Yesterday was my first day back to doing Body Pump. It really was great. My legs are killing me, but it honestly feels great.
I honestly love Body Pump because it combines both cardio and strength training. It burns over 560 calories in one hour and really is a challenge.
Do you all do Body Pump?!
Or any other fitness class at the gym?!
I’m thinking about getting into hot yoga… has anyone tried it? If so what do you think?!
Here is my update for the 30 Day Photography Challenge. Lori over at Happy Chaos life inspired got this thing going, and my friend Kristen over at Asymmetrical Joy let me know about it.
June 1st is the first day. The challenge for today was a self portrait. Being me, I couldn’t decided which one I liked better so here are two taken this morning before I ran out of the house like a madwoman.
If you’d like to link up or check out all the other awesome pictures head on over to flicker and check them out. Leave some love for all the lovely people participating in this challenge.
For now I’m heading to bed, my body is sore and Body Pump kicked my little big tush.
When it comes to working out, the first three months are the hardest to keep motivated and get going to the gym. However, the time when you least want to go to the gym is the time when you most need to!
I say that the first three months are the hardest because once you are over the hump of being completely out of shape your body and brain began to crave the endorphins from the workout and you just keep going back. In a sense, if you push through the first few months at the gym you simply become addicted to exercising and keep going.
I’m one of those people that tends to commit to a cause for a while, and once my goal is accomplish I let it dwindle. I did this with my fitness this past month and feel awful to admit it. When I started the 25 Days of Fitness I was motivated to work, and I did. I lost about 6 pounds in those 25 days worked out every day and felt fantastic about it. Once I was done, I used my finals as an excuse to slack off, and continued to pay my fat tax for about a month.
These last few days I’ve been good about it, and last week I was at the gym two days, which is more then I was the week before but really not enough. So here are some things I am doing to keep motivated and going to the gym.
Pencil It In
Schedule a time to go to the gym and write it down in your planner. Really, when I pre-plan my weekly schedule I put in times to work out and consider it an appointment. My health is important enough to me to set aside an hour to two hours a day for exercise. I use to pencil in my gym time and I stopped over the last month. Now I’m back to it.
Get your spouse involved
Two years ago when I started the P90X program, I would have never made it if it wasn’t for my husband supporting me and doing the program with me. The Mister has been super duper supportive of me, and has even gotten me off the couch to go running with him even though I would have done anything not to. In short, get your spouse or significant other or best friend involved in your workouts, they’ll not only motivate you but push you to do better.
Meet a friend
Plan a time to meet a friend at the gym. Especially if you are working out in the mornings. If you ask a friend to meet you at the gym at a given time, you will more likely show up. This is my biggest and greatest motivator. My friend got me to sign up for a gym membership and introduced me to Body Pump, and when we make plans to meet at the gym we always end up going, even if both of us don’t want to.
Write it Down
I have been slacking in this one. BUT, I always kept a workout log, with how much weight I lifted, what exercise I did, how many sets, how many reps and so on. It is a great motivator to look at where you started and where you are at a given time. While on a daily basis you might not see results you’ll see them when it’s written down. I also take pictures and measurements as I go along, usually about once a month.
Set a Goal
Set a goal of how many days in a row you’ll go to the gym, and see if you can make it. Once you’ve made it, set a new one that is a day or two longer then the last. Speaking of this, my goal is to go 4 times this week.
So these are my motivators. What are yours?!
Anyone up for another 25 Days of Fitness Challenge? Or maybe a 30 Day Fitness Challenge? Let me know!
There is a lot on my mind today, so I am linking up with a newly discovered blogger, who’s blog I am loving. Tanya over at A Taste of Tanya has the cutest blog, and you should check it out.
If you read my previous post for the Wednesday Wants, you’ll see what is preoccupying my mind today. Life is too short, and no one is guaranteed a tomorrow, so please don’t take today for granted and live as if it was your last day. And please, please, please keep the Higuchi family in your prayers.
I’m also wondering how well I did on my Chem quiz, I felt that I knew what I was doing, but honestly that’s when I get the worst grades, when I feel like I know.
The gloomy weather out here is making me really consider a move to Florida where we could live on the beach and go to a school a block away.
I am dreaming of taking a year to travel the world, maybe two.
I’m looking forward to the gym and Body Pump, hoping to get my knee working again. I also hope that it doesn’t start acting up again.
Really craving some Italian food, but really don’t know why.
And finally, I love Wednesdays because I get to have lunch with my grandfather who is my biggest fan. I love hearing his stories and enjoy his company over tuna sandwiches. While we are creatures of habit with our very predictable Wednesday lunches, it makes me dread the day when I am back to working full time and can’t make our lunches or when we move and I can’t have a weekly lunch with my grandpa.
I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday filled with joys and memories.
Here is to the first weigh in week of the Weight Loss Challenge hosted by the fantastic Lindsey over at Mr. and Mrs. Smith (check out her fabulous blog if you haven’t yet!!)
I am linking up with all the lovely ladies who are participating and trying to lose the last few pounds before the summer season! It’s a great group that helps encourage each other on one of the hardest roads to undertake. Weight loss and fitness are essential to a healthy lifestyle and I am a strong believe that strong and encouraging support groups are the key to staying on track and meeting goals.
Last Thursday was the first week of the challenge and the initial goals were made. You can read all about mine here.
I am 5’7’’
I weigh somewhere around 146 pounds
I’d like to be at about a 125-130
My goal is to lose about 15 to 20 pounds
I am happy to report that when I got on the scale today I weighed 141.2 pounds. Which was surprising, because my weight had not budged at all in the past two months. I’ve been at a steady 145.7 to 146.2. I do have to admit I am really bad about weighing myself continuously, daily or even weekly, so I think my last weight check was about a week and a half (maybe two weeks) ago. Which means that the weight loss might not be all during the last week. However I’m happy with it! *Dancing a little jig and celebrating*
You can read all about what I’ve been doing here, here, here and here.
I have started taking fatty acids and a fat burner in addition to my multivitamins, calcium and protein. I am also looking into some other nutrition methods such as consuming more power foods!
If you want to get more of my tips check out the 25 Days of Fitness!!!
Day 2: Baby Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle – drinking more water
Day 3: The Four Basic Elements of Health
Day 4: Foundational Supplements
Day 5: Performance Supplements
Day 6: Results take some time
Day 8: Reasons weight loss takes time
Welcome to day 10 of 25 Days of Fitness!
“Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti
It just happens that Mario Andretti is one of the best race car drivers in the world. He is a world champion racing driver, and one of the most successful Americans in the history of race cars. He also happens to be one of the only two drivers in the world who have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR!!!
Being the car obsessed nerd that I am, I had to quote him when it came to motivation. I mean a motivation quote that sounds nice is one thing, but one that sounds nice and comes from someone who can back up what he says is a whole different picture.
I must confess that I only did a 30 minute walk yesterday, and the only exercise I got today was walking on campus. However, I have a good excuse, I had ended up staying up till about 1 AM trying to finish my chemistry homework (for that class that I kind of need to pass) and then had to get up at 6 to actually make it to class and take a quiz. So I got a grand total of about 4 hours of solid sleep, and had every intention of going to the gym until I got home, set down on the couch and realized how exhausted I was.
To make up for this I’m going to do double duty at the gym with a day of cardio in the morning and in the evening.
I’ve really been trying to set up a good system for myself to both lose the extra fat, gain a bit more muscle and definition as well as turn the whole thing into a routine. I’ve been really successful with a few things:
Drinking a ton of water
If you didn’t get a chance to read the post for day 2, head over and read it. It’s all about drinking water and why it is good for you. I must say that drinking more water has been hard, trying to remember to drink it is the hardest part for me since my little mind cannot remember to do so unless I drag my water bottle around with me. So that is exactly what I’ve been doing!
Getting more sleep
While yesterday was an EPIC FAIL for getting sleep, I’ve been really good about getting my 8 hours of sleep, and have seen a world of difference in my energy levels. I also don’t wake up cranky or frustrated like I use to.
Eating breakfast
Breakfast has always been a meal I’ve skipped, not because I don’t like food or want to lose weight by skipping meals, but because I don’t roll out of bed any earlier then 10 minutes before I’m suppose to leave the house, which leads to running at least 30 minutes late and for some reason I justify skipping breakfast. This past week, I have had some form of breakfast every day, and I’ve been able to control my hunger much better… it could also be the Fat Burner that I started taking… hummm.
Finally:
Going to the gym and exercising daily
Once again today was an EPIC FAIL, and makes me a little depressed, however I have been sticking to getting some kind of an exercise every single day which is the contributing factor to my almost 5 pound weight loss (I just danced a little jig)!!!!
However, like I said before, I really want to get into some kind of a routine that will allow me to stick either strength training, cardio or Body Pump at the gym.
So here is what I’ve come up with 
I know that I should really include Rest days in this as well, and I’m working out on what I want to give up. I might replace a day or two of the Cardio with Body Pump.
Q: Any suggestions on how to set up my schedule. I might have to forgo a day of Body Pump, and I’d give up Monday because I am not the biggest fan of the instructor. hummm….
Q: What does your workout routine look like? Do you have set days for certain things? I really loved the way P90X was set up and have contemplated going back to that schedule as well.
I have to say, I had another tough day getting out of bed today to get down to the gym, but if you read my post earlier (here) you know that I am so glad I went.
Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. – Norman R. Augustine
Welcome to Day 7 of 25 Days of Fitness!
I am going to keep this nice and sweet, and talk about a few power foods that I have discovered and am going to concentrate on incorporating more into my diet.
Power foods are known for doing several things such as building muscle, helping weight loss, strengthening bones, fighting cancer and heart disease, as well as boosting the immune system and its function. The main idea of power foods is to incorporate them into your diet, not necessarily into every meal, but at least one of the three major ones you eat daily.
Nuts… Are your new best friends!
Almonds are the best, however pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are right there with ‘em. Nuts are reach in protein and monounsaturated fat, the good kind of fat that helps clean out arteries! The fat from nuts is the good kind which you want to consume. Nuts help build muscle, fight obesity, heart disease and cancer. To top it off a handful of nuts is the best way to fend of hunger and food cravings!!!
While nuts are great for you, keep your eyes peeled for salted, smoked and other forms of nuts that are delicious but high in sodium which will spike up blood pressure and exceed your daily need for sodium intake.
Beans… are very popular in our household!!
Beans such as chickpeas, pinto beans, kidney beans and even soybeans are fantastic for building muscle, burning fat and regulating digestion. They are also high in fiber, protein and iron. Beans are fantastic for your health because they help fight against colon cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure.
So add some beans to your diet!!! The Mister and I would go through beans like crazy!! We usually have at least 2 or 3 meals that incorporate some kind of a bean!! However, when it comes to beans stay away from refried and baked beans, the first is full of saturated fats the second very high in sugar.
Finally! Chug milk, eat yogurt and lots of cheese!
Yogurt, milk, cheese, cottage cheese and so on are awesome for building up bone density and fighting weight gain. Dairy products include a good amount of calcium, vitamin A and B12, phosphorus and potassium. They fight against osteoporosis, obesity, high blood pressure and cancer.
I love cheese and yogurt but HATE milk, however I know I should drink it so I mix it with some chocolate flavored whey protein and a banana, turn it into a milkshake and get my serving of milk!!
So there you have it.
Q: Do you incorporate these products into your diet? How much of each do you use?
What a phenomenal work out today!!! I am defiantly feeling my legs right now and know I will feel them even more tomorrow. Yup! It was fantastic! I almost didn’t go, just because I’m wanted to sleep in a bit longer since we went to bed around 2 AM. BUT… since I had a friend waiting for me at the gym, I got my butt out of bed and went. I am so glad I did.
Before the class I also did a 15 minute abdominal workout with one of the trainers. It was very worth it!
After the Body Pump, I grabbed a NrGize Banana Split Meal Replacement shake for my drive home. I must say it’s pretty delicious and they add extra vitamins and protein. So pretty much it is winning! The Banana Split is a total of 300 calories and 280 carbs, which is perfect for a lunch meal and for an after workout shake.
Now I’m off to the grocery store for some healthy food buyin’.
I’ll be back later today with a Day 7 Post for 25 Days of Fitness!
We’ll be talking about some good power foods!
Y’all have a great Sunday!!!
PS: Check out the new Body Pump music track! I really liked it!
BODYPUMP 77 tracklist
Warmup: Commander – Spacegliderz
Squats: It’s My life – Swade
Chest: DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love – Usher feat. Pitbull
Back: Hold Me Tonight (Manox Remix) – Manian
Triceps: I Like It – Tokyo Haze
Biceps: Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom) – Shinedown
Lunges: Only Girl In The World (E-Nergy Remix) – Nick Skitz vs DJ Lotus
Shoulders: Ti Sento – Scooter
Abs: We No Speak Americano – Yolanda Be Cool vrs DCUP
Cooldown: One Last Chance – Daughtry
(Source: NZ Glen: BodyCombat fanatic)
One of my favorite bloggers (Meghan) is participating in a weight loss challenge presented by Mr.&Mrs. Smith, so I am going to link up with these girls and play along. Since my 25 Days of Fitness are hopefully leading me to a weight loss, I’d like to keep it up through the 8 weeks and see if I will be able to get to my goal weight.
Sorry this is a day late guys!
I’m very excited to have a goal set and have people motivating me to move towards it.
Hello! Summer vacations and new bikinis! Woohoo!
Good luck all!
It was so good to be back in the gym today, especially for Body Pump with an awesome Instructors. Arey is pretty much the best, and if her home gym wasn’t an hour and a half away from me, I’d be there every day she taught a class. Sadly, it is an hour and a half to drive over there, and I’m not willing to make the drive when there is a perfectly nice gym 10 minutes from the house. So when Arey comes down on Wednesday to teach the class, I try and not miss any of them.
Today was the last day that we work with Body Pump 76, on Saturday the new release (77) comes out, and as far as we know we’ll be getting into that one. I’m a little bummed that they are changing it up on me, when I just started attending the classes and am just now getting into the groove of it.
Other then the Body Pump class, I did about 3 sets of 10 reps on my sides/abs. That was pretty much all I had time for before the class started.
My legs are pretty much killin’ me and I’m sure I’m walking funny. But I love the way they feel! Yay!
I haven’t decided if I will be going back to the gym tomorrow or just running. I might do both.
Still looking for new work out music, so please please please make you suggestions. I’m really tired of listing to the same songs.
I feel that Wayne Gretzky’s quote is true both in the sport world as well as in everyday life. If we don’t risk and try and take the shots we’ll never know if we would have made them.
Welcome to Day 3 of 25 Days of Fitness
As we go through the next couple of days my post will really focus on four elements of being healthy and leading a healthy lifestyle. They are nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress handling. These are the four basic and key parts of what really leads to a healthy, satisfying and less stressful life.
As someone who is getting back into a fitness world after over 5 years of sitting on the couch, I can say that I’ve seem to have forgotten a lot of different tricks, especially when it comes to nutrition. Junk food, such as potato chips and soda might give you a temporary sugar high and a bit of energy, but they wear off just as fast as they come. On Monday, I got super lightheaded and dizzy during Body Pump, and I know it’s because I went to the gym on an empty stomach… My tennis coach use to always make us eat granola bars before practice and matches, and being my ditzy self, I completely forgot how important it is to always eat before exercising.
Hence, for today’s 25 Days of Fitness post, I want to talk about 5 Nutritional Tips that every individual who is trying to get fit should pay attention to.
1. Never, ever, ever exercise on an empty stomach
Would you try to drive your car without gas? This is pretty much the same concept, do not workout without putting some fuel in your tank. Much like a car, your body needs energy to be able to keep going. Don’t make my mistake! Trust me getting dizzy while lifting weights is not how you want to feel.
So about an hour before a workout, fuel your body with some easily digested carbs. A few great pre-workout snacks are: Banana, yogurt, whole grain toast with peanut butter. A CLIFF bar or some other protein bar is also a good idea.
For workouts that will last longer then 90 minutes you want to eat a small, well balanced meal. Here is an example: A sliced banana and peanut butter on whole grain crackers.
2. Pay Attention to your pee
The more you workout and the more you sweat, the more you increase your risk of dehydration. Even if you are slightly dehydrated your exercise can seem a great deal harder. And the best indication of dehydration is your urine color.
Urine should be a pale yellow color without a strong odor. The goals are to start exercise with pale colored urine and to produce pale urine within an hour of finishing your workout.
So if you notice that your urine is a dark color after the workout, you need to drink more water. If you had to run to the bathroom several times during your workout, you need to drink less water. Simple enough?
3. Snack on something after a workout
While you are exercising, your body is burning carbohydrates. On average you will need about 55 grams of carbs per hour of exercise. Make sure to replenish your supply of carbs, because when you run out of the carbs you will be mentally and physically exhausted and done for the day. A banana is a great source of carbs, hence you can eat one of those, or try some pretzels, and even sports drinks like Gatorade.
4. Salts are important too!
When your body sweats you lose a certain amount of salt.. you know why sweat tastes salty? Yup, you got it, because that’s what it is. You are sweating sodium out! Replenishing your sodium supplies is just as important as replenishing your carbs. How will you know if you are losing too much sodium you ask? Well, if you develop headaches, nausea, muscle cramps or disorientation during your workout then you are low on sodium.
I know I lose a great deal of sodium when working out, and my secret is drinking lots of Gatorade. Gatorade is pretty much colored sweat. It was created as a sports drink for the Florida Gator’s and the idea was to put the electrolytes that the players lost during their workouts back into their body. Hence, drink more water and eat more salt.
5. Don’t abuse your body… respect it
After exercising, don’t just go take a nap or eat a doughnut! Instead, reward it with a balanced meal and drink plenty of water.
After a workout, your body is trying to get back into the norm by repairing fatigued muscles, rehydrating and storing up carbohydrates. So try and help it out in this process. The best way to reward your body for all of its hard work is to eat unprocessed and colorful foods. Here are some examples of a balanced recovery meals:
So there you have it! Easy enough to do, so get to it!
I’m off to work and then to the gym for Body Pump!
Source: Hana Abdulaziz Feeney, MS, RD, CSSD from Active.com 5 Nutrition Tips for New Athletes
Disclaimer: The information found on Eat, Shop and be Married is merely personal opinions and facts based on the author’s research, and is for entertainment and educational purposes only. If you have questions regarding diagnoses or treatment of an illness please consult your physician.
This morning reluctantly left my warm bed, and went out into the snow, freezing outdoors that is Colorado. Yes, after several days in the 70s we got dumped on Sunday afternoon and night. This morning there was a good 3 inches of snow on the cars outside, but lo and behold the roads were completely dry and the weather man predicted a high of 68… BOOO Colorado BOO… this is not Winning.
Anyways… I got up, got dressed, drove all the way to school, paid $6.00 to park and then took a test that tried real hard to kick my ass, but I fought back. I think we both left the classroom with some cuts and bruises, but no broken bones.
I wish I was confident in my chemistry answers to pull one of these ^^^ 
By the time I got home I was famished, so I made myself some French toast. It was delicious!
They might not have been healthy but they are quick, delicious and totally worth it! I added a little bit of syrup which made it even better! Yum!!
At 4:30 I left for the gym.
I worked on my legs a little before the Body Pump class started at 5:30. It sort of kicked my ass. Skipping a whole week, and not eating anything before the class was a bad idea. I got a little lightheaded halfway through and had to step out for about 5 minutes. After I got myself under control, I went back in and finish the hour. Wednesday should be better!
I worked a total of an hours and a half and I know my legs are going to kill me tomorrow morning, but it feels so great!
Then I came out of the gym and found a complete flat tire on the Camaro. 
Hope ya’ll had a fantastic Monday!
Mucho Love!
Even moderately intense physical activity such as brisk walking is beneficial when done regularly for a total of 30 minutes or longer on most or all days.
Regular aerobic physical activity increases your fitness level and capacity for exercise. It also plays a role in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke and is linked to cardiovascular mortality.So whether its getting up and going out for a walk, running, jogging, lifting weights, or taking a class such as Body Pump or an at home program like P90X, I encourage you to do at least 30 minutes of it, for 25 days and let me know how you feel afterwards.
Regular physical activity can help control blood lipid abnormalities, diabetes and obesity. Aerobic physical activity can also help reduce blood pressure.
The results of pooled studies show that people who modify their behavior and start regular physical activity after heart attack have better rates of survival and better quality of life. Healthy people — as well as many patients with cardiovascular disease — can improve their fitness and exercise performance with training.
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