Friday, August 31, 2012
08-31-2012
So this morning was pretty awesome. I had originally planned to go to the gym and hit my shoulders, back, and biceps...but the opportunity arose for a bike ride with my hubby and one of our awesome neighbors. I was a little hesitant about getting on the bike today because I had a huge leg (and butt)workout yesterday and wasn't sure I was up for it. I am so happy I went though. We did 11.3 miles around our picturesque farming town. It was gorgeous...just a hint of crispness in the air gave us a preview of fall which is always pretty special in New England. It took about an hour through gradual inclines and declines, winding roads, with ample scenery. When we got home we jumped right into the pool. The water was only 70 degrees but felt like heaven. I even tootled around on the float for a while before hitting a warm shower. If every workout was like this, I would never want to do anything else!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Update 8-30-2012
So I have been back to my healthy self for four days now, eating clean and hitting the gym... The old "1...2....punch"! I have only lost one pound but I am not bummed....I am excited....because I know I am on the right track! Yes, if I starved myself I might have lost two or three pounds in these 4 days but I guarantee those pounds would be back with even more next week.
Here is why I have only lost one pound and by doing it this way will lose and, more importantly, KEEP OFF even more in the weeks to come.
I am eating clean, which means I am eating non-processed food, in it's most natural state, that my body recognizes as food and fuel. I am eating 4 to 5 small meals a day. Why? Because I am training my metabolism to keep up with me and burn what I give it right away knowing that I will provide more food (fuel) soon.
When you starve yourself, you are actually training your body to save some food, in the form of fat, for a rainy day. When you starve yourself, your body learns not to trust you. Your body needs a certain amount of calories to function so if you eat less often, your body will actually not burn fat... At least not right away. A starving body eats muscle first. Crazy huh? That is the way our bodies have been designed to work. remember, we were built to be hunters and gatherers who did not always have ready access to food, so our bodies evolved into the perfect energy storing devices...kinda like the hibernating bear. When you starve yourself you may appear to be losing weight on the scale but you are not losing the fat you wanted. You are losing muscle and storing fat.
So, I am in the process of retraining my body and getting it to trust me again, so my metabolism isn't where it should be yet. The good news is that our bodies are quick studies so it shouldn't be long before I am burning calories with a vengeance.
I am back to doing regular weight training and cardio, which means 4-5 days a week in the gym. Muscle weighs as much as fat (a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat...just like a pound of feathers weighs as much as a pound of bricks), but takes up far less room and, I feel, looks more attractive. I know that I have put on muscle in the last 4 days. I know you are thinking 4 days is not long enough to put on muscle. Not true... Especially because I have always done some weight training, even over the summer. What I changed was the weight...I have gone heavier and have forced my body to do it (read: as much as I can without injuring myself). I have also worked each muscle group twice this week so my body is starting to realize it needs to get some more muscle in those places if this is going to be a regular thing. It's amazing what you can train your body to do and how quickly. As much as we are forced to listen to our body (hunger, pain, etc), our bodies are also forced to listen to us!
So, losing a pound this week is a good thing. It means that despite putting on muscle weight, I am losing fat because my body is learning to trust me and not store anymore fat despite the fact that I am actually eating more than I did last week. Cool, huh? And if you think a pound is no big thing, check out the picture below!
It has always been my hope that others would come along with me on my health and fitness journey. The reason for my blog is to inspire and be inspired by my readers. If you are like minded, please read through my blog entries for clean eating recipes and fitness tips. I am just like you, I am sure, in so many ways. Let's help each other be as healthy as we can, for ourselves, and the ones we love! I also love feedback, so go for it!
Here is why I have only lost one pound and by doing it this way will lose and, more importantly, KEEP OFF even more in the weeks to come.
I am eating clean, which means I am eating non-processed food, in it's most natural state, that my body recognizes as food and fuel. I am eating 4 to 5 small meals a day. Why? Because I am training my metabolism to keep up with me and burn what I give it right away knowing that I will provide more food (fuel) soon.
When you starve yourself, you are actually training your body to save some food, in the form of fat, for a rainy day. When you starve yourself, your body learns not to trust you. Your body needs a certain amount of calories to function so if you eat less often, your body will actually not burn fat... At least not right away. A starving body eats muscle first. Crazy huh? That is the way our bodies have been designed to work. remember, we were built to be hunters and gatherers who did not always have ready access to food, so our bodies evolved into the perfect energy storing devices...kinda like the hibernating bear. When you starve yourself you may appear to be losing weight on the scale but you are not losing the fat you wanted. You are losing muscle and storing fat.
So, I am in the process of retraining my body and getting it to trust me again, so my metabolism isn't where it should be yet. The good news is that our bodies are quick studies so it shouldn't be long before I am burning calories with a vengeance.
I am back to doing regular weight training and cardio, which means 4-5 days a week in the gym. Muscle weighs as much as fat (a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat...just like a pound of feathers weighs as much as a pound of bricks), but takes up far less room and, I feel, looks more attractive. I know that I have put on muscle in the last 4 days. I know you are thinking 4 days is not long enough to put on muscle. Not true... Especially because I have always done some weight training, even over the summer. What I changed was the weight...I have gone heavier and have forced my body to do it (read: as much as I can without injuring myself). I have also worked each muscle group twice this week so my body is starting to realize it needs to get some more muscle in those places if this is going to be a regular thing. It's amazing what you can train your body to do and how quickly. As much as we are forced to listen to our body (hunger, pain, etc), our bodies are also forced to listen to us!
So, losing a pound this week is a good thing. It means that despite putting on muscle weight, I am losing fat because my body is learning to trust me and not store anymore fat despite the fact that I am actually eating more than I did last week. Cool, huh? And if you think a pound is no big thing, check out the picture below!
It has always been my hope that others would come along with me on my health and fitness journey. The reason for my blog is to inspire and be inspired by my readers. If you are like minded, please read through my blog entries for clean eating recipes and fitness tips. I am just like you, I am sure, in so many ways. Let's help each other be as healthy as we can, for ourselves, and the ones we love! I also love feedback, so go for it!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
I'm Back Baby!!!
Today starts the school year here, and with that the summer is basically at an end. Yes, the warm weather may be here for a few more weeks and the pool isn't quite ready to be closed. I will hopefully be wearing shorts and sandals just a bit longer but the mostly carefree schedule of a stay-at-home mom with kids on no particular schedule are done.
I greet this change with very mixed feelings. Although I am grateful for what was probably the best summer ever for my family, I am happy to return to the structure of the school year and all the activities that go with it. The summer was full of fun, a lot of get togethers, cookouts, trips, etc. But with the carefree I also got a little careless. In my attempt to "go with the flow", I found myself not eating right and I discovered beer (I don't completely regret that). Even though I was still working out, it was not as often as I normally did and we all know you can not sweat away a bad diet.
I made some huge mistakes this summer and I am lucky that the only ill effects I suffered was gaining about ten pounds. With my history of stomach issues, I could've landed myself in the hospital. I had committed myself before to never letting myself get that sick again... It wouldn't be fair to my family.... So the mistakes have got to stop!
So now my routine is back. The kids got on the bus this morning and I got my butt over to the gym. I did my meal planning and grocery shopping yesterday to make sure we would all be eating clean more regularly. With the kids back in school it is time to get back to taking care of me, and now I have a little more time to do it. I am also motivated by the fact that, with the unhealthy state of school lunches these days, I have to work super extra hard to make sure I am planning and packing healthy meals my kids can take to school, and more importantly, will enjoy!
I will still have my cheat meal or wine once a week...because deprivation never works (and football season is upon us!). I will, however, try to be better about not rewarding myself with food. I will set my goals and think of a prize to get when I reach it... perhaps those new boots I have been wanting :)
My blogs should be more regular now, because, as I have written before, one of the most effective tools we have is accountability. I will use my accountability to you the reader as one of my motivators to stay on track.
So, no more excuses...who is with me? Who else is committed to living a healthy lifestyle with clean meals and exercise? I'm back baby!!!!
I greet this change with very mixed feelings. Although I am grateful for what was probably the best summer ever for my family, I am happy to return to the structure of the school year and all the activities that go with it. The summer was full of fun, a lot of get togethers, cookouts, trips, etc. But with the carefree I also got a little careless. In my attempt to "go with the flow", I found myself not eating right and I discovered beer (I don't completely regret that). Even though I was still working out, it was not as often as I normally did and we all know you can not sweat away a bad diet.
I made some huge mistakes this summer and I am lucky that the only ill effects I suffered was gaining about ten pounds. With my history of stomach issues, I could've landed myself in the hospital. I had committed myself before to never letting myself get that sick again... It wouldn't be fair to my family.... So the mistakes have got to stop!
So now my routine is back. The kids got on the bus this morning and I got my butt over to the gym. I did my meal planning and grocery shopping yesterday to make sure we would all be eating clean more regularly. With the kids back in school it is time to get back to taking care of me, and now I have a little more time to do it. I am also motivated by the fact that, with the unhealthy state of school lunches these days, I have to work super extra hard to make sure I am planning and packing healthy meals my kids can take to school, and more importantly, will enjoy!
I will still have my cheat meal or wine once a week...because deprivation never works (and football season is upon us!). I will, however, try to be better about not rewarding myself with food. I will set my goals and think of a prize to get when I reach it... perhaps those new boots I have been wanting :)
My blogs should be more regular now, because, as I have written before, one of the most effective tools we have is accountability. I will use my accountability to you the reader as one of my motivators to stay on track.
So, no more excuses...who is with me? Who else is committed to living a healthy lifestyle with clean meals and exercise? I'm back baby!!!!
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