Its been a long time since I have been on! Ooops!! We have been so busy this last week, I haven't even had time to think! Ben's little brother, Sam, got married last weekend and there was plenty of family in from out of town! But I am back, and will make it a better habit to post more often.
Last week was rough, with the wedding and all and I also missed two classes. After feeling like total crap because of it, I decided this is my week. On Monday, I had my fit class and my trainer decided to switch things up! We still did weights, just a different routine. The good news is, I increased my weight! I could definitely feel it the next day. Today, we did cardio. We wear heart rate monitors (in my case, suppose to be wearing, its awfully expensive!) to reach certain zones at certain times of the workout. I accomplished this by not only increasing my speed, but by increasing by incline. Let's just say, there was one point in the workout when my trainer came over and cranked up the incline! It was a tough work out, but I felt great after. So, on Monday, we had to set a weekly goal, and today we all weighed in. My goal for this week is to lose two pounds. I was not happy at weigh in! Hopefully next week will be a different story.
While doing our workout today, the nutritionist was in to talk to us. Her topic tonight was PROTEIN. Protein is obviously an essential element in weight loss, and helps revive your muscles after a work out. During her talk, I realized I am not eating enough protein, and not eating enough period. I have gotten in the habit of counting calories (which I will never stop) and its something that is not important. I thought 1200 calories would be a good place to be, but it definitely is not. Food is fuel. Food keeps your body going. It helps your brain think, your legs walk and your heart pump. You just have to make sure you are putting the right things in your body!
Tonight, after my workout, I made a protein smoothie. And let me tell you, it was the best one I have ever made! Its hard to find the right consistency and the right combination of yogurt and fruit. This time, I stayed away from the yogurt. I used 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, about a 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1/2 a scoop of vanilla protein powder. So yummy!! Perfect for after a workout. I am also on a strict breakfast per my trainer of 2 eggs (which I put 1 tablespoon of salsa on them, yum) and a 1/2 cup of oatmeal with a small amount of almond or peanut butter, and a half a packet of Stevia (sweetener)
Talk soon!
I will leave you with a tidbit about protein, and a quote.
Hello!
Busy week this week with starting my Team Fitness team and the Dakota County fair is going on. Not a good combo! Side note: A bull got loose at the fair, injured ten people. Pretty scary! Anyway, I have gone to two Team Fitness classes this week and I am really enjoying it so far! Here are the dirty details: We meet 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Monday and Thursday are strength training and Wednesday is cardio. My trainer/instructor is really awesome and very motivating. She talks to us the whole time we are working out and we discuss how we are eating, etc. There are about 5-7 of us, depending on the day. The only thing I can say that I dont like about it is that I am the youngest one (other than the trainer) However, it is motivation because I push myself to do better than all of them. Monday's strength training consisted of a group of weight machines, 7 stations total, and we rotated through them, doing 40 seconds, break for 10, then 40 more seconds. We did that a total of 3 times on each machine. Let's just say I was really sore the next day! Tonight's cardio workout consisted of sprinting up and down a hill (a steep hill I might add!) for one minute, then walking at a fast pace for 20 minutes. The nice part about this was that we got to be outside! It was so nice out tonight. Then we came back and sprinted up and down the hill again, and walked for another 20. Kristin (trainer) then gave us two cardio workouts that we have to complete on our own time before next week.
We talked a lot tonight about how we are eating. My biggest struggle. I start the day of really well. I eat a healthy breakfast every morning, a healthy snack mid morning, and my lunches have been really great, staying around or below 400 calories. I LOVE veggies, but I need to get better with fruit. Then, 4:00 hits. The dreaded craving sets in. I want candy, chocolate, ice cream, ANYTHING sweet. So far my cravings have taken over, and I feel like the whole day is a waste. I turned to my amazing sister-in-law for advice, and she gave me the idea to change one thing at a time and stick with it. SO! 4:00 is now FRUIT TIME! :) :) I also have been writing down every thing I eat, which has to be turned in to Kristin on Monday! How embarrassing! Lesson learned! Tomorrow is going to be a good day!
Hello Everyone!!
My first post! So many things to say! Well, first off, this blog is to document my weight loss journey. I have always wanted to start a blog for many reasons. One of my absolute favorite movies is Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep. In the movie, Julie starts a blog and cooks/blogs her way through Julia Child's cook book. After watching that, I wanted to start one myself. But what about?
Weight loss. My newest passion in life. On Saturday August 3rd, I signed up for my first ever 90 day challenge at Lifetime Fitness. Tomorrow, Monday August 5th, I will attend my first Team Fit class and officially commit to a team of 8-10 people who are also beginning a new journey as well. Once a week, I get to meet with a dietitian and will be attending Team Fit classes and meetings 3 times a week. I had my initial weigh in on Saturday and will be weighing in weekly or bi-weekly with the team.
Why am I blogging this? And why now?
Accountability. I want to share this journey with my family, friends and anyone else who is willing to take the time to read this so that I have some sense of accountability. I would feel pretty darn stupid in front of all of you if I still looked the same at the end of these 90 days! So please, I invite all of you to comment, read, suggest, push, yell, support, and motivate the heck out of me to help me accomplish my goal!
To Inspire. If I can do it, so can all of you!! I hope to motivate those around me to join me in this journey and get healthy! I plan to share the things I learn at Lifetime, along with my successes and struggles along the way!
Why now? The question has multiple answers. My #1 is to be healthy. Not only to lose the weight, but to learn to live a healthy lifestyle. To make it a way of living. I know that Lifetime Fitness is going to guide me through my journey and give me the tools I need to accomplish my goals. I clearly have not been able to this on my own, so I am thankful that I have found a program that will help me!
I also am doing this for my parents. I have thought about them a lot and they have been a big part of my decision to do this. For those of you who don't know, my dad passed away suddenly when I was 9 years old and I just lost my mom last September from Leukemia. Their lives were cut so short, and they were unable to do so many things they wanted to in life. I want to make the best out of my time here on earth, and in order to do that, I must be healthy.
So I invite you to join me on my journey in the next 90 days. Stop by daily to track my progress and read up on tips, ideas, workouts, recipes, etc. I thank you all now for taking time out of your day to read this and for all of you support on the days to come!! Love ya!
