Falling off the Bandwagon

My life, like so many other's, is cyclical. Mine just happens to be in rhythm with the dance season. Here is how it goes: August: You feel your best and look your best for all those new families you meet at the beginning of the dance year. November: You are running out of juice and you desperately want a vacation. December: Xmas vacation couldn't come soon enough and you gorge on all the holiday goodies you receive from your students, then gorge some more on all the holiday foods that your friends and family have prepared. January: New Year New YOU! Working out as much as humanly possible because you feel refreshed and revived after that 2 week break.  April/May: Competition Season has you slipping a little. May/June: RECITAL SEASON in full swing.....your eating habits and sleeping patterns are thrown right out the window! SUMMER: AHHHHHHH! Thank God its over....Now back to your regularly scheduled life.

Back when I started this blog (In January...time coincidence...I think not!) I had more than one goal. First and foremost was to see how all these crazy workouts really worked on my body. Second was to be in shape for a surprise gift for my husband on our anniversary. I wanted to be in the best shape of my life for a boudoir photo shoot. Since deciding we were going to try for a baby this year, I knew that this might be the last opportunity to look this way. My Grandma stayed tiny after she had 4 kids, my Mom has insane stretch marks after birthing my brother and I (Battle scars...thanks Mama). I have NO idea what my body will do and I wanted something to remind me and my husband what perfection (yeah I said that) looked like on my body. I didn't achieve the look I wanted in the time I had......So I crash dieted. I eat very minimal calories, workout like a dog, and BOOM - after 2 weeks of a little suffering, I get the results I want. It has never been a big deal to me to cut weight this way until now.  Those pounds I took off came crashing back after Recital season and now I feel huge. Here we are in summer and I am back to normal.

I don't like these cycles. I want to be able to eat clean and workout throughout the year regardless of what season it is. How do I make this happen? I have no idea but I'm going to attempt this season. My husband and I have a tropical trip planned for August and I would like to get to a better place before then. No crash diets, only goodness and workouts until then. I'm starting today, with my Spirutein shake (made with lactose free organic fat free milk, a banana and a handful of strawberries) and a Pilates class this morning. Will I wake up sore tomorrow--OH YES..but I look forward to it.

A Bad Week

I was very much in love with the 300 abs routine I was supposed to do this week, but I ran into a bit of a snag. My husband and I have decided that we should try to have a baby this year. I have been on birth control for 14 years with only 1 six month break. Needless to say, I went off of it 2 weeks ago. This week I began to show signs of withdrawal- nausea and headache at the same time each day for 4 days, followed by dizziness and absolute loss of appetite. I wanted nothing to do with food for 3 days and barely ate. Yesterday (Saturday) was the very first time that I ate three square meals and a snack! I didn't realize how much I missed food! Monday was the only day I did exactly what I was supposed to do- Full 30 min cardio on the elliptical and weights for my arms and the 300 ab workout. Wednesday I snuck in 30 min of cardio and leg work before the nausea kicked in. I'm disappointed that I was unable to follow through.

I have decided to restart this program beginning tomorrow and I am happy to feel like myself again. I found a new app on my phone called "Lose it!" It tracks the calories you eat every day as well as your workouts and helps you to achieve your weight loss goals. Its so cool, I made my husband download it as well!  -J

300 abs- Day 1

Food:
Breakfast- Bagel & Cream Cheese
Snack- coconut LaraBar
Lunch: Organic MacNcheese and a jello
Snack: Apple
Dinner- Chicken cutlet and pasta aioli

Went to the gym this morning and did 30 min of cardio on the elliptical on a random setting (it increases and decreases resistance at random) then did a killer arm/chest workout. I weighed myself and I'm down 2 lbs!! 3 weeks and 2 lbs...I'll take it. Like I said, I don't have much to lose, so with muscle swapping out with fat my numbers are not going to be huge. Tonight I came home and did the 300 ab workout---killer! Toe touches and reverse crunch really did the trick! I am pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow!

300 Abs!!

 

You remember the movie 300 don't you?? Every man's abs are a perfect specimen of strength and power? Newsflash---the majority had some awesome airbrush work done. However, the idea of this workout is to create some killer looking abs. I LOVE how at the beginning of this picture it says to do this workout with cardio and/or strength training. YES!! Every workout should have cardio and strength training. The more muscle, the more calories burned. My plan is to get my cardio and strength training done in the mornings and hit this ab plan MWF nights for 2 weeks. Off to the gym!

Summer Butt Challenge 6 and 7

Excited to be done with the Butt Challenge. Day 6 and 7 went off without a hitch. I found the exercises to get easier after the first two days. I did this practice at home and do not have weights. So I could have increased the intensity and made it more challenging. 7 days is not enough to see any real results. While I know this workout shred my muscles, there is no real change visibly. I also really felt this workout in my hip flexors (Probably from all the dang lunges!). This workout should be paired with cardio training and continue for more than 7 days for actual results.On to the next workout!

Butt Challenge Day 4 and 5

Yesterday was my day of rest--I wasn't very sore and I honestly wanted to do some cardio, but after finding out about the death of a student of mine I could barely even stand to eat. I had to tell each one of my coworkers 1 by 1. Not because I wanted to, but because that is what time allotted me to do. This little girl was like sunshine- always smiling, always happy; it is so devastating.

Food:
3 bites of cereal (this is when I read the bad news)
1/2 a grilled cheese and steak fries
Coconut LaraBar
1 White chocolate Macadamia nut cookie
And I couldn't stomach dinner.

Thursday:
I woke up feeling dizzy and wondered why...OH..no dinner! I held it together for most of the day, but as soon as I got in the car to go home, I had to break down and cry. I posted a message and picture of our sweet dancing angel and got an immediate thank you from her mother.She was grateful and said she would come take yoga with us soon. She was amazingly positive and strong---admirable while we are still all falling apart. Despite my unwillingness to move, I did all my exercises like a good girl.

100 Prisoner Squats
30 Side Lunges – 15 reps each leg
30 Walking Lunges – 15 reps each leg
50 Side-Lying Leg Lifts – 25 reps each leg

This was a piece of cake today--- 100 squats is like nothing!

Food:
Breakfast: Multigrain wrap with banana honey and cinnamon
Lunch: Baked Ziti and rice cakes
Snack: Peanut Butter Cookie LaraBar
Dinner: chicken soup

Day 3 Summer Butt Challenge

I woke up this morning and thought, "Who slammed me into a brick wall butt first?" I'm pretty sure nothing can prepare your rear for this workout...matter of fact my right butt muscle is so inflamed, its pinching a nerve. I really wanted to get some cardio in too, but the shooting pains down my leg warned me against it. After work I got home and did my workout-

100 Butt Burns (50 each side)
100 Prisoner Squats
Glute video (90 Bridges; 40 forward lunges each leg; 40 leg extensions each leg)

Leg extensions were the absolute worst feeling today....I did every single bit though. If my butt doesn't look good by the end of this, I will be shocked.

Food:
Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios w/ organic skim lactose free milk
Lunch: Baked ziti and an apple
Snack: Coconut LaraBar
Snack: Yogurt
Dinner: Brown Rice/ground beef/potato mix up

Tomorrow is a rest day, and I'm pretty sure I need every bit of it as well as an Epsom salt bath!

7 Day Summer Butt Challenge!

First Belly Pic 1/5/13

1/20/13--A little definition coming back

The End of Week 2!

Day 5: I had a busy morning and got my workout in just before work. 30 min cardio on the elliptical and 15 min ab work with some pilates exercises. It was quick and sweaty. I FEEL overall good (minus the soreness) and that is a great feeling to have. I don't think I have lost a single pound--but I really don't have much to lose and I'm sure some muscle tone is coming back. I will take pictures on Monday before I start my new workout plan.

Breakfast- Bagel and Cream Cheese
Lunch- Chicken soup and some rice cakes
Snack- apple and yogurt
Dinner- Peanut butter sandwich (one of those nights you just don't know what to eat.)

Day 6- ZERO time and energy to go to the gym today. BUT I did teach 4 dance classes and a birthday party so I think this more than made of for the 15 minutes of cardio I was supposed to do today.

Breakfast- From Peach's Restaurant - 1 egg over medium, rye toast dry, fruit and home fries
Lunch- Ummmm what lunch?? I taught all day! This is a no no--but i just didn't have a moment
Snack- the yummiest little rollups- multigrain wrap with banana honey and walnuts...Also a cupcake-first one in 3 weeks!
Dinner- PB sandwich (i really need to get to the store)
Snack- Smore-no chocolate

And today is Sunday!! I will be taking a walk today to cover my 10 minutes of cardio--cleaning house, doing grocery shopping as well. I will be eating well today as it is grocery shopping day.
I have enjoyed this workout tremendously because it has helped me to get back into a routine and started me off slow. There are two things that I did not like about this workout-- #1 There are no chest and back days! Those muscles will strengthen with some of the ab and arms exercises but not as well as if you target those areas. #2---Not one day of complete rest---Your body has to have a day to rejuvenate and relax (in my opinion). On to the next one!!

Week 2: Day 4

When I woke up on Thursday, I had no desire to move around. My muscles were screaming with protest. My adductor and inductor muscles (inner and outer thigh) were very sore along with my obliques. The first thought I had was, "I don't want to go to the gym today". That thought was followed by, "Its working and you are going".  My inner angel and devil were quarreling. The angel won of course. I bought myself two new pair of sneakers as both a reward and an incentive to keep going! Today was a light day- 15 minutes of cardio on the elliptical, 15 min arm workout on the machines---I even did some chest presses.

Food:
Breakfast- Honey Nut cheerios (Organic skim milk/lactose free)
Snack- Banana
Lunch- Chick-fil-A nuggets and a Lemonade (I got my period...I needed this today!)
Snack- Peanut butter cookie flavored LaraBar (dates, peanuts and sea salt...yum!)
Dinner- Chicken soup

The Truth about Vitamins

Recently I have discovered some unfortunate news about Vitamins. My co-workers have informed me that our vitamins are full of fillers. WHAT!? What does that mean!? I did a little research and some (a lot) of vitamin companies are owned by big pharmaceutical companies (alarms are sounding and red lights are flashing!). The same companies that profit from you being sick, are the same companies making your vitamins. Do you see the problem yet?? You will - Just keep reading.

Hydrogenated oils---The oils that you are NOT supposed to eat. Check your Gel tablets for this ingredient.

Sugars, Starches, artificial colorings, extracts from Coal Tar- Do your vitamins need to look pretty?? No, I didn't think so.

Magnesium Stearate- Used to make the vitamins not stick to the production machines. Some studies have shown that this causes a film to develop in your body and does not allow the absorption of the actual vitamins (Seriously!?)

Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Prop. Glycol, Sawdust - The list goes on and on. Why is it necessary to put these chemicals into our body, when all we want is the benefits of the actual vitamins??

The pharma companies profit from you being sick, so why not help make you sick! I'm sure you have figured out the conflict of interest at this point. Let me take this a step further. I went shopping for vitamins at a local, reputable health food store yesterday on a mission to find vitamins with no fillers. I thought that this would be an easy task and they would probably only have brands without all these chemicals. NOPE! When asked what I was looking for, I said vitamins with no fillers. The gentleman thought for a moment and told me three different kind of vitamin companies to look for - Country Life, Gaia and I now cannot remember the third. To my surprise the vitamin shelves were stocked with all different company names, and only a few of the ones suggested. I asked myself Why and the answer was clear when I saw the cost of these vitamins. If you want true vitamins, you are going to have to fork over some money. One single bottle of organic multivitamins was around $30. The bottles with all those fillers---half the cost or less. I am a couponer, bargain hunter extrordinaire-this price made my eyes bulge. I had to justify buying such an expensive product; I could spend this money here and be well, or I can spend it in the future on a doctor. $80 dollars bought me 3 different vitamins (multivitamin, fish oil, and a probiotic) with no fillers and a piece of mind. The next time you go to the store and stumble across the vitamin section, do me a favor and read the ingredients.


Thank you to my good friends Melina, Mandy, and Andrew for schooling me on vitamins.
Information was obtained from draxe.com, livestrong.com and Nutritional News.

Week 2: Day 2 and 3 - Great Progress

Tuesday was a bit of a crazy day. Due to some mishaps that morning, I made it to the gym for my 15 minute cardio session and then I had to be at work. I planned on doing my ab work at home, but again the forces were against me.

FOOD:
Honey Nut Cheerios for Breakfast
Snack: Half a peanut butter sandwich
 Lunch: Hamburger with fries for lunch (this was a poor choice that led to amazingly bad indigestion the rest of the evening)
1 S'more (no chocolate)

Looking back on that day---I didn't do a darn thing right!


Wednesday was a kick butt kinda day. My triceps were still a little sore from Monday's workout, and I needed to get my ab workout in from the day before. 30 min cardio on the elliptical, 15 min leg workout on the machines (abductor, inductor, squats, leg lifts) and 15 min ab workout (russian twists, sit ups on the yoga ball, oblique crunches with a 10 lb weight on the roman chair). I had a serious amount of anger from the minute I woke up, I used it in my workout and it really powered me through. I felt somewhat better after kickin' my own butt. Overall the day was successful.

Food:
Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese
Lunch: Panera cup of broccoli and cheddar soup with a whole grain baguette
Snack- Cliff bar
Dinner- Organic Mac and cheese with organic apple

Week 2-Monday awesomeness

Today's workout - 30 minute Elliptical 15 minute arms (free weights and machine)
I felt like a champion today. I powered through my workout with no problem. I didn't get bored on the elliptical and just busted it out without getting bored. It did help that Pawn Stars was on the TV in front of me ;)

FOOD
8:00am - Bowl of honey nut cheerios
12:00- Home made chicken soup and tortellini
1:00- Banana and mini rice cakes
3:00- Yogurt
7:45- Mini Organic Pizza

5 6 and 7---What a Bust

Some evil forces were against me this week. I get migraines- they are debilitating for me and the world has to stop soon after the onset or bad things happen. I'm allergic to chocolate, caffeine, coffee and dark rum. If I ingest these, it triggers a migraine. I also get it from changing my sleeping patterns, which is precisely how I received this migraine.  I went to Washington D.C. with my husband for New Years and was not on any type of schedule. One week later (this is the normal time period after a vacation), I get my migraine. I felt it coming a few minutes before I started to teach my class. I popped my meds (which lessens the wrath, but does not make it go away) and had to teach through two classes. On my way home, I was desperately trying not to vomit in my car. I was supposed to go to the gym after work that day, but instead I went home, puked, and layed in bed till 11. At 11, I got up for more meds, dry cereal (so I could take my meds and not kill my stomach), and water then went back to sleep.

Friday Food:
Bagel with cream cheese
Apple
Organic Mac and Cheese
No dinner
Dry cereal


Saturday was a day full of teaching. Unfortunately, the day after a migraine isn't pretty either. It feels like someone tore open my skull and punched my brain. More meds, lots of water and praying to make it through the day. There was no way I could workout with that pain.

Breakfast- From Peach's- 1 egg over hard, rye toast, home fries and fruit
Lunch- Cliff Bar
Snack- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
Dinner- Multi grain pasta with butter and parmesan cheese
Snack- 4 cookies (yeah after that crappy night I deserve them!)

Today (Sunday) I was supposed to do 15 minutes of cardio--I cleaned the house instead. I took down the Christmas lights on the roof, put away ALL the inside decorations, did laundry, dishes, etc. etc. Tomorrow I will be back at it in full force.

Breakfast- Bagel and Cream Cheese
Lunch- Grilled Cheese and a few chips
Snack-More chips (BAD GIRL!)
Dinner- Home Made Chicken soup and tortellini

Day 3 and 4

Small snafu in the scheme of things on Day 3. I had to take 2 of my cats to the vet in the morning (my vet is 40 minutes away). It did not allow me time to go to the gym, but I stayed committed and went on a 2 mile walk that took me about 35 minutes. I did not get to do my leg workout as planned but I tacked that on to day 4. I haven't eaten meat in 4 days and my body was telling me it was time. SO I ate a burger today and it filled me up all day!

Food:
7:15am Breakfast (sort of) 1 piece of honey wheat toast lightly buttered with honey
10am- Apple
12:30 Lunch Burger on toasted bread and Fries - ketchup
7:45 Dinner- Potato/tomato soup--Last night I swear!!
8:15 6-8 peppermint white chocolate m&m's left from xmas...had to get them out of sight!

**I have failed to mention my drinks!! I ONLY ever drink water. I carry a cup with me all day and drink all day long. I occasionally have ginger ale or sprite...but if I drink it, I'll tell you!


DAY 4
Today I weighed myself. That was a reality check within itself. since I was 12 (when i grew boobs overnight and got my period) I've been the same exact clothing size/shoe size etc. I've always been between 130 and 140. 140 is the very top of my height/weight limit on those stupid charts at the doctors office--and honestly its my fat weight. Today I weighed 140---immediate sadness! It really lit a fire under my ass after that weigh in. Today I did 15 minutes of cardio (10 min incline treadmill and 5 on elliptical--yeah i get bored fast) 15 minute legs (did a machine circuit) and 15 min arms (machine circuit). Today my body was asking for food (I also have PMS lol). SO I gave it food ;)

8:00 Breakfast: Frosted flakes
9:45 Banana
11:15 Lunch A- 2 small pieces of the home made pizza I made the other day
1:15 Lunch B- The last of the brown rice with zucchinni/egg/bean sprouts
8:30 Dinner- Fritatta- 2 eggs, 1 potato, spinach, zucchinni, hot pepper flakes, dash of olive oil and sea salt

Did I mention my abs are killing me still from Tuesday??
-J

Day 2!!

Easy workout today! 15 minutes Elliptical 15 minutes ab workout which included Sit ups on the yoga ball (3 sets of 20), Russian twists with a 10lb medicine ball (3 sets of 20) and 3 planks (duration: 30 seconds each).

Food:
8:30am Breakfast: Cup of Frosted Flakes (yeah I like sugar) with lactose free, skim organic milk
12:00 Lunch: 2 small slices of home made pizza (dough from publix, home made tomato sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella)
12:45 Snack- Banana
1:45 Snack- whole grain wheat thins and a tsp of peanut butter
5:00 Snack - Yoplait Yogurt (regular--reduced fat is made with aspartame...a big no no)

AND DINNER--9 PM! I got locked out of my house and a locksmith had to come...*sigh*
Cup of potato/tomato soup I made the other day.... Maybe 2..I'm starving!

Day 1

Day 1 is always the toughest, or so they say. We'll see how true it is when I get into the crazy workout I  found today. My body is definitely not ready for the hardcore crossfit training video I saw today, but I am excited to try it in the future. In the past, when I jump back into a workout routine, I go super hard the first day and end up regretting it. I'm glad I became wise and found a workout that would help me ease back into the swing of things.

So here it is- as you can see I did 30 minutes of Cardio---I chose 20 minutes Elliptical and 10 minutes on the revolving stairs. For my 15 minute arm workout--I did a circuit on the arm machines- 3 sets of 10 on each machine I went to with light weight. Getting through the cardio was killer because I get bored on machines, but I pushed through.

Today I ate: 
9am Breakfast:  Plain Bagel and Cream cheese
12:30 Lunch: Cup of tomato/potato soup I made fresh last night
1:30 Snack: Yogurt and a few plantain chips
4:10 Snack 2: Banana
7:30 Dinner: Brown rice with bean sprouts, zucchini and egg
Its possible I may have a snack before bed

There you have it! Success ;)
-J

The Ugly Truth

What I'm about to post is somewhat positive and somewhat disturbing (for me...maybe for you).
I took photos of myself this morning so I can begin the documentation of what these workouts will do for my body. Some of you will say, "Oh that's nothing!". Others may be mortified. It doesn't matter either way because you don't have to live in my body. I am in front of the mirror doing my job EVERYDAY except Sunday. As a dancer and dance teacher, I know when my body is "heavy". It may not look that way to you, but ask any athlete. We have been trained to be in tune with our body, to produce entertainment, to win with our bodies on display. We know when things just aren't right. I honestly cannot wait to start working out tomorrow. I'm anxious to know which workouts are the real fat burners they claim to be. Here are the "Before" pictures:

Zero definition! Must get upper body strength!

Now can you see what I'm talking about!!?

Fat rolls go away!

Side Belly

Dreaded Inner Thighs

And the dreaded love handles

While I don't have much weight to lose, I have a lot of muscle to gain. I'm hoping for real results-just like any person who is starting a new diet/workout regime.
Here are the rules I am going to abide by with these workouts :
1. If the workout does not have an amount of time listed (ex: 6 pack abs in 10 days), I will use the workout for 2 weeks. I think this is a sufficient amount of time
2. I will not change my diet- I do not eat poorly. Yes I love the occasional fast food, but this all is supposed to be realistic. No one achieved health and wellness by sticking to the No carb diet for the rest of their life. I will tell you everything I do eat, however.
3. Well...I don't have another rule, but I'm going to save it. I'm sure I will need one as I begin this process.

If there is a workout you see and you want me to try it-message me! I'm open to pretty much anything-and I do like a challenge ;)

See you all tomorrow! -J

The Beginning

I am the average American. I work too much, over eat, lose weight, gain weight, and complain about my body. Six months ago I turned 30. I hated the thought of reaching this milestone in my life because to me it signified the beginning of being old. The beginning of wrinkles, more aches and pains and a harder time keeping the weight off. I still don't like 30 and I'm not looking forward to getting any older, but rather than mope about it, I have been thinking about all the other people who struggle with their weight and appearance as I do. I have been thinking about all the stupid yo-yo diets and shake weight ridiculousness that we see in the media all the time. Recently I have been seeing a lot of "The Best AB Workout" and "Lose the Weight in 2 Weeks" pins on Pinterest. Which one works? Should I bother to try any of them or are they all a ploy to make money?

I feel that I have an advantage over a lot of people when it comes to knowledge about fitness. I have been a dance instructor since the age of 16. I've worked in a gym, made friends with fitness professionals and work in a studio that promotes health and wellness. When you work in this kind of environment, it is very easy to want to live a healthier lifestyle and to pick up tips along the way. I've learned about what gluten does to some people's body, how eating organic foods could effect our health in the long run, and the list goes on. For those that work or live in a place that isn't as health conscious, making good choices can be a lot harder.

This blog is going to be a lot of things, but the very first thing it will be is a Reality Check. I am going to find out what workouts work and which ones don't. I will weigh, measure and record my progress with all of the workouts I try. I will post pictures so you can see what the workouts do, or if they do nothing at all. The pictures are my own Reality Check---there is no hiding behind clothes--the ugliness will be exposed. This is my incentive to make myself the best I can be. This journey will begin on Monday, January 7th and I am really excited to share this with everyone who will watch!
-J