Vacation - 1 pound, not too bad

So, I've been on vacation the past two weeks. I gained only 1 pound. For being at a country club with very rich food, I consider this a blessing. However, PMS aside, I'm still feeling like I'm going in the wrong direction. I see my double chin forming. It's a small little droopy thing right now, but it is there.

All I know is that I need an attitude change in the worst way today. I hurt my knee over vacation and it still hasn't healed so I can't go hard core. What is going on? I wanted to try and now I don't even have a good chance at it without good enough exercise. I guess I can go back to pilates and gentle walks and such. Will this budge the weight?

Am I supposed to simply learn to accept myself, tiny double chin and all and be happy anyway? This is such a foreign concept to me.

Again, attitude change. I feel blah and right now I'm wallowing in it. Let's see if the Universe decides to give me a hand up.

Let freedom ring

Happy 4th of July weekend. It's been a crazy week. I started Pilates on Monday and did 3 days of it. The other days I did some toning before bed. Then two days ago, I started Nordic Tracking again. I did 20 minutes on Friday with 2 miles and then yesterday did 30 minutes with 3 miles. Today, we shall see if I get to 4 miles.

I've been so blah about working out lately. I think I'm just not excited about it like I once was. I'm hoping with the addition of being able to listen to my iPod and my own set of tunes will boost me. Yesterday was INXS' Kick - great workout album. I might play Dave Matthews today.

Maybe I need to pull together a collection of all time workout tunes so I never have a slow moment.

This weekend I was by myself, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I found out that I definitely need time to reconnect with self and source in order to feel sane. When you have work and family constantly going, it can be difficult to have time for yourself. So, I will find a way to have a little time each day - hopefully at least an hour - to have the time to focus more within. 30 minutes of meditation and 30 minutes of working out would be great alone time!

All in all, I do need to find either a workout, music or something else that will get me excited again so working out becomes a part of my life again.

With that said, I'm off to Nordic Track. Maybe a 4 miler...stay tuned!

Fitnfun

Bad week and stressed out

I had a bad week with no exercise at all. I've been quite stressed trying to figure out life. This week I'm at least attempting to do pilates every night before bed. Two days down!

More later...

Fitnfun :O)

Blogging to let go of the past

I had an up and down day today after a week of almost self destructing. I gained a pound and now it is pre-monthly bill week.

This morning I rode 5 miles on a local trail. I'm starting to get used to my gears. There was only one really challenging part, and the rest was just a lot of fun. I'll have to calculate how many steps this ride would be.

I had a light lunch afterwards. For breakfast I had some eggs, and the only snack I've had is an all natural snack bar. Eating wise I have been stellar.

However, I decided to go clothes shopping to see if I could find some summer pants/shorts/skirts. I found that even the bigger size was a little tight. I went home without anything, and I flopped on my bed and got ready to break down and cry. Then, all of a sudden, a shift happened. A light bulb went off. I have a choice. It was my choices that got me into this (for the most part, not counting illness past), and it is my choices that can get me out of it.

I've been mostly blaming allergies for my low energy, but what if it is lack of exercise? It has been a while since I whole hog worked out.

I also was thinking how our thoughts are what turns into emotions. What if I decided not to think about it and instead ignore the underlying thoughts and take action instead?

So, I decided not to think, not cry, got up from my bed, and then I did 20 minutes on my Nordic Track which translated into 101 calories burned and a little over 2.5 miles.

I'm proud of myself for not breaking down and instead went for breaking a sweat.

Tomorrow I will weigh and measure myself and formulate some workout plan for the week. What if I choose to go whole hog for one week straight? What would happen? It would be a good experiment.

Lastly, I have been thinking about the last time I needed to lose 15 pounds. I was in the summer before my junior year in high school. I went low fat, counted calories, and worked out like a fiend. Later I wasn't needing to work as hard to maintain, but maintain I did for about 10 years. I got sick and didn't workout. I gained the weight back, plus, I got older (which can't be helped). When I was 16 I promised myself that I wouldn't gain the weight back, but I see that I have. It's over 20 years later and I've been hating myself for a promise that was ill made (literally) and very young and naive.

I'm working on choosing to forgive and just let it go. I kept this promise for a long time, but I didn't figure in all the road blocks that could have come my way. Maybe it would have been better to simply promise myself to be good to myself. This seems to be a little more realistic. Don't you think?

Time to hit the shower. Have a great weekend!

Fitnfun :O)

Woo Hoo! 4 miles baby!

Yesterday we went garage/yard sale hopping. We finally found a Nordic Track with a computer for $5. The Nordic Track wasn't as good as the one I already have, but the computer, after a quick clean up by my fiance, works really well. It's in kph instead of mph so I need to convert, but I think I got it down now.

I found that I workout the best with my nordic track if I have the tunes blasting and I push myself with the random computer setting. I'd get to 3 miles and only 26 minutes so I'd push to get to 30 minutes and see that I was almost to 4 miles so pushed a little more. Overall - 4 miles - 34 minutes - 160 calories! Good workout! I was sweating and got an all over body workout. On the slow songs I'd jack the resistance up and get my lower body strengthening in. On the fast ones, lower setting so I could go real fast with my upper body burning from the rope action!

I don't know why the Nordic Track lost a following. It is still one of the best workouts out there. You get everything targeted for a 30 minute workout. Cross country skiing is still one of the best calorie burner/toners out there. My recommendation is to go to garage/yard sales and/or thrift shops and pick a Nordic Track up for $10 or less!

I'm thinking of doing some pilates/yoga tonight to round off today's workout. My goal date is May 26th and I'd like to lose anywhere from 5-9 pounds. I'm ready to do this now.

I tried on two pairs of my old pants. One I couldn't get over my big butt, and the other I couldn't zip it up due to my muffin top belly, but I have visions of getting into these pants soon.

It is time to shed this image for a new one that matches me better. A more fitnfun image!

Fitnfun :O)

Blew it last night....

I had a slice of cheesecake and I didn't workout yesterday. Enough said. I will get back to it today. I'm wearing my step meter. Let's do this!

Fitnfun :O)

Did myself proud today!

Today I did really well! I worked out for 50 minutes on my nordic track, did well with my eating. I drank a good amount of water, and my steps were at least over 2,000 (yes, the only low of the day).

I still need to get more steps in, but with the working out, it was probably closer to 5-6,000. 120 steps/minute times 50 minutes is 6,000 steps. So maybe even closer to 8,000!

I did happen to catch the Biggest Loser tonight. I am extremely impressed with the old guy walking the 26 mile marathon. He did not give up despite his problems with diabetes. It was truly inspiring. It made me say out loud, "I need to step up now."

So tomorrow, I'm going to get to 10,000 steps! I'm going to eat well, drink lots of water and take my vitamin supplements.

I scheduled a photo shoot on May 26th with my photographer friend. I want to look good since it will be a surprise present for my fiance.


Fitnfun :O)

Disgusted and adjusted...

I had a good/bad week this week. Wednesday I was good from the momentum on Tuesday. I set a goal of 5,000 steps and I logged in at 5,075 and I went on a mini-hike with my fiance! Thursday was only 2, 075 steps, but I did do some gardening. I was working like a dog that day and sitting on my butt at my computer most of the day. Friday, I felt so blah, worked on my butt again all day, and just gave up. Eating wise, I pigged out on nacho cheese chips.

This morning I gave myself a pep talk. I want to make the changes to be successful. I shifted my goal to May 26th, but I'm not changing it again. If I push myself a little harder, which is what is needed, I can make my goal!

This morning I gave myself quiet time in the morning and will add back in meditation. I worked out today with Turbo Jam Remix and added the 2 pound weight gloves. I was sweating! I did make it through the entire workout too!

I did happen to read more of the step diet book. It can be a little complicated adding up all the steps for the food you eat, so I think I will just concentrate on getting the steps I need to lose the weight. The good news is I found out that other activities besides walking are valued at around 150-220 steps/minute. So if I walk and do another activity like my aerobics, I can make it to the 10-12,000 steps needed for me to lose weight! Tomorrow I'll start wearing the pedometer again and make sure I plan for 40-60 minutes of working out at least four - five times a week .

Eating wise, I'm going to be good today and eat as clean as I can. Tomorrow I will figure out a week schedule. I do better if I have some kind of schedule, as you can see, I didn't this week.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend, and I'll blog at you tomorrow!

Fitnfun :O)

Back in step!

I have been off and on sick the past week. My right ear was completely clogged. I finally broke down and went to the ear doc and had my ears irrigated. I can hear again! I'm not getting dizzy at the drop of a hat anymore!

So, time to get back to it. I bought the Step Diet book to get to know all about the steps program. It was at Ross for only $3.99. Not bad!

I've only read the first chapter, but the book converts calories in and calories out into steps so you can figure out a good amount to eat for yourself and a good amount to workout.

It has a very cool appendix section. Section A is about Energy Awareness. It talks about portion control and gives you tips of what to cut out (like using one egg and one egg white for scrambled eggs) to help you stay energized with less calories.

Section B is a BodySteps table and gives you the amount of steps your body burns for you considering your weight and height. What it doesn't say is if the number applies towards a year, month, week, etc. I'm confused! I looked in the book and it is for a formula to find out your percentage of energy burned during your typical day. I'm not quite in that part of the book, so I will wait on this one.

Section C gives you a chart to find the MegaStep value for foods. It helps you calculate how many steps it takes to burn off the amount of food or how many steps you need to splurge.

In the book there is also a section of steps per minute of other activies like swimming, skiing, etc. It has one chart for men and one for women. Men burn more calories per minute. No wonder it's easier for them. Bah!

I also found a useful chart of steps per calorie, again, one for men and one for women. If I want to burn off a pound, according to the chart, I will need to take 115,500 steps. If I want to lose that in a week, I need to take at least 16, 500 steps per day. Yikes! I'm barely getting in 2,000-6,000 on average. I'm hoping there is another number in there somewhere that decreases this.

As soon as I read more, I will blog more. It seems like a well thought out plan, although perhaps a little complicated at times. However, taking steps and taking more steps is something we all can strive for (pun included!).

Fitnfun :O)

Back at it take 2,000,0003

It seems like I'm always starting again. I guess that is life. I'm feeling a little better now so I'm back at it for real this time.

On my day of feeling better, I made my goal and a few more...6,223! So, today, let's see if I can get to that again or more. To get to the goal, I did stairs and Nordic Track in the morning and then for an hour bounced around and walked my downstairs floor plan while watching the Biggest Loser. It worked, but I think I rather actually do an activity instead next time.

Yesterday I had a day where I felt bad again, but it might have been something I ate. I logged only 1, 522 steps.

Right now at 10:10AM I'm at 1,009. Good start to the day. I hopped on the Nordic Track for 15 minutes to get me a better start to the day. It is rainy outside so I will have to resort to working out inside today.

Eating wise, my portions have been smaller so I think I am doing well and eating healthy, and I'm taking supplements (vitamins and herbs) to boost my system too. I've been taking extra vitamin B and that seems to help quite a bit for more energy.

This morning I realize more than ever that I need to become more focused and slow down a little bit in general. I've been thinking about the theory of compartmentalizing which is thinking about clearly setting the boundaries so that whatever you are doing is the focus. I think I let work bombard my day even when I'm not working. And of course, when I'm working, I feel like I need time off. So, what if I put this compartmentalizing theory to the test. Right now I'm blogging, so I focus on blogging. Later I will work, and I will focus on work. Then after work time is over, it will be all about focusing on me, friends and family, my cats, etc. To actually have time for myself during the day would be a big improvement. I can pick up hobbies again like gardening, tending to my indoor plants, playing music...the world is full of possibilities!

Fitnfun :O)

How many steps equals losing 1 pound?

So I looked up the formulas. I found that 2,000 steps is approximately 1 mile. 10,000 steps per day then is 5 miles, which is what is recommended.

2000 steps = about 100 calories for someone that weighs 150 and a little less if you weigh less.

1 pound = 3500 calories. This means that it will take 70,000 steps to burn 1 pound, which equals a weeks worth at 10,000 steps per day.

If you aren't losing weight, it's recommended you up it by 2,000 steps per day (or one mile).

This is only an estimate. I found in one study that walking for an average woman only burns 43 calories. That would be 164,000 steps to equal one pound. Yikes! Running for an average woman burns 91 calories or closer to 100. Obviously, the more active the steps are, the higher calorie burn.

You can also balance this with your calorie intake to chisel calories off from that end too. Someone eating 1800 calories per day, in order to lose 1 pound dieting would need to go down to a 1300 calorie diet. You'd lose two pounds if you were to do the 12,000 steps for the week too.
It all depends on metabolism, weight, activity levels, etc to find the right exact balance. I'm wondering if someone out there can finally narrow all this down so you would know exactly what you as an individual would need to do to lose the weight. I don't think we are quite there yet, but maybe in the future, we can all be handed our individual regimes so we don't have to even think about any of this stuff: you need to eat x amount of calories per day and do x amounts of steps to lose x amounts of pounds in x amounts of weeks.

I guess until then, I have to stretch my math brain to the limits to figure it all out. To lose the 16 pounds, I'd need to take 1, 120,000 steps at least! I'm glad I know that the journey only starts with one step at a time.

Fitnfun :O)

Sick and back!

I had a few days of the flu to get through. I didn't do much exercising during the past three days. I ended up gaining 2 pounds that I had lost last week. However, after one day of slightly more exercise, I lost one pound.

I've been wearing my step meter religiously. One sick day was around the 800's which was pitiful. When I felt a little better, I was at 1,098. The next day with a little more was 2, 235. Today I'm finally feeling like I can get back to it. I did some stair work and Nordic track for 20 minutes and right now am at 1,157! Can you believe it?! This is more in a few hours of being up compared to the one entire day! So, I'm setting a goal today of around 6,000 steps and see how I do. I can always jump on my Nordic Track if I want a little tv break. I can go for a little walk before coming home from my errands. I can also do a dvd to make sure I get some toning. The possibilities are endless!

It made me think, while I was sick, how much we sit around and are on the computer, or watching tv, or playing video games. We say we don't have time to work out, but many people are watching tv 2-3 hours per day. What if during one of those hours, you worked out during the commercials or even worked out the entire hour with a Nordic Track, eliptical, tread mill, or other home gym equipment. I'm wondering if any of you still have the Gazelle. That's perfect for doing while watching tv too!

I think the Biggest Loser is attempting to promote doing crunches and toning during commercials. It will add up. An hour show is about 20-25 minutes worth of commercials. That's a great toning workout right there!

I'm going to attempt to be creative and find new ways to add up more steps. I'm also researching today how many steps equals how many calories. It's fun having an easy way to keep track.

Fitnfun :O)

As I promised myself, I went for a walk. I have also been keeping track of my steps today to see where I fall in. I walked close to 2 miles and have been doing laundry and other house chores, and I went out for a few errands too.

So, right now, I'm up to 5,655. So I would need 4,345 more steps to make it to the 10,000 that was recommended. I'm actually not going to try, but just see what I actually do normally the rest of the day for my own research.

These little trackers are pretty cool. They may not be 100% accurate, but at least they give an indication. I highly recommend getting one and they are so small, no one will notice.

I was so proud of myself when we went out for Chinese today. Not only did I order something healthy - no fried stuff - I also got a box and took half home!

Today I am going to look through my dvd's and get a clue as to what I would like to do the rest of this week. I'm thinking 20-30 minutes cardio and 20 minutes toning per day. I'll be posting my workouts when I do them.

Fitnfun :O)

Accountability Post!

Okay, I did 30 min. of Nordic Track with 5 minutes of using the arms. The other thing I did today was to pick up a copy of the Dr. Phil book on weight loss, The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution. It was only 50 cents at a thrift store so I thought, why not? I was in for a surprise just reading the first couple of chapters.

I had prided myself for doing 30 minutes of working out 4-6 days a week, but he suggest that you need to do 3-4 hours per week. Add up my 30 minutes a day and it is barely cutting the mustard (only if I do the 5-6 days a week!). At my age and fitness level, I am capable of doing the 4 hours per week, which is 240 minutes per week or 40-60 minutes per day depending on the 4-6 days per week.

He pointed out that 10,000 steps per day was sited as optimal. I know since switching to a stay at home job, I'm not moving as much as I used to, plus, the 30 minute workout was still lower than 600 steps. Yikes! This means during the day I need to have 9,400 more steps per day.

He taught how to form clear and concise goals making sure there is a measurement value. So instead of saying you want to weigh a certain weight, state that you want to lose so many pounds by so many weeks so you can feel _________.

In order to stay realistic, healthy weight loss is about 2 or 3 pounds per week. He had a waist to hip ratio to track your progress - waist inches/hip inches = percentage and women are best if lower than .80. The lower the value, the healthier weight distribution.

Lastly, he had charts that were more realistic for what you should weigh for you height, taking into consideration your bone structure.

So with all this to consider, I want to lose 16 pounds, 2-3 pounds per week by May 16th (6 weeks). This will put me at a medium range weight for my bone structure and it is realistic since looking back, this was a good weight for me. It was not my skinny minny high school weight either, but my adult body weight when I was feeling pretty good.

I want to lose the 16 pounds so I can feel better about myself, feel lighter, have more energy throughout the day, fit into the cute clothes I had at that weight (couldn't bring myself to get rid of the clothes I really liked), and feel healthier all around.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day, meaning, I'll perhaps take a walk or something else to keep moving, but not as a major workout. Monday will be my day off. I'm not a Monday person!

Other things I can do is to limit my portions a bit, I already eat the healthy stuff. Eat 6 small meals a day and drink 6 glasses of water. When I go to restaurants, I will try the trick of asking for a box right away and put away half for a later meal. It will save money too!

How's this for an accountability post?!

Fitnfun :O)

Post-workout Post!

Yay! I did it. I opted for an all around workout. Today was a Cardio Flex Band Workout by The Method. The instructor was great with easy combinations, using the band while moving, and she hit every major muscle group. The low impact was a little too low for me, very beginner, but for a 35 complete body workout, not bad.

The instructor's cuing was really good, but she was a little lacking in personality. However, I would still recommend this workout if you are shorter on time and want to hit all the muscle groups and still get some cardio. I will add it to my list.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the flex band inside was a little on the short side, even for a pint size like me. So, lucky I had other bands to work with.

If anyone out there has a recommendation for an all around workout that is under 45 minutes, let me know.

I'm going to keep pushing play, and I hope you join me soon!

Fitnfun :O)

Pre-post

I haven't been the best the past couple of days, but I'm looking to get a work out in today before tonight's events. So, here's the pre-post and I will blog at you afterwards!

Tuesday Troubles

I haven't been feeling that great today, but I managed to sneak a workout in. I did two 10 minute workouts of my 10 minute toning solutions. I did the overall tone and then the abs workout. The abs were killer with the band at the end.

Today I had a day where three previously set up tasks didn't go through due to others not following through. It made me think about why this could happen. Maybe I need more follow through in life and this was simply the universe's way of telling me to think about it. Or, maybe it was a test on my patience, which it definitely was.

I also thought about how I deserve to be happy like everyone else and the fact that until I get my energy back, I will not be able to fully help others.

I'm happy that I did get the workout done and am grateful to go to bed feeling like I at least followed through today despite the challenge.

Fitnfun :O)

My first post - fitnfun's fitness progress blog...

So today I am vowing to lose the final 10 pounds that I have been attempting to lose for five years now. Off and on I lose a little here and there, but they creep back on as the years go by. I am now 38 years old and attempting to move against the age grain of gaining weight. I know this is not going to be as easy as it was when I was a junior in high school.

A little bit about me. I am petite and weight shows up on me easily. 5 pounds added to me is noticeable. 10 pounds on me makes me look pudgy and I can no longer fit into my clothes. I have about 3 sets of clothing in my closet: my thin clothes, my getting bigger clothes, and my more stretchy fabric because I need the extra stretch now clothes.

I grew up with a family that has had its share of weight battles. My mother used to go to Weight Watchers and she continues to look for ways to lose the weight. My sister has managed to win, but she makes sure she keeps track of every little thing in order to stay that way. It is a constant constant.

Back in my pre-college days, up until junior year of high school, I did get teased for being a little chubby. One comment that really stuck to me is "Look at her and her big butt!" This is not what you want to hear during adolescence and you especially do not want to hear this from a loud mouth boy.

During my summer before junior year of high school, I decided to lose the weight. I worked out religiously and counted calories. I lost the weight, gained a boyfriend, but also gained the I need to stay thin complex. I actually went under a normal weight. My friends and family were concerned, but I just didn't want to listen since all of a sudden I was being noticed. I was a complete wallflower up until that point. I did have friends, but the boys never gave me a second thought.

After college, I became ill. I had hypoglycemia, a family trait, and it made me feel so sick that I gained 25 pounds. I was miserable after vowing to keep the weight off. I was on a journey to get well now and it took many doctors and finally a naturopath led me the right direction to wellness. I still have to keep a firm eye on what I eat. I feel best without sugar and wheat in my diet. This isn't easy, but the alternative of feeling crappy keeps me mostly in line.

So now that my health has normalized, it's time to take off the final pounds. The first 15 pounds came off fairly quickly, but the last 10 pounds, as mentioned before, has been a 5 year up and down battle.

So I will start with today: I worked out for 40 minutes. I did 20 minutes of cardio, Body Sculpt's Complete Cardio Workout. The instructor is an Aussie with tons of energy and pretty good cuing. It's mainly old school aerobics. She has four people with her and one is a smart alec male that likes to add funny comments while she shouts out the next move. I found it to be fun and effective since I was sweating and kept going. If you like combinations, this is a good workout for you.

Next I did 20 minutes of toning with a present from my sister, the 10 Minute Solution Tone Trouble Zones! workout. It's a dvd that has five segments to tone each part of your body using resistance band. OMG! Great workout for a short amount of time. Feel the burn!

Over all, I feel like I got a good workout today, and I am glad that I am starting this blog to be publicly accountable. Feel free to stop in and let me know what you do at home to work out. I can't be the only one on this planet that is trying to lose the final 10 pounds. Am I?

Fitnfun :O)