It's 12:33AM.
I can't sleep.
Also, it may have been a few years since I've blogged.
Welcome back, me.
Or maybe not.
Maybe, right now, I just need to write.
People have often told me they like my page, & me, because I keep it real. I don't just talk about the motivation or my healthy diet, but also about the not-so-awesome parts...like when there's NO motivation, or when I want to take my clothes off, clap my hands together & nose dive into the first cake I see.
I'm about to lay another one on you, but before I do, I want it to be crystal clear that my lifestyle, mentality, choices are not - NOT - En Oh Tee - representative of all females in fitness.
So here it is:
I am NOT fun.
I haven't been "fun" in years.
You know those late night beers you sometimes have with your spouse/significant other? Yea, I don't have those. Or what about those spontaneous baking days where y'all are super cutesy getting messy with cake batter or frosting, which may lead to pre-cake sex? Nope. And those random moments you're out running errands together, happen to get hungry & opt for an ice cream or...pretty much anything else that can come out of a drive thru window!! Yeaaaa, no. Oh, but those date nights. *wink wink* Surely, I must indulge a bit & share a dessert or at least order something fruity & alcoholic! Nnnnno, can't say that happens.
Sad story: last week, my husband asked the girls if they wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese. My youngest said, "we can't until tomowow 'cus today is mom's lo-cawb day". Haha. Oh that cutie. We plan these things for Sunday when I refeed. I was admittedly conflicted about this.
& if I don't take food with my in the car to run errands, we literally spend double on gas to get to a place where I can eat grilled chicken & veggies for double what everyone else's meal cost.
& booze! Oh the booze issue. I mean, me - myself -, I don't need alcohol. You can find me dancing & chatting up random, cool people WITHOUT it. I don't need it to get down like James Brown, y'all. But some people are kind of turned off by the lone non-drinker at the table, especially when playing drinking games. Let me tell you, it's tough to play "Never Have I Ever" without beer. (Although, I will say this, there's no way I was winning that game anyway.)
Ok, so I don't really "indulge", or "cheat", or "live".
C'mon, you must be exclaiming, there has to be boundaries to your insanity, Judy.
What about days your spouse wakes up & says, "let's stay in bed & cuddle"? Normally, I stay in bed. For about 10 minutes. 15, maybe. Then I put my hand on his chest, lean into his ear & romantically say, "it's leg day".
Sometimes, my husband does not feel like working out, which is normal 'cus this life is not HIS life. It's mine. He enjoys it. The man lifts. But, if it were up to him, we'd hit the gym three, maybe four times a week. I lift 5 days a week with Saturday being my run day. I mean, I'm not COMPLETELY inconsiderate. I have agreed to take 1 day off from my regular training every month, but it's not like he can just say "Hey, babe! Wake up! We're going to SPI today!" 'cus -in my mind - I'm thinking, "Yey!! We hitting chest before or after?"
Spontaneity? Drunken sex? Hunger? NOT ON MY WATCH!
I must admit, I'm a little "extreme". But I feel I have to be. I'm not one of those people that can cheat every weekend & be good. Also, I am not a sexy chubbs! I have seen sexy chubbs. I am not one of them.
I'm more the type that will spot you. When lifting together, we joke & make jabs at each other relentlessly. I will surprise you at work with a protein shake & a note asking, "Do you even lift?" I will massage where it's sore. I will help prep meals. I will help log your reps & weight. After we use a piece of equipment, you spray, I wipe.
How sweet, I know.
Sure, a lot of people have what's called "balance". But nothing ever gets 100%. There's priorities & there's 1, 2, 3, etc, not some fairytale scale making sure your job, family, health & money all get 100% of your attention. You are 1 (100%), then there's everything else & you're divided into smaller percentages (family, 70%, work, 20%, health, 10%).
Clearly, my fitness lifestyle is a priority. Do I put it above my relationships? Sometimes.
So why am I writing this? Not just so people can dub me selfish & obsessed. But thanks. I'm writing it because I want spouses, specifically, to look at each other today & appreciate what they see.
To the one that wants a fitter lover: That man/wife of yours may be a few pounds overweight but you do enjoy those late night beer conversations, don't you? He/She may not be as fit as you'd like to see them, but that treat y'all share has become a staple on Sunday mornings. Whatever it is....you share something beautiful with another person. Before you wish they change, make sure you know what you're asking for. Are you willing to sacrifice too?
To the one that wants to be fitter: Be prepared to not be "fun" to others sometimes. Even if all you do is CUT down, you're just not gunna be as cool as you were before.
I, for one, think I'm fun. I can have a good time.
I'm not a boring person, but I'm not a "normal" person either. &
people like normal. I don't, really, but people tend to connect with others like them so I get it. People want to be understood. They want to not feel judged. They want to feel like they have a common interest with another person. They want to feel accepted for who they are.
I know.....cus I'm kind of a "people" too.
I think people forget that sometimes.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Friday, February 10, 2012
Family Matters
"Haters gon' hate."
Some of my sisters (I have FOUR! Yikes.) like to make comments about my body. They're at least a decade younger than me so they do have different up-bringing than I, but even as a kid, making comments about someones body wasn't "wrong" or "bad" so when they say things about me, I try not to take it personally. They are, after all, teenagers and, though I love them, their comments do not change my perception of myself. I know who I am. I know what I want. I know who I want to be. So what does it matter? Right?
It depends.
If they were strangers, I really would not care but comments from family DO bother me, no matter how hard I try to not let it get to me. No, they don't bother me to the point where I cry or have a bad day or even linger in it but, in the moment, for that second, it stings. Why lie, right?
I'll give an example: I went by last night and my 17 year old sister called me "she man" which was, okay, not bad. Really, she's made comments about me having muscle before so it didn't surprise me. But THEN she and my 15 year old sister started to actually stare at my body and criticize it. "You're losing your butt.", and things of that sort. I was taken aback by that simply because, for the first time since becoming an adult, I actually felt like I was under some microscope, being analyzed and critiqued for my body, and it kind of took me back to when I was a teenager myself, putting MYSELF under a microscope. I wondered the usual, the most cliche thing that mom's always tell their kids: Are they jealous?
I really don't know the answer to that question and actually doubt they have any desire to have muscle, but I do know that they wish to lose weight so it crossed my mind. Or are they just plain ol' meanies? Haha. In any case, I don't think they wanted to hurt my feelings but I also don't think they know what impact their words can have, especially on another teenager who, unlike me, might be insecure with their body image.
The truth is this: It stings, if even for a minute, when family makes comments like that but...BUT... I remember being a teenager, looking at myself in the mirror and wanting to FIX so many things about myself. Not two years ago, I would undress to shower, look at myself in the mirror and shake my head in disappointment. Outings would almost always start with me rummaging through size 13 clothes, feeling defeated and upset that I "didn't have any clothes" (i.e., nothing fit right). Now...laugh if you want, but I sometimes pose in front of the mirror...haha...and I love...LOVE...who I see staring back at me. I feel GREAT in my clothes...and I'm actually typing this with tears in my eyes because I've never been happier with my body and it took me SO long to learn to appreciate and love my body for what it is, for what it has (stretch marks, for instance), for what it can do day in and day out and for its possibilities. The most amazing thing is that I have learned to love my body with EVERY SINGLE imperfection. I don't have a flat stomach, I still have cellulite but through this journey, I have seen what my body can do if I take care of it and THAT is what made me learn to love it no matter WHAT size I am or what imperfection it carries.
I love how clothes fits me and I love what getting healthier did for my HEART. Getting fit isn't just about what's on the outside. Getting healthier made me a better person because it make me more compassionate towards those who struggle this struggle, it made me a better citizen because I reach out and volunteer to help those who wouldn't be able to get help without paying, it made me wiser, it made me stronger in every sense, it made me a better mother, and it made me a better wife and lover.
I can't control what others think of my body, much less what they say about it. I can only control MY emotions, MY reactions, MY body and that's all I need, really. That's all we ALL need. In the end, it's YOUR body and you do with it what you want. Only you control what goes in it and how you let it fuel you. Do not...I repeat...do not ever let anyone make you feel like something or someone that you are not, whether they are "joking" or not.
Do you know what you want from your body? If you do, then go get it.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Why you need a heart monitor.
I've been meaning to write this for a while. I've been pretty busy but seeing as how the new year has begun & a drove of people are invading gyms everywhere, I thought I'd write about heart monitors.
Stay with me. I know you're thinking you just want to lose a little weight, and you just don't need such gadgetry. Or maybe you're taking baby steps & a heart monitor seems like an unnecessary leap into something that might not aid you in reaching your goal.
There are many benefits to using a heart rate monitor during exercise. It allows you to see whether you are not working intensely enough or if you're working TOO intensely to where it's counter productive. It also allows you to determine what "zone" you want to stay in. More about that in a bit.
But let's move on for now....
The amount of calories you put into your body and the amount of energy you use up on your activities will determine your body weight. Therefore, balancing your calorie input with your energy output helps maintain your weight; adjusting your energy output with your calorie input will help you achieve your desired weight. Simply remember that when you take more calories than you need to perform your day's activities, your body stores the extra calories and you gain weight. On the other hand, you lose weight if your body uses your stored calories when you take less calories than you use. This concept is no secret!
So now we know that if you are gaining/storing fat, you are eating more calories than your body is able to burn, right?
But how do you GET that information?
Well, you need to know, at least roughly, how many calories you're taking in. Now don't go running off on me just yet. The truth is that it's not time consuming to do this. My favorite site to use is www.livestrong.com & there's even an app if you have an iPhone, iPad or iTouch. Just punch in what you ate and walah!
But now you need to know how many calories you've burned! In comes the heart monitor. Once you've established your Target Heart Rate, it's as simple as putting on a watch and that's it. Punch that in into Livestrong.Com (free!!) & it'll show you what you need to change, how you're doing, your progress and you can even input your own meals in there so you know how many calories a serving has.
There are a few key words I want you to understand before we begin:
Resting Heart Rate - (RH) is how many beats per minute your heart beats while at complete rest, like in the morning while you're awake in bed, before getting up.
Maximum Heart Rate - is the level, or heart beats per minute, that must never be exceeded. This is determined by your age with the following equation, 220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate.
I am 27 years old so 220-27=193. When I do cardio, I am between 165-175, so knowing your heart rate when you're exercising is important for your health. You do NOT want to go over your MHR.
Target Heart Rate - is the heart rate range that you should try to maintain during exercise.
And before you ask, "but how do I know what my Target Heart Rate is?", I'm going to link you to a great step-by-step guide that will show you how here ---> http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate
Recovery Heart Rate - is also important to know because you want to know your heart is recovering at a steady pace. Your heart rate should be below 120 after 2-5 minutes after exercise has stopped. If your heart rate is still high, you didn't cool down well enough or a low fitness level may be the cause.
Zones
ASSUMING you now know your THR, let's talk about those "zones" again. Using the information you've calculated, you now want to pick a zone to work in and try to maintain your heart rate at that level.
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!
Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.
Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability, which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.
Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.
(The link I provided above will help with this. Don't let is overwhelm you. Take it one step at a time and you can't get lost. If you do, feel free to message/comment on Alegria Fitness and I will try to help as much as I can.)
Look, I remember what it was like to read about all this when I first started. I put it off for a long time, thinking it just wasn't necessary. Then I spent time researching and really taking the time to just understand it. I assure you, it's worth it.
Stay with me. I know you're thinking you just want to lose a little weight, and you just don't need such gadgetry. Or maybe you're taking baby steps & a heart monitor seems like an unnecessary leap into something that might not aid you in reaching your goal.
There are many benefits to using a heart rate monitor during exercise. It allows you to see whether you are not working intensely enough or if you're working TOO intensely to where it's counter productive. It also allows you to determine what "zone" you want to stay in. More about that in a bit.
But let's move on for now....
The amount of calories you put into your body and the amount of energy you use up on your activities will determine your body weight. Therefore, balancing your calorie input with your energy output helps maintain your weight; adjusting your energy output with your calorie input will help you achieve your desired weight. Simply remember that when you take more calories than you need to perform your day's activities, your body stores the extra calories and you gain weight. On the other hand, you lose weight if your body uses your stored calories when you take less calories than you use. This concept is no secret!
So now we know that if you are gaining/storing fat, you are eating more calories than your body is able to burn, right?
& we know weight is lost when caloric intake (calories in ingest) is less than caloric output(burn via exercise).
A good weight loss strategy is to reduce daily caloric intake by 500 calories. Though you can lose weight by simply reducing calories, a combination of increased physical activity and calorie reduction will bring quicker results.
But how do you GET that information?
Well, you need to know, at least roughly, how many calories you're taking in. Now don't go running off on me just yet. The truth is that it's not time consuming to do this. My favorite site to use is www.livestrong.com & there's even an app if you have an iPhone, iPad or iTouch. Just punch in what you ate and walah!
But now you need to know how many calories you've burned! In comes the heart monitor. Once you've established your Target Heart Rate, it's as simple as putting on a watch and that's it. Punch that in into Livestrong.Com (free!!) & it'll show you what you need to change, how you're doing, your progress and you can even input your own meals in there so you know how many calories a serving has.
There are a few key words I want you to understand before we begin:
Resting Heart Rate - (RH) is how many beats per minute your heart beats while at complete rest, like in the morning while you're awake in bed, before getting up.
Maximum Heart Rate - is the level, or heart beats per minute, that must never be exceeded. This is determined by your age with the following equation, 220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate.
I am 27 years old so 220-27=193. When I do cardio, I am between 165-175, so knowing your heart rate when you're exercising is important for your health. You do NOT want to go over your MHR.
Target Heart Rate - is the heart rate range that you should try to maintain during exercise.
And before you ask, "but how do I know what my Target Heart Rate is?", I'm going to link you to a great step-by-step guide that will show you how here ---> http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate
Recovery Heart Rate - is also important to know because you want to know your heart is recovering at a steady pace. Your heart rate should be below 120 after 2-5 minutes after exercise has stopped. If your heart rate is still high, you didn't cool down well enough or a low fitness level may be the cause.
Zones
ASSUMING you now know your THR, let's talk about those "zones" again. Using the information you've calculated, you now want to pick a zone to work in and try to maintain your heart rate at that level.
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!
Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.
Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability, which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.
Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.
(The link I provided above will help with this. Don't let is overwhelm you. Take it one step at a time and you can't get lost. If you do, feel free to message/comment on Alegria Fitness and I will try to help as much as I can.)
Look, I remember what it was like to read about all this when I first started. I put it off for a long time, thinking it just wasn't necessary. Then I spent time researching and really taking the time to just understand it. I assure you, it's worth it.
Friday, December 9, 2011
HIIT
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.
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.
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. :)
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