I want a women's FITNESS magazine, not FASHION!

When you're obsessed with something, it's hard to get it out of your mind.  I've found myself thinking about fitness while at work or doing chores.  When I have free time, I'm reading blogs and online articles about health!  I can't get enough - I want to hear about scientific studies, new recipes, the best workout routines, success stories - you name it, I wanna read about it!  So I browsed through the magazine section last time I went grocery shopping, eager to find one that I could read cover to cover and subscribe to.

Side-note and props to Fitness - your cover model actually looks healthy and beautiful!

Now, I'm going to save you the rant, but believe me, there's one that's boiling deep down inside.  Every magazine that I flipped through inevitably reminded me of Cosmo.  There were tips on applying make-up, getting more shine in your hair, or the hottest fashions - and I'm talking about night-on-the-town fashions, not work-out clothing or running shoes!  I ended up picking Fitness Magazine, solely based on the fact that it was the cheapest.  I also grabbed a Men's Health for the hubby.

 

I did enjoy some of the articles and advice within Fitness Magazine, but started to get frustrated as I neared the end within an hour of reading it.  I threw it across the room and picked up the Men's Fitness instead.  It was like night and day!  Here were the tips and advice I was looking for!  OK, I admit I did skip through some pages (I do not want to sculpt my body like Spartacus), but everything seemed more relevant and had more depth.

Ignore the creepy seal-man on the cover...

 

I'm stopping there because I'm not turning this post into a review, just like I didn't want it to be a rant.  It's more of a personal preference and observation that I made.  Obviously the majority of women out there need help matching their eyeliner to their nail-polish - otherwise these magazines wouldn't sell - but I'm not one of them. 

 

Do you have any recommendations for this average girl who doesn't wear heels but wants to know how to use a Bosu Ball?  

Let me know!

Have you noticed my baggy jeans?

Today, for the first time, someone noticed that I was losing weight! 

I stood staring at my co-worker after her observation of "Wow, it looks like you've lost weight!" stunned me into silence while we were chatting at the printer (we don't have a water-cooler, so we improvise). She must have took my gaping mouth for complete confusion when she followed up with "What, you mean you aren't working out or something?  Your pants are baggier."  The baggy pants statement shook me out of that deer-in-the-headlights feeling.  Yes, I am working out and eating healthy, thanks for noticing.  And no, these are not my baggy pants from 1997 - those are long gone, Missy!

 

Having someone other than the hubby comment on my weight loss made my day!  Especially since the scale has only shown about 5-7 pounds of loss, depending on the day. Even though I've already tightened my belt 1 notch for good, and my boot-cut jeans ARE getting a little baggy, to have someone notice gave me such a boost in self-esteem that I'm walkin' on sunshine!  It's finally paying off!  Bring It On!

 

No - this is not a picture of me because:

A. I'm no where near that thin yet, and B. I know how a tape measure works.

An Unfaithful Valentines Day

I think I need to start treating my healthy lifestyle like a relationship.  I never have and never will cheat on my husband, so why do I keep cheating on my diet?  Remember how I swore I wouldn't have a little fling with smothered burritos?  Well, I've stuck to that promise, but resorted to a one-night-stand with a large bowl of queso (cheese and salsa) dip and chips.  It was a tough day at work, I only had a small lunch and was still hungry, and queso has always been my comfort food, my de-stresser.  So, I went out to a local Mexican restaurant and got the large chips and queso to-go.  I ate the full amount back at my desk, enjoying every cheesey bite.  And then that full feeling set in.  Like when you realize you ate a whole gallon of ice cream while watching a movie - that feeling.  It was towards the end of my day as well, so I knew that within a few hours I would be working out.  Great, how will I be able to work out without puking feeling like a hippo?

 

My Casanova

 

I came home, and my husband greeted me with a glass of fresh pineapple, orange, coconut and apple juice from our juicer and a hard boiled egg for our snack before going to the gym.  I broke out in tears.  (Ladies, you understand how a random act of kindness can provoke tears! Gentlemen, you know women are crazy, so don't judge!)  I told him what I ate and how bad my stomach hurts and how I just want to curl up in a ball and wallow in my misery.  We sat down and had a long talk about sticking to our plan, creating habits, and admitting that mistakes happen.  I didn't want to go work out - BUT I knew that if I didn't go, subconsciously I would know that in the future, if I eat something bad, then I had an excuse to skip the gym.  That would just equal more 'mistakes' in the future!  So, after taking some medicine, I drank my juice and went to the gym....and worked my ass off!

 

I went up another level on the elliptical and kept my speed above 7 (usually I struggle to keep it above 5).  I did an extra set of reps on each weight machine (I usually do 3 sets of 5-10, depending on the weight).  AND I went back to the elliptical two extra times!  I was dripping sweat by the end, but my stomach ache was gone and I felt pretty proud of myself that I didn't let my mistake get in the way of being healthy!

 

It's tough to change your cravings and habits.  I'm always craving cheese, and I still don't think I'm at the point that I could turn down a greasy slab of pizza if it was offered.  But I'm getting there - one push up at a time!

Oh - and Happy Valentines Day my Bloggin' Buddies!

There'd better be a giftcard to Qdoba in that box mister!

(photo courtesy of Markuso)

MyFitnessPal = MyBestFriend

One of the biggest eye openers as I started this journey to being healthy is how many calories I normally consume in a day!  I think I fell asleep in my high school health class on the nutrition day.  I had a very skewed view about how many calories I should eat in one day.  I understood that by looking at a nutrition label that 2000 calories are recommended per day.  Well, I figured that must be the low end.  The number you have to hit if you're trying to be uber-healthy!  So if I saw an 800 calorie serving, I shrugged and ate it anyways, figuring that it was only 800 calories.  A few of those a day won't kill me!

 

And then I saw the results of a couple fitness calculators online.  Based on my 50 hours-a-week desk job, in order to start losing weight I need to be under 1350 calories a day!  1350!  I easily consumed more than that within a couple hours at a Friday night party with beer, chips and pizza!  No wonder I've been steadily gaining weight! 

 

I went on a mini-researching spree online, looking at how many calories some of my favorite meals and snacks were.  Are you ready?

 

1 bag of Smartfood Popcorn - 160

1 serving Easy Mac - 230

12-count chicken nuggets with Ranch dressing from Chick-fil-a - 550

1 full Tortinos Pizza - 728

6 oz Baskin Robin's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream Milkshake - 760

Qdoba 3-cheese nachos with chicken - 1125

Whiskey River Burger from Red Robin (just the burger, no sides!) - 1129

 

And those were just the calories!  I won't add to my embarrassment by including the fat and sodium levels!  By looking at how much I was eating, I knew I had to start tracking my calories STAT!

 

I downloaded an app on my smartphone called My Fitness Pal, which is one of the highest rated and downloaded apps currently, besides Calorie Tracker.  (My husband downloaded Calorie Tracker so we could compare, and they both are equally useful - so no need for a comparison!).  Throughout the day I can either search for the food I'm eating, or actually scan the barcode to easily locate the nutritional value.  There are also areas within the app for me to record my weight and measurements, or to add notes about the day.

 

Not my screen - but a good example of how it works!

 

This calorie tracker app is essentially a food journal, and that's how programs like Weight Watchers work so well.  Instead of assigning points, I just check out how many calories I've consumed so far, and how many calories are left.  If I work out and add that activity to the journal, my calorie 'allowance' for the day goes up.  I understand now why programs that make you keep a journal have such a high success rate.  I can see what I'm putting in my body and see the mistakes I make.  If I eat a spinach and cucumber salad with light raspberry vinaigrette, (like I did for lunch today), I can see that I consumed UNDER 200 calories for that meal, which leaves room for more options at dinner.  And if I decide to eat a smothered burrito for lunch instead like I did last week, I see that number staring up at me, and I hate to say it, but the guilt trip works!  I know that I've failed for the day.  But in that failure, I can learn and not make the same mistake again!  At least not with the same burrito...

 

Tracking your calories may not be what works for you, but I recommend it for anyone who considered a whole box of Kraft Mac and Cheese okay to eat as a snack. Not the single serving Easy Mac packets that I mentioned above, but a full prepared box, mind you.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

 

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

 

Juicer for V-Day

I've always been bad at keeping presents a secret...so the moment one of my Valentines Day presents came in the mail that I bought for the hubby, I knew I had to gift it immediately or spoil the surprise!

I bought him a Juicer!  We've never had one before, and in fact do not currently own a blender.  With our recent obsession with healthy living, which has included a few Jamba Juice trips, a juicer is not only a financially smart investment, but something we could have fun with. The hubby ran out to the store right away and brought back:

Carrots
Pineapples
Mixed Berries (prepackaged)
Apples
Oranges
Bananas

And then he threw a little bit of everything into the juicer!  And Viola - our first cup of frothy yumminess:

So far we're loving it - everything we try is delicious! Stay tuned for recipe reviews and a peak into the juicing book I bought the hubby.

Nachos made me cheat

I have a fear with this healthy lifestyle I'm trying to live.  That I won't be able to actually practice what I preach.  I am struggling with eating healthy all day long.  A healthy breakfast?  Sure!  A salad for lunch?  Yummy!  But give me the option to purchase a smothered burrito with chile con queso to dip some chips in, and I haven't found a way to turn it down!  This week I gave in to that burrito on Tuesday when I went out for a friends birthday.  And last night I munched on some nachos at the bar during Trivia Night.  The culprit is the cheese.  And I can't figure out how to banish it from my life!

 

"Just Say No" does not apply to a Coloradan

The most confounding thing about my cheese weakness is that I do NOT feel good afterwards.  I feel my shoulders slump, my stomach pooches out a bit, and I'm tired.  I know that if I ate a fully balanced meal instead, I would be energized, working out the next day would be easier and I would be closer to my weight-loss goal! I know this in my mind, but in practice I revert back to the old couch potato in seconds.  How do I overcome this?  I might have to try a new goal for myself.  To spend one whole week only eating healthy. No allowances, no "cheat days." 

 

Cheat Days.  What a horrible device!  Each time I ate 'unhealthy' I would excuse it as being part of my Cheat Day - even though the hubby and I decided that Friday nights would be our Cheat Night.  It allows me this mentality of "oh, if I claim this is a Cheat Day Meal, then it's okay to eat a 900 calorie lunch!  I'll just be better tomorrow!"  And that is the failure of many diets.  And the reason why I continued to gain weight.  I thought that there's always a tomorrow, so I'll inhale that burger today!  What I never realized is that there's no time like the present, and my decisions today will effect my actions tomorrow.  So, to get into a healthy habit, let's give this a try.  1 week.  No Cheat Days.  Let's see if this works.... 

 

Um, I didn't say when I would start that 1 week....it's fully okay to wait until after our Cheat Night Dinner tomorrow night, right?  Don't judge me...didn't I start this post out saying that I don't think I'll be able to practice what I preach?

To Train or not to Train - Are Personal Trainers Worth the Money? Part 1

As I mentioned, we received one free personal training session through our gym, and put us through a workout that a drill instructor would be jealous of.  But it will cost us some serious dough to continue to have sessions, so the question arose: Is a personal trainer worth it?

 

Oh, oh yes. YOU are worth it, sir.

(photo courtesy of photostock)

 

Well, let's examine what a personal trainer actually does:

 

1. Motivates and pushes you.  This is probably the biggest reason most people would give when asked why they throw hundreds of dollars for a trainer.  It takes a firm resolve to actually drive to the gym, and once you get there, even a greater resolve to push your self to your limits.  Which is why most people will do a few weights, spend some time on the treadmill, and go home.  A personal trainer will not let you off so easily, as I experienced with my 'buckets of puke' post!

 

2. Sets achievable short and long term goals and tracks your progress towards those goals.  Sure, I want to lose weight - I mean have you seen me in a tank top lately - and I think I set a pretty achievable goal for the end of summer to hike and camp on that trail with the hubby.  But just like you don't go from a first date to marriage (this ain't Las Vegas, baby), you cannot go from being a couch potato to hiking a fourteener.  You need those steps in the middle.  A trainer has experience and knows how to set that road map out for you!

 

3. Tells you what to eat and what to stay away from.  I know that the first things to be cut out of my everyday munchies include fast food and soda, but a trainer will point me in the right direction with supplements, portion sizes and other need-to-knows with nutrition.

 

The issue with every one of those points is that I could technically do all those myself.  My husband and I are tackling this gym and healthy lifestyle road together, so he's great at providing me the motivation.  Thanks to various apps I can track my weight loss, calorie intake and other goals. And there are numerous websites with nutritious and low-calorie recipes that I can look up on my own.  It's like paying someone to walk with you to work each day, pointing out when you should cross the street and reminding you to lock your car - it's not necessary! 

 

But, maybe it is necessary in this instance.  I mean, I never work myself to the point of passing out like the trainer did.  And looking at rows of protein powders and making a random pick based on a blog you read is nothing compared to your trainer saying that she uses a particular brand - and seeing the results right in front of you!  That's the thing - this trainer is a mother of two, a couple years older than me, and looks fantastic!  I want her body after I have kids!  She must be doing something right to look so good.  That's why I think I'll spend the money for her expertise - how hard she works me and the motivation she gives me by keeping her own body and spirit in shape!  Because hell, if I can look like her one day, I'll have it MADE!

 Welcome to the gun show, bitches!

(photo courtesy of photostock)