Long time no write

Well I haven't written in here much since September not much has really changed with my life except that I was accepted to the University I wanted to go to. I am pushing forward with my goals to become a dietician and nurse. I haven't been working out much because I was having some trouble with my health mostly just burn out I think. To the left you can see my progress over 2012 only down 50pounds between pictures making it the year I lost the least amount of weight since I started out but, I am still happy about it.

With that being said below on the right you can see that I rearranged my room to make it easier for me to work out. I am also really excited to say that the new school has a rec center where I can swim. I am hoping will help me even more with my weight-loss/fitness goals. We all know my first love is the ocean and anything that gets me closer to surfing is my happy place.

I hope that everyone else is having an start to their years. I am going to try and post more nutrition type posts on here since I am now just a student without a job. With tons of time to kill between classes on Tuesday's 10:30 am until 6pm to be exact. I make no promises to write more often but, I do promise to try at least.

Work out

To prove you should like worse after a good workout.

Last night was my first real workout since before I got sick. It was hard for me to get into it but, once it was over and done with I felt more like myself well a tired sweaty gross version of myself but, myself none the less. I have worked very hard to make working out a part of my day to day life. It means more to me than what most people think it does. No, it isn't an obsession like some I just feel like it is more my time for me. I get very little me time when school is in session and I am at work because I have a crazy schedule so, my workouts are my only me time. I take it as a treat for myself much like I will be treating myself to some Del Taco and Coffee today and possibly an apple fritter. Side note I have been craving an apple fritter for over two weeks and I think I deserve one after what I just endured. Can you tell I am slightly hungry as I am writing this lol. Anyways back to last nights work out. It was a 30 minute workout by tone it up. I did the 30 minute tone up work out here. It was an 8 min cardio warm up 5 toning moves followed by 2 mins of cardio then you repeat the 5 moves and 2 mins of cardio 2 more times for a total of 3 making it 30 mins then I did a warm down stretch for maybe a min or two just to make sure I didn't get all tight after the run on the elliptical. Considering we don't run our air and it was 90 degrees in the house and over 100 degrees outside I was happy to get through the workout at all lol. I think my major slim down will happen come fall as always since I am more likely to kick butt at my workouts when I am not dying from the heat.

I am sure you noticed that not so awesome before and after picture of me in the after I will say I was tired and I got in the shower very quickly after that because OMG I was not smelling that great. You also get to see my lovely glasses that I don't always wear when I workout but I did last night because I was having trouble seeing the moves on the Youtube video with my lap top on the bed. I took the picture and posted it here to show that yes you are supposed to sweat and smell and be all sorts of nasty after a workout and guess what it is a-okay that is what they make showers for.

So, get out there get sweaty and have fun with your "me" time. I know I do =)

Sleeping

I have officially slept the day away. I got woken up last night by some loud sound outside and couldn't get back to sleep until around 5am. However, in other news I was able to workout before going to bed because it was really quite nice in the house for the first time in 2 days. I don't mind warm weather when we get cool at night so, that the house stays cool. Normally this is easy since we have double panned windows that hold keeps the house at a nice 70 something degrees until around 3pm without the cool air at night we haven't been able to get the house down to the 60's that it needs to be. Anyways onto my early/late workout it was nice to workout in the cool again. It is hard for me to workout when it is hot just because I have trouble regulating my body temperature so, when I get hot I tend to overheat. I did leg and butt workouts with a little abs thrown in. I am however, bummed I have gained 7lbs but, I have lost inches. It is always better to lose inches =)

Cardio

I have been sick to my stomach for the past few weeks. It has been intermittent but, still has made everything in my life a little bit harder. I decided to stop doing Cardio exercises because it seemed like I was feeling more nauseous. It seems that it has been just too hot for me. I have trouble regulating my body temperature which means when I get too hot my body needs help to get me cooled off again. I don't sweat much; which is every girls dream right? Wrong since I don't sweat a lot my body can't cool off as quickly as it needs to. Since cutting out my Elliptical and my run I have started to feel a bit better we will see what happens as the week goes on without those. I will still be working out but, I will be doing low impact exercises consisting of Pilates and Yoga.

Workouts so far this week.

1Time Each
Bikini Strap

POP CARDIO: Summer Sweatfest 

Beautiful Booty Workout 

Sunkissed ABS Workout 

I have done some basic arm and leg moves as well just weight lifting mostly with ankle weights and hand weights.

 Been kind of a slow week on workouts so far because I have been feeling pretty crummy. However, I have been eating really well and staying under my 1300 calorie goal because I really haven't been moving much at all. Lots of water going into me too. Plus a few pepsi's and by the end of the week some beer =)

Self Bikini Ready Fast

 

Okay I really don't have much to say tonight about this DVD I really liked it. I ended up not being able to do the whole thing because I got way too hot. It was 101 today and since we don't run the air conditioner it made for a very hot me so, tomorrow I am going to try and get up early in the AM before class and do this. We will see if that happens since I am really not much of a morning person plus I like to workout right before bedtime because I seem to get the best results for my body doing that.

Now that I have said that I like to work out at night I want to share something I have learned. It doesn't matter when you work out because everybody is different. Some people do best working out in the morning others the afternoon and others still in the evening. I have tried finding out from a credible source what time is best for everyone and no one seems to agree lol This leads me to believe that working out no matter what time of day so long as you are doing something is the best time to workout.

Stay cool and hydrated everyone I know I am going to try =)

BTW I drank a gallon of water today plus a pepsi (I know boo whatever) and two 8 ounce cans of all natural juices and I am about to drink at least another half liter of water before bed.

I workout

I realized I haven't really been talking about my workouts on here lately. Well tonight I will to the right you will see an Elliptical it was cheap from wal*mart meaning it fit into my budget. Mine is named George. Yes, I name my inanimate objects I have a GPS named Georgia Penelope  S****** and my turtle friend who is also my refillable air freshener is named Nelson. It just sounds way more fun when you say "I have a date with George" or "Oh I am just taking a trip with Georgia and Nelson" instead of saying "I am gonna go work out on the elliptical" or "I am driving to God knows where with my GPS and my air freshener to keep me company" Call me weird whatever at least I have fun with the mundane aspects of my life. However, to my favorite friends upset I have still not named my gun because I can't seem to be able to get to the range to fire her off for the first time. I was supposed to go with my Ex-boyfriend but, that didn't happen then I got sick and it was the last thing on my mind. Now, I just need someone who is handy with a gun to give me some of their precious time and take me but, anyways I am getting off track here. Back to my elliptical George. I have a date with George every night where we run till I am out of breath and dying which normally takes about 30 minutes. I burn around 500 calories on the calorie timer and run between 3 and 5 miles according to what I could find out online about figuring that out. It is my cardio not my favorite cardio but, it is cardio none the less. I sweat like a whore in church and end up drinking at least a liter of water during and after my workout. Hydration is key to weight loss.

Now to what George and I do it is called HIIT High Intensity Interval Training which means I run as hard as I can for a certain amount of time (1min normally) then run at a slower pace for the same length of time and keep doing that for my 30 minutes with some days doing a longer slower pace then my fast pace because puking is not fun. I really do enjoy doing the HIIT style workouts I feel like I am getting more bang for my buck with them and you can find all sorts of HIIT workouts online to do. I still do my yoga, pilates, toning, etc. depending on my mood that day and those last for about 30 minutes. Tomorrow I will be starting a new DVD which is 30 mins. I will talk more about that tomorrow.

In the end you can do crazy workouts like Insanity or you can walk around the neighborhood everyday and watch what you eat or even do something in between like I do. I truly don't care what anyone does because in reality at least you are doing something to make yourself happier and healthier and that is the best thing to do. =)

Swimming

Today instead of running 3 miles like I did yesterday with some toning exercises I went swimming. Yep, those are my white legs in the picture with my 1 blue toe nail. Don't judge I have a reason for having only one blue toe nail and it is very good. I got lazy and went to bed after it dried and I decided I liked the color lol. Told you it was a good reason. =)

I had a lot of fun swimming and laying out getting a little bit of sun; which actually made me feel quite a bit better. See this morning I woke up feeling ill got to class and went full on exorcist. That meant I came home and took a shower and went to bed. Woke up feeling better and when I was invited to go swimming I decided might as well. Back to the sun. As you can probably tell by my actually somewhat tan legs (yes, I am ghost white naturally) I do not go in the sun very often. Since I began to feel better from laying out in the sun it made me think about how the sun is actually somewhat important to our health and well being. We all know or at least should know that we get vitamin D from the sun which according to this article is the most important vitamin for the body also according to my Anatomy book. Vitamin D helps with bones and our immune system. Which makes me wonder if why I was feeling so yucky is because I needed some sun.

Having said I was out in the sun I will also state I never go in the sun without sunblock on period. Skin cancer is a risk when one goes in the sun and acquires a sunburn. Yes, we need sun but not enough to make us turn red like lobsters. Be smart and wear sunblock =)

July = New work out

Yeah I am a day late but, I am starting a new work out for July. It is of my own too well sort of I am going to borrow from Toneitup.com and use their calender as a sort of guideline but, I will be adding in my own stuff as well. I am really just wanting to spend this time while I am laid off from work focusing on my classes and on my health. Like I have stated before I was put on a new diet. Well the new diet is because they checked my thyroid and while it is still within the normal ranges it is a bit on the low side in order to fix this so, I don't end up with a messed up thyroid I am doing a complete overhaul of my diet.

The diet that the doctor has given me has a lot of restrictions that my whole family seems to think is no big deal since it is the diet they are on and don't follow. However, I am going to follow it. My life depends on it and unlike the rest of them I refuse to throw away the life I have been given because I don't like change. Anyways the restrictions are...

1. Gluten I am supposed to cut down/ cut out gluten
2. Refined flour aka white flour cut it out
3. Refined Sugar cut it out but I can have raw sugar and natural sugar subs
4. White rice cut it out It's cool I like brown
5. More Iodine and Selenium
6. More protein but, less meat
7. more Fiber but, less gluten flours
8. Avoid soy
9. Less Milk =( I can still have cheese and yogurt but less 
10. Low Glycemic less sugar basically diebeticish.

There is more I am sure but, most of it I do already. You know eat more veggies eat more fruits eat less fat etc. etc. etc.

The whole giving up gluten and watching my sugar and trying to figure out how to get more of the certain minerals into my diet without having to eat stuff I don't like is a slight challenge but, I am rising to it. Which is why this month is a month of new for me. I figure since I am having to research a way in which to still eat how I like but, in a way healthier manner  I will be able to help others with their food options. I am also taking all of my knowledge of exercise and building a workout that will help me shed the last 40lbs and tone all the areas I want to tone. I am determined that by this time next year I will be wearing a bikini.

So, take July and make it scream for it's mommy I know I am =)

I did this =)

Okay so tonight I did this workout and I really liked it. I am really enjoying all of their you tube videos. I am also loving their free recipes that they have scattered throughout their blog and throughout the web. This workout was fairly easy for me to do much like some of the others I have tried like Cowabunga, Tone Up your ARMS for summer! :), and Sunkissed Abs . I have loved all of them and felt the burn. I am really happy I stumbled across them on Pinterest because it is making workout more fun and interesting for me. I also like the recipes they have online because of my new diet which I will write about a little later on. There is a huge why behind my new diet and weight loss plan.

Sorry for skipping days too by the way. I just have been slammed with school and volunteering which will be another post later on this week. =)

Work Out: Changing it Up.

Last night I talked about how I hate my new workout but, I was going to stick to it etc. Well I made a decision tonight and NO! I am not sticking to this workout I am bored with it completely and I want to do something else. I am going to start the Bikini Workout by Tone it Up I just really like the workouts that they have on Self Magazines website and the ones that they have on You Tube. I may try and do the workout I am quitting at another time because it is a good workout but, I am just not that into it. Below is the Bikini playlist that they have on their You Tube. I am hoping this gives me more of what I am looking for =)

I hate my workout

I posted how I was starting a new workout that I found on pinterest the other day and I have to say I hate it. I find that yes it is challenging my body aches and I feel it but, I am just bored by it. I don't like how many rest days it has. I rest on Sunday Tuesday and Friday. Yes, I am going to stick with it and finish out the month with it but, I just am not a fan of it right now. Just so, everyone knows yes, I am getting results with it already and it has only been a week. I have lost about 3 pounds with it but, that isn't anymore than I normally use with one of my more intense work outs.

Now you might ask yourself what should I do if I just hate my work out. Well I say change it make it more fun for you. If you hate doing something you aren't going to do it. We all know that so, find something that makes you want to do it. I LOVE I mean L-O-V-E pilates and yoga. I will do any routine that is based on these two forms of exercise. I know if an exercise program has the moves I know to work in it I will do it. I also like plans that I don't have to use any equipment in because they make it easier for me to do anywhere. I used to stay in different places there for awhile but, that is another story lol. However, for me that was no excuse to not work out.

I have started doing some HIIT workouts as well and I really do enjoy them because they are so intense and I just feel awesome after I wake from my coma from doing them lol. For those who don't know HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Which basically means you do strength training for about a minute or more then cardio for a minute and back to strength training for half an hour. It is a real kick in the pants even with the beginner levels for it. Think Insanity that everyone is always talking about but, that is not the only HIIT workout out there either.

Yes, I am going to stick with my workout even though I hate it because I want to be able to say I did it and I lose this much or I didn't but, I have already picked out my next workout starting on July 1st =)

Weight Loss Tips: Workouts

I told you I would one day talk about workouts well tonight's the night I get most of the workouts I do from the internet. Mainly pinterest here lately. I also rent DVDs from Netflix which means I make my monthly expenditure work for me. I also watch workouts streaming from Netflix. I also look up workouts on You Tube.

Yes, I am a cheapskate lol. I mean come on have you seen the economy here lately it isn't possible for most of us to buy something super expensive. At least I know can't afford some of the more famous workouts that everyone seems to be raging about. Would I like to try one of those plans. HELL YES! Will I? HELL NO! I like to be able to have a roof over my head, gas in my car and food in my belly. Which means I work with what I have as many of you do I am sure. This is one of the many reasons I love the internet because I am able to find things for cheap or free. I keep my Netflix subscription because well I don't go out much and we don't have cable so, it is really my only means of entertainment. So, if I have to forgo seeing Bridesmaids for a week or more to try out a new workout plan I will.

Last month I did just that and I rented Results Fitness: 10 days to a better body. I loved the workout and I was able to lose 12 pounds during the time I did the workout. My legs, arms, butt, and stomach all tightened. The work out is broken up into two 30 minute segments and you pick one to do each day. One is upper and the 2nd is lower.When I read the reviews online about the workout I thought it was going to be super easy because so, many people said it wasn't very challenging to them. Well let me tell you the first time I did it I ended up running to the bathroom to puke during the warm down. I have been working out for three years mind you and I push myself pretty hard most of the time like to the point I feel like I might pass out. 

The first workout I did was the Upper body 30 minute work out. The DVD asks for a set of heavy hand weights and a set of light hand weights. I used 2lb and 3lb hand weights with 1lb wrist weights because that is what I had at the time. The DVD calls for 2-5lb for the light hand weights and 8-10lb for the heavy. If you don't already own weights I recommend buying the hexagonal weights because they will help you to not injure yourself with some of the moves. I have recently bought myself 3 different sized hand weights 3, 5, and 8lb I got them at Wal*Mart because they had the cheapest price for the set of 3. I spent a little under $40 bucks.

Since I rented the DVD I didn't get the meal plan so, I just stuck with my own 1200 calorie meal plan. Which from what I read in the reviews is what the daily calorie allowance was for the meal plan guide. Since I had to stay within the 1200 calories a day I ate a LOT of veggies and negative calorie foods which I will list tomorrow when I am not so, sleepy.

I would recommend this DVD and any of the 10 Minute Solutions that they have on streaming since I tried all of those last month as well. They all worked really well for me and I was happy to have a few new workouts to love and when I have the money I plan on buying the DVDs for my collection of workouts. If you haven't noticed yet I really do take my fitness seriously and I like to have fun with it because that is how I am able to keep my self motivated to do my workouts.

So, I say go out on the internet and see what workouts you can find for free and get down and have some fun. =)

PS Canned food and milk jugs can be used as hand weights in a pinch

Workouts: -20lbs

I started a new workout this week by Women's Health Magazine. I found it on pinterest it is toted as The Fastest to Lose 20+ lbs. I decided awhile back that I was going to try all the workouts that I have found interesting on pinterest. This is the first one I am trying that is an actual plan. I printed out the schedule for the 4 weeks and am sticking to it pretty much to the letter. Yesterday I wanted to do a few more arm exercises and leg exercises so, I did them. However, to try and be as faithful to this idea of seeing if sticking to only the plan will give the results that it says I will. I will be honest I am really not used to having so many rest days. I don't really do rest days they aren't my style. However, to be able to give an honest review of this workout I will keep the rest days and stick to just the workouts the plan has laid out. I will be honest and say I ended up doing "girl" push ups for all but 14 of the 24 done in the workout. I had to do the "girl" ones because I hurt my toe oddly enough not working out but, switching from one exercise to the other I some how stuck my toe into the hardwood. Go figure right lol. Anyways it was only a slight alteration to the workout and I can say even with my few adds of leg and arm exercises I am a little tender today. Tomorrow I will do cardio like the plan says to do. Today though is killing me doing nothing is killing me I am used to working out every single day and not working out is not like me I feel lazy but, I will keep to this plan I promise. The other thing I am not looking forward to is weighing in every Sunday I normally only weight myself once a month keeps me from getting discouraged.

I will update about this workout again about the workout on June 30th which will be my last day with it then I will be picking a new one or a new group of them depending on my mood come that time =)