obese subjects had more Firmicutes than the good ol' Bacteriodetes. They believe that the Firmicutes were actually absorbing more calories and turning them into fat because as the subjects lost weight, the Firmicutes - the ones we don't want - started to diminish while the Bacteriodetes - the ones we DO want - started to "flourish".
We have over 500 types of bacteria (probiotics) in our gut. We need the good guys in there and less of the bad ones so a good way to get some of these GOOD live probiotics is to make sure that you eat yogurt that contains these live cultures. The ones I eat and feed to my children are organic & I'll say which they are but, FYI, I don't receive any type of compensation for doing so.
I buy Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and Oikos (also a SF brand). These contain 6 live cultures and the Oikos contains five, & they are:
-Lactobacillus bulgaricus
-Streptococcus thermophilus
-Lactobacillus acidophilus
-Bifidus
-Lactobacillus casei
-Lactobacillus rhamnosus
There are other yogurts that contain live cultures so do your taste-bud research & I'm sure you'll find one you'll love.
BUT WHY NOT REGULAR YOGURT?
To put it simply, they are heat treated to extend shelf life but it kills the live cultures in the process.
And what of that flaxseed?
The flaxseed is, as everything, completely up to you. I encourage you to do your research on both probiotics and flaxseed but I add it because I can't really taste the difference & it's good for me! It contains omega-3 fatty acid ALA & it's a good source of SDG's (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside).
One thing I want you to remember, though, is that we're not putting anything in our body that isn't supposed to be there. If anything, what some companies do to their product to extend shelf life or to make it look "pretty", can really damage your health little by little. Yogurt wasn't MEANT to be heat treated so if you really want to get back to the basics, I recommend going probiotic. (& organic - at least on dairy - but that's another blog.)
Trend words come & go, especially in the health & fitness business but this one is gaining momentum for a reason. Knowledge is power! ;)
Well this afternoon, I was sitting down adding some flaxseed to my organic yogurt (that sounds very uppety, I know) when my sister-in-law & I got to talking about live cultures/bacteria. She was somewhat surprised to hear what I had to say & went on to ask, "You mean, there's a bacterial war in my stomach?" Ha ha. Well, in a way, YES.
I'm going to keep this as simple as possible, not because I don't think y'all will understand (I've tried keeping "y'all" out of my blogs. Can't do it) but because it can get REALLY confusing for anyone & it's easy to get lost in the terminology.
We all have bacteria in our stomachs. Some is bad. Some is good.
You may have noticed a relatively new term flying around in the world of dairy; "probiotic". When a yogurt claims to be probiotic &/or to include live cultures/bacteria, what it's basically stating is that the yogurt you are about to eat is ALIVE. This, believe it or not, is a GOOD thing. You WANT live yogurt & I'll tell you why.
Sometimes, when we put into our bodies the not-so-great stuff, our good bacteria team gets overwhelmed by the BAD bacteria team. Bad bacteria in our stomachs can cause many health issues such as diarrhea or yeast infections. You could even become more susceptible to other bacterial infections or develop food allergies. It could even make you fat.
Washington University researchers conducted a study that showed that when people on low-fat/carb diets lost weight, the "proportion of two key microflora - Bacteriodetes and Firmicutes, which compromise 90% of the gut flora - change." The study, by the way, was done first on mice then on humans. In both cases, obese subjects had more Firmicutes than the good ol' Bacteriodetes. They believe that the Firmicutes were actually absorbing more calories and turning them into fat because as the subjects lost weight, the Firmicutes - the ones we don't want - started to diminish while the Bacteriodetes - the ones we DO want - started to "flourish".
We have over 500 types of bacteria (probiotics) in our gut. We need the good guys in there and less of the bad ones so a good way to get some of these GOOD live probiotics is to make sure that you eat yogurt that contains these live cultures. The ones I eat and feed to my children are organic & I'll say which they are but, FYI, I don't receive any type of compensation for doing so.
I buy Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and Oikos (also a SF brand). These contain 6 live cultures and the Oikos contains five, & they are:
-Lactobacillus bulgaricus
-Streptococcus thermophilus
-Lactobacillus acidophilus
-Bifidus
-Lactobacillus casei
-Lactobacillus rhamnosus
There are other yogurts that contain live cultures so do your taste-bud research & I'm sure you'll find one you'll love.
BUT WHY NOT REGULAR YOGURT?
To put it simply, they are heat treated to extend shelf life but it kills the live cultures in the process.
And what of that flaxseed?
The flaxseed is, as everything, completely up to you. I encourage you to do your research on both probiotics and flaxseed but I add it because I can't really taste the difference & it's good for me! It contains omega-3 fatty acid ALA & it's a good source of SDG's (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside).
One thing I want you to remember, though, is that we're not putting anything in our body that isn't supposed to be there. If anything, what some companies do to their product to extend shelf life or to make it look "pretty", can really damage your health little by little. Yogurt wasn't MEANT to be heat treated so if you really want to get back to the basics, I recommend going probiotic. (& organic - at least on dairy - but that's another blog.)
Trend words come & go, especially in the health & fitness business but this one is gaining momentum for a reason. Knowledge is power! ;)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Down with the Sickness
For the past few days, I've been fighting to not utter the phrase "I'm sick". However, this morning, I could deny it no longer. My throat is scratchy, I'm congested, my head throbs and my allergies, albeit mild, are not helping.
I have felt like this &, yet, today was the first day I took some medicine for my headache. I don't usually take medicine because I figure my body's attacking the virus\bacteria on it's own & I prefer to just let it take its course. I do feel I should mention that I do check with a doctor first to be sure it's not something that truly requires medication.
Being sick always brings about the question, "am I okay to work out?". It's an important question to ask yourself because there ARE times that you really just need to eat some soup, lay down and rest. Of course, many people use the sniffles as an excuse &, when you have certain goals, that's just not really an ideal thing to do.
So how DO you tell if it's time to hang the towel, if at least for a day, or if you're okay enough for exercise?
The answer to that question should only come from two people: YOU &/or your doctor.
To help YOU make a better informed decision, I've compiled a small list of things to consider:
1. If you have fever or are throwing up, I'll tell you right now that you just need to give it up (until you feel better); you should not be exercising right now. Your core body temperature does not need to be higher if you have a fever and, if you're throwing up, a lot of movement is not going to be beneficial in any way. Not to mention, you could be contagious so if you go to a gym, it's just not nice gym etiquette to be spreading your germs. Sorry! & see your doctor for goodness' sake!
2. If you've got the cold or the flu, you could be feeling stuffed up, congested (as I am at this time), have a runny nose &/or have an itchy throat. Normally, these are not good enough reasons to not workout but, again, use your best judgment. If your cough or your congestion interfere with your ability to breathe properly, consider taking a break until it clears up a bit more. Normally, however, exercise helps in loosening up blockage and, if you have a headache, getting your blood pumping will open up the blood vessels that are causing the headache.
3. Muscle aches is also something to consider before deciding if you're going to exercise or not. Presently, I feel a dull ache on my shoulders which is accompanied by the stuffy head feeling. Not fun, but it's not too bad. If you have severe muscle aches, however, I would recommend you get yourself a good rest before continuing your exercise routine. My aches are not bad, like I said, but even I'm laying off the weight training for today & focusing on aerobics.
If you've read all this, have decided (hopefully, along with your doctor) that you're okay to workout but you just aren't feeling up to it, remember those endorphins & how working out can help in getting you into that feel-good mood for the rest of the day!
Exercise is FOR your health so don't think that working out or going for a run is ALWAYS the healthy thing to do. Sometimes, you have to listen to your body (AND YOUR DOCTOR) because it's what your body needs. As for me, I'm not feeling my hottest but it's not something a good workout can't help.
;)
I have felt like this &, yet, today was the first day I took some medicine for my headache. I don't usually take medicine because I figure my body's attacking the virus\bacteria on it's own & I prefer to just let it take its course. I do feel I should mention that I do check with a doctor first to be sure it's not something that truly requires medication.
Being sick always brings about the question, "am I okay to work out?". It's an important question to ask yourself because there ARE times that you really just need to eat some soup, lay down and rest. Of course, many people use the sniffles as an excuse &, when you have certain goals, that's just not really an ideal thing to do.
So how DO you tell if it's time to hang the towel, if at least for a day, or if you're okay enough for exercise?
The answer to that question should only come from two people: YOU &/or your doctor.
To help YOU make a better informed decision, I've compiled a small list of things to consider:
1. If you have fever or are throwing up, I'll tell you right now that you just need to give it up (until you feel better); you should not be exercising right now. Your core body temperature does not need to be higher if you have a fever and, if you're throwing up, a lot of movement is not going to be beneficial in any way. Not to mention, you could be contagious so if you go to a gym, it's just not nice gym etiquette to be spreading your germs. Sorry! & see your doctor for goodness' sake!
2. If you've got the cold or the flu, you could be feeling stuffed up, congested (as I am at this time), have a runny nose &/or have an itchy throat. Normally, these are not good enough reasons to not workout but, again, use your best judgment. If your cough or your congestion interfere with your ability to breathe properly, consider taking a break until it clears up a bit more. Normally, however, exercise helps in loosening up blockage and, if you have a headache, getting your blood pumping will open up the blood vessels that are causing the headache.
3. Muscle aches is also something to consider before deciding if you're going to exercise or not. Presently, I feel a dull ache on my shoulders which is accompanied by the stuffy head feeling. Not fun, but it's not too bad. If you have severe muscle aches, however, I would recommend you get yourself a good rest before continuing your exercise routine. My aches are not bad, like I said, but even I'm laying off the weight training for today & focusing on aerobics.
If you've read all this, have decided (hopefully, along with your doctor) that you're okay to workout but you just aren't feeling up to it, remember those endorphins & how working out can help in getting you into that feel-good mood for the rest of the day!
Exercise is FOR your health so don't think that working out or going for a run is ALWAYS the healthy thing to do. Sometimes, you have to listen to your body (AND YOUR DOCTOR) because it's what your body needs. As for me, I'm not feeling my hottest but it's not something a good workout can't help.
;)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Self-Support
Well, today I was reminded of one reason as to why I created this blog; self-support. I'm not really sure if that's a real word or not but it's a real action.
If you're like me and you lack support from almost everyone, one thing you DO need is the ability to remind yourself of why you do what you do. Support needs to come from yourSELF, the drive needs to come from yourself, the will, the dedication, the motivating words, everything, needs to come from yourself.
While it's true that anyone getting ready to tackle their health and fitness lifestyle needs to, first and foremost, be doing it for themselves, I think most of us would agree that it's nice to have friends and/or family that can offer some emotional support. We can also agree that hearing just a simple, "hey, you're doing great!" or "It's paying off" can feel really nice. I don't have that.
I need to be able to brush away bothersome comments and remind myself that this is for me. I enjoy this. I want this. I love this. I support me!
Granted, it's not always easy. Those pesky comments of "I don't see any results", the eye-rolling and questions like "when is this going to stop?" can really sting when they come from someone you love and, yourself, have always supported whether you agree with it 100% or not. It's life, however. It's not always going to be fair but in analyzing my particular situation, I realized something important: Nobody else is going to take care of my health except for me so I need to do it.
I have two daughters and I can take them to the park, play tag with them, run and jump on slides and merry-go-rounds just having fun. I can be in a swimming pool, show them how to do handstands under water and pretend I'm a shark. I don't get tired. I don't get out of breath. Nobody else is going to replace me as their mother being "it" or the shark or any of those things. I want those memories with my girls. I want to be the example in their life. I want to teach them to be kind, loving, healthy, ladylike, humble....all of those things.
Fitness and health are part of my life now. It will be for the rest of it, too. I'm not stopping because even if it ever stopped being about me, it would never stop being about them.
I understand it can feel like an ongoing war always trying to remind others as to why you do what you do. You can feel defeated and it can get depressing. But just as long as you always know why you do what you do, that's what matters. Self-support is for yourself, from yourself. Now that's support we can't go on without.
If you're like me and you lack support from almost everyone, one thing you DO need is the ability to remind yourself of why you do what you do. Support needs to come from yourSELF, the drive needs to come from yourself, the will, the dedication, the motivating words, everything, needs to come from yourself.
While it's true that anyone getting ready to tackle their health and fitness lifestyle needs to, first and foremost, be doing it for themselves, I think most of us would agree that it's nice to have friends and/or family that can offer some emotional support. We can also agree that hearing just a simple, "hey, you're doing great!" or "It's paying off" can feel really nice. I don't have that.
I need to be able to brush away bothersome comments and remind myself that this is for me. I enjoy this. I want this. I love this. I support me!
Granted, it's not always easy. Those pesky comments of "I don't see any results", the eye-rolling and questions like "when is this going to stop?" can really sting when they come from someone you love and, yourself, have always supported whether you agree with it 100% or not. It's life, however. It's not always going to be fair but in analyzing my particular situation, I realized something important: Nobody else is going to take care of my health except for me so I need to do it.
I have two daughters and I can take them to the park, play tag with them, run and jump on slides and merry-go-rounds just having fun. I can be in a swimming pool, show them how to do handstands under water and pretend I'm a shark. I don't get tired. I don't get out of breath. Nobody else is going to replace me as their mother being "it" or the shark or any of those things. I want those memories with my girls. I want to be the example in their life. I want to teach them to be kind, loving, healthy, ladylike, humble....all of those things.
Fitness and health are part of my life now. It will be for the rest of it, too. I'm not stopping because even if it ever stopped being about me, it would never stop being about them.
I understand it can feel like an ongoing war always trying to remind others as to why you do what you do. You can feel defeated and it can get depressing. But just as long as you always know why you do what you do, that's what matters. Self-support is for yourself, from yourself. Now that's support we can't go on without.
Friday, June 3, 2011
How the journey began...
First, let me begin by saying that I don't claim to know it all simply because I've started a blog.
No.
In fact, while I have studied to be a CPT and continually research different topics in the realm of haleness (health) and fitness, I would consider myself knowledgeable and, hopefully, helpful to all those who have questions or need guidance in this department.
Still, I have to admit that I hope to get a lot out of this blog for myself too. In all honesty, I don't have a bad support system, but it's not good; I'd say it's more non-existent. I am married to a Marine Corps veteran and while many would think that he would be all for my fitness craze; he's not entirely. Nobody else around me, really, has a love for health, fitness or whole foods the way I do except for perhaps a few acquaintances. And that's fine but it does get lonely in this little world of mine so, yes, I am eager to find more people like me. I know y'all are out there & that I'm not alone so, please...make yourself known! Ha ha. :)
You might want to know more about me, I'm sure, and how I got on this path. Well, I've never really exercised growing up, nor did I feel I had to. With my mom building her business, she stopped cooking and started carrying-out by the time I was 14 or so. We were a low-income family so when we'd get food stamps, we'd go to wal-mart and stock up on oven pizza, microwavable burritos and, pretty much, anything with an abundance of trans fat.
I didn't know how to cook and fast food restaurants were our daily (yes, daily) poisons of choice. Rest assured, my parents loved me but, like many other families, were uneducated on what these frankenfoods were doing to us.
But I was a teenager! and I *looked* healthy.
At 20 years old, I got married to my high school sweetheart while he was home on leave. That's also when I got pregnant. While he was away learning Marine stuff, his mom was teaching me to cook. We are somewhat old-fashioned, by the way, so I like to take my role as traditional wife pretty seriously. At about 3 months of pregnancy I moved to Southern California (SoCal) and had our first daughter in 2004. Fun stuff, that labor.
Once I could, I started working out to Tae-Bo whenever I got a chance so it wasn't very consistent. My diet didn't really change, though I was cooking home cooked meals by then (tacos, enchiladas, tortas = not that much better), but I was getting my sweat on. Sort of. I mean, the workouts weren't easy but they weren't that challenging so I lingered between a size 9/10.
Again with the making of the story shorter, we moved within SoCal a few times, had another baby girl, completed two deployments to Iraq and all that good stuff.
This is going somewhere....I swear.
The 2nd deployment, I moved back to Texas with the girls to be with family. I also joined a new gym, 600+ GymSpa, here in South Texas. Anytime Juan (my husband) was gone, I'd be out most of the day, keeping busy with running from the gym to ballet to museums and events for kids. I mean, I kept BUSY. I got myself acquainted with some of the gym machinery and lost about 15 pounds. Then I got hypothyroidism which really sucked cus it made it really hard to lose weight no matter how much or how little I ate. That eventually went away but by the time my husband deployed for a third time, I had discovered *drumroll*, Beachbody.
No, I am not a coach. I don't sell it. If you get it, I don't profit from it. I.JUST.LOVE.IT.
Insanity was a personal challenge. When it's telling you, "this isn't for the weak"...oh, it's a challenge. I ACCEPT! So I did two rounds and, wow, the results were awesome. I had MUSCLE! I could look down when I showered and...wait, no. But this time I was in SoCal. I hadn't moved back to Texas with family and so when I had nothing else to fill my time with, I filled it with research. Research on exercise moves, muscles, foods, organics, aliens and UFO's! I guess the last two aren't relevant but, let me just say, that researching those things when you don't have someone bigger and stronger to hug at night IS a mistake. Also...don't watch "The Fourth Kind" alone.
Anyway, when my husband got home, I got on birth control for the first time EVER and made the even bigger mistake of getting the shot (depo; the only one where weight gain IS confirmed). Eventually, I tried P90X and fell in love with Beachbody alllll over again. Suffice it to say that I am on my 3rd round and my 1st round of TurboFire and I absolutely love it.
But it all began with Insanity. It was then that I realized I had it in me to do these things and it was then that I began to study to become a certified personal/aerobic trainer. I wanted to share what I'd learned! I wanted to change lives and inform people! I want to show people, especially low-income families, how they can make small changes and live healthier, better lives ON budget! THIS is what I want. That's why I got certified and that's why I'm here.
I want to teach and I want to learn.
No.
In fact, while I have studied to be a CPT and continually research different topics in the realm of haleness (health) and fitness, I would consider myself knowledgeable and, hopefully, helpful to all those who have questions or need guidance in this department.
Still, I have to admit that I hope to get a lot out of this blog for myself too. In all honesty, I don't have a bad support system, but it's not good; I'd say it's more non-existent. I am married to a Marine Corps veteran and while many would think that he would be all for my fitness craze; he's not entirely. Nobody else around me, really, has a love for health, fitness or whole foods the way I do except for perhaps a few acquaintances. And that's fine but it does get lonely in this little world of mine so, yes, I am eager to find more people like me. I know y'all are out there & that I'm not alone so, please...make yourself known! Ha ha. :)
You might want to know more about me, I'm sure, and how I got on this path. Well, I've never really exercised growing up, nor did I feel I had to. With my mom building her business, she stopped cooking and started carrying-out by the time I was 14 or so. We were a low-income family so when we'd get food stamps, we'd go to wal-mart and stock up on oven pizza, microwavable burritos and, pretty much, anything with an abundance of trans fat.
I didn't know how to cook and fast food restaurants were our daily (yes, daily) poisons of choice. Rest assured, my parents loved me but, like many other families, were uneducated on what these frankenfoods were doing to us.
But I was a teenager! and I *looked* healthy.
At 20 years old, I got married to my high school sweetheart while he was home on leave. That's also when I got pregnant. While he was away learning Marine stuff, his mom was teaching me to cook. We are somewhat old-fashioned, by the way, so I like to take my role as traditional wife pretty seriously. At about 3 months of pregnancy I moved to Southern California (SoCal) and had our first daughter in 2004. Fun stuff, that labor.
Once I could, I started working out to Tae-Bo whenever I got a chance so it wasn't very consistent. My diet didn't really change, though I was cooking home cooked meals by then (tacos, enchiladas, tortas = not that much better), but I was getting my sweat on. Sort of. I mean, the workouts weren't easy but they weren't that challenging so I lingered between a size 9/10.
Again with the making of the story shorter, we moved within SoCal a few times, had another baby girl, completed two deployments to Iraq and all that good stuff.
This is going somewhere....I swear.
The 2nd deployment, I moved back to Texas with the girls to be with family. I also joined a new gym, 600+ GymSpa, here in South Texas. Anytime Juan (my husband) was gone, I'd be out most of the day, keeping busy with running from the gym to ballet to museums and events for kids. I mean, I kept BUSY. I got myself acquainted with some of the gym machinery and lost about 15 pounds. Then I got hypothyroidism which really sucked cus it made it really hard to lose weight no matter how much or how little I ate. That eventually went away but by the time my husband deployed for a third time, I had discovered *drumroll*, Beachbody.
No, I am not a coach. I don't sell it. If you get it, I don't profit from it. I.JUST.LOVE.IT.
Insanity was a personal challenge. When it's telling you, "this isn't for the weak"...oh, it's a challenge. I ACCEPT! So I did two rounds and, wow, the results were awesome. I had MUSCLE! I could look down when I showered and...wait, no. But this time I was in SoCal. I hadn't moved back to Texas with family and so when I had nothing else to fill my time with, I filled it with research. Research on exercise moves, muscles, foods, organics, aliens and UFO's! I guess the last two aren't relevant but, let me just say, that researching those things when you don't have someone bigger and stronger to hug at night IS a mistake. Also...don't watch "The Fourth Kind" alone.
Anyway, when my husband got home, I got on birth control for the first time EVER and made the even bigger mistake of getting the shot (depo; the only one where weight gain IS confirmed). Eventually, I tried P90X and fell in love with Beachbody alllll over again. Suffice it to say that I am on my 3rd round and my 1st round of TurboFire and I absolutely love it.
But it all began with Insanity. It was then that I realized I had it in me to do these things and it was then that I began to study to become a certified personal/aerobic trainer. I wanted to share what I'd learned! I wanted to change lives and inform people! I want to show people, especially low-income families, how they can make small changes and live healthier, better lives ON budget! THIS is what I want. That's why I got certified and that's why I'm here.
I want to teach and I want to learn.
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