...about going to the gym 3x's per week, I have to say that I didn't make it at all this week. This was a week of appointments, school work, birthday parties (one was my fiance's, which we celebrated on three separate occasions) & really big work commitments (long hours). AHHHHH!!!! I still have ball hockey tonight though. I am quickly realizing that if I can't get to the gym on a Thursday night and it's a busy weekend, then it is tough to get to the gym 3 times in a week - but will continue to try.
BUT.....a huge positive is that I am wearing pants that I haven't worn in over 8 months. I decided to try them on today as I am actually "feeling" thinner (which is a very nice feeling!) and they actually fit - okay, a little snug, but I could close the zipper & button!
I did some internet research and found the following - yes, they have guys doing the exercises in the photos, but I'm familiar with some of them from previous workouts, and look forward to trying them out:
The Chest Weight Lifting Exercises
#1 Incline Dumbbell Presses
#2 Flat Dumbbell Presses
#3 Incline Dumbbell Flys
The Ab Workout
#1 Crunches
#2 Reverse Crunches
The Back Weight Lifting Exercise
#1 One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
#2 Bent-Over Barbell Rows
#3 Pullups (Cable Pull Downs)
Tomorrow night, I am going to start my routine of rotating through the different parts of my body while working out - one night arms, one night legs and one night chest/back/abs. Hello wedding dress!
I am looking forward to getting on the scale tomorrow morning to see what I way (bet you don't hear that often.......). In the late summer/fall I was tracking my weight when I got my new fancy scale and I was shocked to look back and see I was weighing in between 168 and 174.2!!! I can't believe during the warmest part of the year, I was walking around at that weight - I definitely want to enjoy this summer wearing tank tops and shorts and not feel uncomfortable, or that I have to cover up.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Creating a Balanced Workout
Becky is doing a fantastic job of making it to the gym 3xs a week and is combining weight training and cardio to see some fantastic results! Becky has never worked with a personal trainer since they can be a little pricey. As a result she has not had the privilege of having a weight training program put together for her. One of the things we have discussed is rounding out Becky's weight training program. When we started Becky was doing some weight training on her arms. From there she added some strength training for her legs. I recommended she add some weight lifting for her legs since the legs are the largest muscle group and therefore she could burn more fat even when resting the more muscle she builds. Now we are looking to round out her training even more so that she creates a balanced musculature for her body. Becky has planned to look into training her chest and back as well. This works out perfectly for her three days at the gym since she can do one day of legs, one day of arms and one day of chest and back. This way she gets a really well rounded full body muscle workout.
One of Becky's chores this week as to search out resources that would help her find exercises for her chest in back. I was hoping to be able to post some resources and links from the web, but I haven't come up with anything that I am really happy with yet. Then I went to my local public library and typed "weight training for women" in their serach engine. The search revealed several books that focus specifically on women's weight training. So this can be an extremely accessible and affordable solution for a lot of women. Go ahead, search it out and choose a book that appeals to you. Most of these books have weight training programs that you can follow for a set number of weeks.
So Beck, how's it going? What resources have you come across to help you round out and balance your weight training regime?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I'm lovin' the snacks....
Having the snacks around really works! I have a secret "snack" drawer at work that I can go to when I'm craving a snack. Unfortunately, my fiance Sean also knows about the drawer (we work together) and helps himself on a regular basis! Although, it kind of makes me smile and I enjoy seeing him go into the drawer, because at least he's eating healthier snacks as well, instead of a chocolate bar from the vending machine!
I managed to get to the gym twice this week, in addition to my ball hockey game last night (we won!). I'm counting helping Sean's brother move on Sunday as my third workout - as he's in a townhouse condo, with three full flights of stairs to get to the top floor! I went up and down those stairs numerous times (and then some.....).
Still haven't made a smoothie for breakfast in the morning, a goal to strive for this upcoming week. I have been eating something breakfast each day though, whether rye toast or some cereal, minimal effort to get me into the habit of eating breakfast. One day this week, I actually ate my cereal before even showering, as I was wanting it right when I woke up!
As of this morning......
Weight: 165.0
Body Fat: 33.4
Water: 48.6 %
Bone Mass: 6.5
0.1 lb away from a heavenly facial!!!!
I managed to get to the gym twice this week, in addition to my ball hockey game last night (we won!). I'm counting helping Sean's brother move on Sunday as my third workout - as he's in a townhouse condo, with three full flights of stairs to get to the top floor! I went up and down those stairs numerous times (and then some.....).
Still haven't made a smoothie for breakfast in the morning, a goal to strive for this upcoming week. I have been eating something breakfast each day though, whether rye toast or some cereal, minimal effort to get me into the habit of eating breakfast. One day this week, I actually ate my cereal before even showering, as I was wanting it right when I woke up!
As of this morning......
Weight: 165.0
Body Fat: 33.4
Water: 48.6 %
Bone Mass: 6.5
0.1 lb away from a heavenly facial!!!!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Long weekend, without an extra day in it!
I had a wedding this weekend, which was okay, because there's a preset meal that's usually "pretty" balanced. I did have a 1/2 a piece of chocolate cake for dessert, which is very restrained, - as there was an entire buffet table of desserts to choose from!
My one problem, was the three hour break we had between the ceremony and the reception. We ended up going to the mall (we hadn't bought the gift yet!), which ended up with us walking up & down the mall to pass time and right past the food court, where we shared a fries and drink. I will be working extra hard at the gym tonight to burn off those fries! As french fries & potato chips (okay really any potato-type creation) are my fall-back snack food, I got a great idea from my "coach", to still have the fries but to make them from scratch - oven baked with a little seasoning salt. I will definitely be trying this recipe out.
I also went out last week and bought about $20 (on top of my $300 grocery order last week) of alternative snacks - instead of falling-back to the potato chips. I bought rice cakes, bread sticks (low fat ones), melba toast and a nut/raisin mix. I really enjoyed the flavoured rice cakes to snack on over the weekend.
Tomorrow I'm going to try my first fruit smoothie to get me going in the morning. It's a struggle for me to eat breakfast in the morning, as I used to work out in the field, and would have really early mornings and was too lazy to make breakfast, which has become a habit.
My one problem, was the three hour break we had between the ceremony and the reception. We ended up going to the mall (we hadn't bought the gift yet!), which ended up with us walking up & down the mall to pass time and right past the food court, where we shared a fries and drink. I will be working extra hard at the gym tonight to burn off those fries! As french fries & potato chips (okay really any potato-type creation) are my fall-back snack food, I got a great idea from my "coach", to still have the fries but to make them from scratch - oven baked with a little seasoning salt. I will definitely be trying this recipe out.
I also went out last week and bought about $20 (on top of my $300 grocery order last week) of alternative snacks - instead of falling-back to the potato chips. I bought rice cakes, bread sticks (low fat ones), melba toast and a nut/raisin mix. I really enjoyed the flavoured rice cakes to snack on over the weekend.
Tomorrow I'm going to try my first fruit smoothie to get me going in the morning. It's a struggle for me to eat breakfast in the morning, as I used to work out in the field, and would have really early mornings and was too lazy to make breakfast, which has become a habit.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Big pat on the back for Becky!!!
After one week of nutrition and lifestyle coaching Becky can take full credit for a 2 pound weight loss. Considering she has 27 weeks to lose 15 pounds I would say she is well on track to reaching her target weight. Join me in a round of applause in congratulating Becky on her first 2 pounds!
Becky has experienced many successes this week. She continues to limit herself to 1 diet coke per day. This seems to be keeping her happy without depriving her of her favourite indulgence. Another success to report is making it to her planned 3xs/week at the gym + the aforementioned sweaty ball hockey. Great physical exercise is surely contributing to her weight loss. She also managed to make the switch to eating dinner before the gym without too much pain. All these things are contributing to Becky's forward progress.
We discussed some of Becky's upcoming challenges this week. Becky mentioned that she anticipated craving potato chips and french fries this week. We planned to have some healthy alternatives on hand so that she could avoid indulging herself in a family size bag of potato chips.
Another challenge that Becky is experiencing is eating a good sized breakfast. Currently she grabs a few raisins or a piece of fruit on the go. Considering breakfast is the most important meal of the day and sets the tempo for the metabolism for the rest of the day I have encouraged Becky to increase her calorie intake at breakfast. Becky has committed to having a fruit smoothie in the mornings as a way of starting to eat more breakfast. Still, Becky is doing a good job at getting something into her system first thing in the mornings and she needs to be credited for that. When I first started encouraging my hubby to eat breakfast he started with a donut and a coffee. I was just happy he was getting into the habit of eating something, anything in the morning. Baby steps. Now he sits down to museli bread and a boiled egg most mornings!
One thing to consider when setting a weight loss goal is how to reward your successes. Don't want to do that with a big old slice of chocolate cake. Becky has decided to reward herself with a facial once her scale shows her that magical number below 165.
I'm looking forward to Becky posting about her fabulous facial! Aren't you?
Becky has experienced many successes this week. She continues to limit herself to 1 diet coke per day. This seems to be keeping her happy without depriving her of her favourite indulgence. Another success to report is making it to her planned 3xs/week at the gym + the aforementioned sweaty ball hockey. Great physical exercise is surely contributing to her weight loss. She also managed to make the switch to eating dinner before the gym without too much pain. All these things are contributing to Becky's forward progress.
We discussed some of Becky's upcoming challenges this week. Becky mentioned that she anticipated craving potato chips and french fries this week. We planned to have some healthy alternatives on hand so that she could avoid indulging herself in a family size bag of potato chips.
Another challenge that Becky is experiencing is eating a good sized breakfast. Currently she grabs a few raisins or a piece of fruit on the go. Considering breakfast is the most important meal of the day and sets the tempo for the metabolism for the rest of the day I have encouraged Becky to increase her calorie intake at breakfast. Becky has committed to having a fruit smoothie in the mornings as a way of starting to eat more breakfast. Still, Becky is doing a good job at getting something into her system first thing in the mornings and she needs to be credited for that. When I first started encouraging my hubby to eat breakfast he started with a donut and a coffee. I was just happy he was getting into the habit of eating something, anything in the morning. Baby steps. Now he sits down to museli bread and a boiled egg most mornings!
One thing to consider when setting a weight loss goal is how to reward your successes. Don't want to do that with a big old slice of chocolate cake. Becky has decided to reward herself with a facial once her scale shows her that magical number below 165.
I'm looking forward to Becky posting about her fabulous facial! Aren't you?
I got a compliment!
We have a massage therapy program at work, and our massage therapist hasn't seen me since mid-December 2006 and almost immediately after laying down on my stomach, she asked if I'd lost weight! She said she noticed it in my hips and shoulders - woohoo!!
I cheated last night.....
I played ball hockey last night with friends, and boy am I used to softball and golf - which essentially requires no real physical activity. I was huffing and puffing after playing ball hockey for about 5 minutes (and we played for an hour!!). Two girls on the floor at all times and there were only three of us, I was actually sweating! I look forward to playing next week.
Then......we headed to St. Louis Bar & Grill, our sponsor for the team and proceeded to have a beer (then drank half a jug of water), wings and some french fries - all to celebrate our.....loss (by one goal)! Why do this the night before you're going to weigh yourself you may ask (and what I was asking myself as I kept dipping the fries in ketchup and putting them in my mouth)!?!
I really have no answer.
As of this morning......
Weight: 166.6
Body Fat: 33.3
Water: 48.6
% Bone Mass: 6.5
I'm drinking a lot more water, and I still can't get the water # to increase. I feel like I'm floating away sometimes, and I can't imagine how much water would be required to get that number to move.
Then......we headed to St. Louis Bar & Grill, our sponsor for the team and proceeded to have a beer (then drank half a jug of water), wings and some french fries - all to celebrate our.....loss (by one goal)! Why do this the night before you're going to weigh yourself you may ask (and what I was asking myself as I kept dipping the fries in ketchup and putting them in my mouth)!?!
I really have no answer.
As of this morning......
Weight: 166.6
Body Fat: 33.3
Water: 48.6
% Bone Mass: 6.5
I'm drinking a lot more water, and I still can't get the water # to increase. I feel like I'm floating away sometimes, and I can't imagine how much water would be required to get that number to move.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
My stomach is grumbling!
I feel like I'm eating more, but my stomach continues to rumble every couple of hours during the day - then I snack on veggies or a piece of fruit and I'm good for another couple of hours till my meal.
Last night, Sean and I did a "test-trial" of eating first and then going to the gym together. Sean's exact word's were "it wasn't that bad actually", which means he'll join me again in reformatting our exercise time! Otherwise he would have had some lonely dinners left on the table for him, as I made dinner first and then went to the gym by myself!
Waiting two more days to check if I've lost any weight (fingers crossed), and will also report on water % bone mass and body fat - I have one of those fancy scales! I can't believe how much I am craving water. I am limiting myself to one diet coke per day (previously I would sometimes go the entire day and realize I had only had diet coke and no water)!
P.S. I hate that photo - seriously, I'm never wearing horizontal stripes again. For anyone that happens to read this, I don't usually look like that. We started a "wall of fame" at work so new employees could check out the board and match names to faces, and this was a test photo to see how far they had to be from each person to get the same size photos - it shouldn't have made the board, but it's a source of inspiration!
Last night, Sean and I did a "test-trial" of eating first and then going to the gym together. Sean's exact word's were "it wasn't that bad actually", which means he'll join me again in reformatting our exercise time! Otherwise he would have had some lonely dinners left on the table for him, as I made dinner first and then went to the gym by myself!
Waiting two more days to check if I've lost any weight (fingers crossed), and will also report on water % bone mass and body fat - I have one of those fancy scales! I can't believe how much I am craving water. I am limiting myself to one diet coke per day (previously I would sometimes go the entire day and realize I had only had diet coke and no water)!
P.S. I hate that photo - seriously, I'm never wearing horizontal stripes again. For anyone that happens to read this, I don't usually look like that. We started a "wall of fame" at work so new employees could check out the board and match names to faces, and this was a test photo to see how far they had to be from each person to get the same size photos - it shouldn't have made the board, but it's a source of inspiration!
Monday, January 15, 2007
The "BEFORE" picture
I asked Becky if she had a photograph of herself that motivated her towards her goal of losing 15 pounds by her wedding. This was the photo she sent me. So, here is the before. We can't wait to share the after in her beautiful wedding dress on July 27th!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
The end is near to the first weekend of actually trying to lose weight for my wedding in July! It's not going to be an easy task, but I definitely have a worthwhile goal this time.
It's really easy to make "weight goals" for upcoming events (i.e., company christmas party, other people's weddings that I'm attending, etc.) and then break them without another thought when I don't reach my "goal weight" and just wear the "fat" dress in the back of the closet. BUT, this time it's my wedding and that is once in a lifetime!
Since our coaching call last week, I've gone to the gym twice and really enjoyed both visits - there is definitely a renewed vigour and interest in working out! Once more this week to reach my goal.
I blew an extra $100 at the grocery store and filled the fridge with fruits (the ones I actually like) and veggies (which I love raw!). I've bought groceries to makes meals, before we go to the gym. I tried eating first and then going to the gym on Friday night and I really enoyed it - that way I wasn't eating at 9 pm at night.
Shower was somewhat of a success, I ate veggies from the veggie tray I bought, and a few other things on the table (small piece of lasagna, egg salad sandwich and a few meatballs) - I didn't have dessert and drank water!
Tomorrow I'll be back to work and on a regular eating schedule, weekends can be tough and I'm glad the first one is done on my journey to looking AMAZING, improving my health and enjoying life with my new husband!
It's really easy to make "weight goals" for upcoming events (i.e., company christmas party, other people's weddings that I'm attending, etc.) and then break them without another thought when I don't reach my "goal weight" and just wear the "fat" dress in the back of the closet. BUT, this time it's my wedding and that is once in a lifetime!
Since our coaching call last week, I've gone to the gym twice and really enjoyed both visits - there is definitely a renewed vigour and interest in working out! Once more this week to reach my goal.
I blew an extra $100 at the grocery store and filled the fridge with fruits (the ones I actually like) and veggies (which I love raw!). I've bought groceries to makes meals, before we go to the gym. I tried eating first and then going to the gym on Friday night and I really enoyed it - that way I wasn't eating at 9 pm at night.
Shower was somewhat of a success, I ate veggies from the veggie tray I bought, and a few other things on the table (small piece of lasagna, egg salad sandwich and a few meatballs) - I didn't have dessert and drank water!
Tomorrow I'll be back to work and on a regular eating schedule, weekends can be tough and I'm glad the first one is done on my journey to looking AMAZING, improving my health and enjoying life with my new husband!
Becky starts nutrition and lifestyle coaching
Becky is a new nutrition and lifestyle client who started working with me to lose 15 pounds before her wedding on July 27, 2006. Becky mentioned other concerns such as high cholesterol, heart burn, and knee problems that we will keep in mind.
Last Thursday we discussed Becky's goals and the challenges she faces in achieving those goals. Becky has decided to combine efforts in the arenas of diet and exercise to lose the extra weight.
Current Weight: 168.6
Weekly Exercise Goal: Hit the gym 3x's this week. Try to round out cardio with a full body weight training program, as Becky was just working out her arms up to this point.
Challenge: Eating dinner before hitting the gym to avoid eating late at night.
Solution: Becky decided to take time over the weekend to meal plan and grocery shop so that she would have good meals ready to go on week nights.
Challenge: Trying to stick to healthy eating when at parties.
Solution: Becky decided to take a raw veggie tray with her to a baby shower that she was attending this weekend. She also decided to eat before she went so that she wouldn't snack on unhealthy food.
Last Thursday we discussed Becky's goals and the challenges she faces in achieving those goals. Becky has decided to combine efforts in the arenas of diet and exercise to lose the extra weight.
Current Weight: 168.6
Weekly Exercise Goal: Hit the gym 3x's this week. Try to round out cardio with a full body weight training program, as Becky was just working out her arms up to this point.
Challenge: Eating dinner before hitting the gym to avoid eating late at night.
Solution: Becky decided to take time over the weekend to meal plan and grocery shop so that she would have good meals ready to go on week nights.
Challenge: Trying to stick to healthy eating when at parties.
Solution: Becky decided to take a raw veggie tray with her to a baby shower that she was attending this weekend. She also decided to eat before she went so that she wouldn't snack on unhealthy food.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)