Fitting in Exercise While Taking Summer Classes

I'm on week 2 of summer session 2 for microbiology.  Week 1 flew by so fast! So last week, my schedule was as such: Mon-Thurs: Work 8am-4pm, (T/W/Th) Gym 4:20pm-5:15pm, then School 6p-10p, Fridays I just work 8am-4pm. I also went to the gym Sunday of last week. This week, the exams begin and each week up to 8/7/2013. My free time in between work and school is now dedicated to studying and reviewing for these exams. I have to leave my workouts for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for now. Now that I'm as motivated as ever to working out, my time becomes very limited until August. I will find out from my trainer what exercises to focus on when I workout on the weekends.

Additionally, while at work, I'm taking 15 minute breaks daily to incorporate the following: 100 squats, 20 pushups, and 200 crunches. Hopefully this too can compensate for the lost workout time.

So far, my total weight loss is 8 pounds, and about 3-4 inches around my waist. I'm excited to continue getting 'fit' to match this image of myself that I have in mind.

Continuous healthy food choices and plenty of water while this month passes by are also important for me.

 I want to take care of the earthly body that God has given to me and I ask God for strength and energy since I'm feeling very tired this summer. 

 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Feeling Motivated, Seeing the Change... It's getting HOT - Stay Hydrated!

This past Saturday, I went to Great Adventure with hubby and cousins and absolutely love it each time! While I was getting ready, I decided to weigh myself and I went down in 'lbs', again! My total weight lost since just before the competition (late April) is now 7 pounds. Last week really bumped the numbers down. The only thing I did different was work out an extra day, not eat too late, and just cut a few cals here and there -nothing major. So 4 workout days! YEAH! I Must keep that motivation going.

Saturday was workout in itself...briskly walking back and forth and going up and down stairs from 11am-10pm with only about 2 hours break in between. Love it! It was hot, but not humid. Even so, I thought I hydrated enough before I left the car - but those two bottles of water weren't enough to last me through 4pm. I used to drinking 10-15+ glasses per day. I must have also eaten to quickly in excitement to get back to the coasters in the park - I thought the walk back from the car would be enough to digest. It surely was NOT. After getting back into to park and getting on 2 coasters, I started feeling woozy, nauseous, and exhausted. I got some powerade and just sat on a bench. I stretched, drank water, tried to go the rest room in case the nausea got the best of me - but nothing, nothing. I wet my face, neck and chest with ice cold water, laid down on a bench for 20 minutes while praying. When I got up, I was like brand new- all better.

I don't ever want to feel like that again! Next time I will carry extra water with me and eat my lunch slowly, allowing proper time for digestion. What was I thinking?! The rides weren't going anywhere - I was like a little kid.

So I urge you all to stay hydrated and take proper rest when you are out in the heat.

PPSSSSTTTTTT! Did you know what the biggest weight loss secret is? ... That there is no secret - you have to work hard at it!

Hurry!! Hurry!! Results Please Hurry!

"I'm trying to eat as clean and natural as possible while maintaining my calories"

So I'm using "myfitnesspal" app to track my calories daily. In order to lose fat my personal trainer has me intaking roughly 1800 calories give or take. I say give or take, because if I'm below my calorie intake and not hungry it's ok and at the same time if I'm over, but I'm hungry -it's ok to have a healthy snack. I sometimes feel that 1800 is more than enough, I'm going to try 1650 calories for a few days to see if it helps.

I'm trying to eat as clean and natural as possible while maintaining my calories. I was working out at least 2-3 times per week and I didn't see results on the scale... the positive side to that is that I am losing inches and fitting into my clothes a little better. I can even see my tummy flattening and my bicep looks nice. This isn't enough for me sometimes- you know how we all want to see quick results? Well I need to stop looking for quick results! I'm going to just not obsess over scales and mirrors for a while and continue to train, but harder. This week I already increased my workouts - I trained 4 times this week so far. My trainer and cousin (also a trainer) tell me that I need not worry about the scale. They tell me that I am still burning fat while building muscle. For example, did you know that a five-pound mass of muscle is smaller than a five-pound mass of adipose (fat)??!!

Other things that I've changed about my eating / drinking habits are; increased water, decreased sugar, decreased 'bad' snacks, and increased veggies, fruits, and lean meats. I also started ingesting a tablespoon of ground flaxseed daily. I now drink black coffee most mornings (no milk, no sugar)! I hope that all my food choices are right choices and that I'm not sabotaging myself. I will take my dietary intake report to my trainer to look at.

Some healthy snacks I may have throughout the day include mixed, raw nuts, banana, orange, apple, fiber-one 90-calorie granola bar (only 5g sugar). Some that I have not as often are whole wheat Ritz crackers, Smartfood reduced fat cheddar popcorn. Once per month I like to treat myself to non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt. I enjoy sipping fruit-infused water when I can throughout my work day. Being that I work a desk job and I'm sitting all day - I try to get up and walk around more often, stretch, and lift this little dumbbell while on the phone.

I'm hoping with the increased training weekly and continuous healthy food choices, that I will see more results in a month from now.

**Please feel free to message me pointers, information, or comments. You may also subscribe to my blog to join me on my journey. Videos to come soon too!**

"It's for real this time" Working Myself Out To Get Healthy, Since 5/1/2013

"It's for real this time" 

I can't imagine how many times in my life I have said this and started a work out routine that was quickly short-lived. My longest time frame of being 'healthy' and somewhat in shape was roughly from 2007-2011 (on and off) where I dropped nearly 50 pounds and kept 85-90% of it off between cardio, some strengthening, and healthy eating. I really don't know how I fell off the band wagon completely. I guess I just got busy with school while working full time, yeah, that could do it.

 Fast forward to 2012 - 2013 and 20 pounds later, I found myself stuck and not happy with my current health status. It's not as easy to  keep it off after 30, let along get motivated. On May 1st of this year, I was done procrastinating and feeling so sluggish and unhealthy.  I decided to start a weight-loss competition with 9 other family members and friends. We all chipped in $20 for a $200 jackpot. The contest is about half-way through now and goes through September 1st. I started going to a personal trainer with my wonderful husband once per week. If I'm not in the gym at least 2-3 additional days per week, I'm doing Zumba on the xbox kinect or going for an outdoor stroll. The main outcome I would like to see in me is living a healthier lifestyle now, and always. The second outcome is my desire to feel good and look good! But the most optimally important goal is for others to notice the change in me and ask me about it so that I can tell them that it's not only me doing the work- it's with the support and guidance of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The noun "diet" is defined as the kinds of food that people habitually consume. Diet changes: IT'S NOT A DIET!! IT'S A LIFESTYLE CHANGE!! For good reason. This is not a short-term fad diet or a quick fix, temporary weight loss solution. This is the option the eat healthier choices from now until forever in order to be good to your body and overall health. I've learned so much from my personal trainer and my cousin who also just become certified. I've learned that you can burn more calories for a longer period of time by a combination of weight-training and cardio. WOW, what an eye opener - here I thought it was better for me to stick to the treadmills until I lost weight before I started to tone. WRONG! I'm hungry to learn and excited to burn!

Below is a photo showing  my abdomen when I started on 5/1 (left) and the progress 1 month later on 6/1 (right). 3 inches lost so far and about 3 pounds of fat. Can you see the difference so far?  

I'm as serious and as motivated as ever. I know it will not be an overnight thing, this takes hard work, time, and dedication. I'm on it!