Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Hindu : Life & Style / Metroplus : Fast track your weight loss

The Hindu : Life & Style / Metroplus : Fast track your weight loss


Here it is copied and pasted:

Not losing weight despite diet and exercise? Here are some habits that could be the reason behind why you are still piling on the kilos



Losing weight and keeping it off can be an intensely frustrating journey. However, if you stick to it, you'll definitely be able to beat the battle of the bulge. Here are some reasons why you may be facing setbacks.


Stingy with the calories: You’re very conscious of every morsel of food you eat, and when it comes to counting calories, you’re a human calculator. You starve yourself constantly and your weight yo-yos with every fad diet you try.


“Excessively restricting the calories is one of the most common mistakes made by people wanting to lose weight,” says Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC). “Excessive restriction of calories causes a stronger appetite as it tricks the body into thinking that it requires more food due to deficiency of essential nutrients.” It is therefore essential that calorie restriction is gradually developed over a period of time after consultation with a dietician.


“We should encourage our bodies to go into fat burning mode, instead of fat saving mode,” says Kolkata-based Dr Hena Nafis, specialist in weight management and nutrition. “If you starve yourself, especially after a rigorous workout, your body will store more fat and you tend to lose muscle fibre instead of building it. Muscle gives your body definition and shape. You also lose water and vital water soluble vitamins. As a result, your metabolism suffers. Your heart muscles and blood sugar gets affected. The focus should, therefore, be on fat loss and not weight loss.”


Wean yourself off fad diets by ensuring that you eat regularly and adequately, fuelling yourself with small frequent meals through the day. “A healthy balanced diet that encompasses all the nutrient groups such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre would be ideal,” says Dr.Nafis. Don’t eliminate any food group and work out an eating plan that suits your lifestyle.


Playing couch potato after workout: You're fairly religious about your workouts and you hardly ever miss a session. But what about life after gym? If you think your workout gives you licence to play couch potato for the rest of the day, this could explain why you haven’t seen a significant weight loss yet.


Exercising regularly isn't enough if you’re going to follow it up by long spells of laziness. The human body has been designed for constant activity. “In order to speed up weight loss, you have to keep moving through the course of the day,” says Vinata Shetty, Reebok master trainer based in New Delhi. “Otherwise, you run the risk of not burning more calories than you are taking in.”


Keep your metabolism as high you can and this means being more active in general. Avoid sitting for long periods. “Try to sneak more action into your daily schedule and think of ways that you can do mundane chores differently.


For instance, stand on one leg while you comb your hair! Walk everywhere you can and make use of staircases for quick workouts,” says Shetty. Invest in a pedometer to clock your steps and always try to improve your previous scores. “Remember, your exercise session doesn’t end with the gym! Weight loss will eventually depend on your cumulative activity.”


Not planning your post-workout snack: Exercise not only burns calories, it also breaks down the muscle tissue in our bodies. If we do not re-build this tissue effectively, despite the vigorous workouts, weight loss just won’t be possible.

If you overwork the muscles, you tend to ruin them. Muscles burn more calories and improve your strength and stamina, so if you don’t concentrate on rebuilding it, you’re not capitalizing on your workout.

By consuming the right kind of nutrients, especially within 30 minutes of completing your workout routine, we can re-build muscle and speed up weight loss. “The post-exercise snack must be chosen carefully,” says Dr Hena Nafis. “For it to be most effective, it should be a combination of carbohydrates and proteins. Since liquids are more easily absorbed by the body, I’d recommend whey protein shakes. Buttermilk is a good choice as well.”

Hatred for dairy: If you can’t stand dairy foods, you’re probably not getting enough calcium to fuel weight loss.
Lack of calcium can cause sluggish metabolism. “Recent research has shown that consuming calcium-rich low fat dairy foods along with regular physical activity can speed up weight loss by 50%-70% while strengthening bones, preventing osteoporosis,” says Dr Anoop Misra. “You’ll also see overall and abdominal fat loss and the gain of muscle mass.”


Add low-fat dahi (yoghurt), milk and buttermilk to your diet. If you’re lactose intolerant, then get your dose of calcium from sprouts, dark green leafy vegetables or from a supplement prescribed by your doctor.

Doing too much too soon: Weight loss requires patience and perseverance of your goals over a long period of time. If you workout too much and too soon, you are bound to burn out.

Any fitness regime that isn’t meant for the long-term just won’t work. “You see them in every gym class,” says Shetty. “Those over-enthusiastic exercisers who just want to keep going. These people are in danger of quitting mid-way (before they reach their fitness goals) due to injury or fatigue.”

It is best to take things slow and ensure that your workout is balanced so that it becomes a lifestyle change, instead of a two-week wonder! Even though the results may be slower, you can keep the weight off permanently.

Mind isn’t on the workout: Lack of attention can result in severe injury, disrupting the exercise routine over the next few weeks.

“The mind-body connection of exercise is more pronounced than we think. When your mind isn’t on your workout, your posture, execution of the exercise, the intensity at which you workout—all this suffers and you tend to take longer to perform the same routine,” says Nisha Varma, fitness expert. “As a result, you don’t reap the full benefits. All this can adversely affect your weight loss goals.”

Enjoy your exercise routine. If you find your current workout a drag, explore other more interesting options until you find one that you can truly throw yourself into. “Don’t exercise for more than an hour and fifteen minutes a day,” advises Varma. “If you are very overweight or obese and must exercise for longer, break the routine into two sessions so that your concentration won’t waver.”

The Hindu : Life & Style / Metroplus : Fast track your weight loss

This article is fabulous!  I think anyone on a weightloss journey needs to read this:

The Hindu : Life & Style / Metroplus : Fast track your weight loss

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Workout #62 of 2012 (No More Trouble Zones)

I did it.  I did the whole 7 circuits, surrenders and all and right now I feel... AWESOME!  I actually feel like working out more--which proves that action causes inspiration rather than inspiration causing action.

Seriously contemplating hopping on the elliptical for another 20-25 minute workout.  Am I crazy?

XOXO,

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Workout #61 (Ripped in 30 week 4)

I made it through the workout tonight, yea!  Week 4 is tough but I feel sooooo amazing right now having completed it.  I felt so strong doing the difficult moves and I kept thinking about the quote I saw on Pinterest "It doesn't get easier, you get stronger."  I am stronger and I LOVE IT!

XOXO,

Workout #60 ~ 30% of the way to my goal!

Woohoo!  I'm 30% done today!  For my workout, I again was monitoring a standardized test and made myself walk non-stop for over 2 hours.  I am guessing my pace was about 1.5-2mph so it was very low impact.  BUT, EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!  That is my one big beef with Jillian Michaels.  She undervalues small efforts--like taking the stairs or parking further away.  I disagree.  I think EVERY thing we do counts.

140 workouts until I reach my goal!  It's gonna happen, stay tuned!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Workout #58 and 59 of 2012 - Not my finest....

Workout 58 - Monitoring the STAAR test today I walked around off and on for 4 hours.  I began by not allowing myself to sit down until the entire first hour passed.  I have noticed myself becoming too perfectionistic lately so I'm making myself count this even though it's low impact. I don't ever want to get to a point where I diminish the value of any kind of workout.  When I start doing that, I start discounting things I used to count as workouts and then eventually quit because my expectations have exceeded reality.

Workout 59 - Tonight I tried to complete Ripped in 30 week 4 but had to quit in the middle of the 2nd circuit thanks to VERY low bloodsugar.  Again, I am making myself count this because I don't want to diminish the value of doing something active.  While it may not be my finest or my longest workout, it was a workout.

This is not about perfection, it's about progress.  Perfection does not exist but I can see my progress everyday and with every workout.  I don't want to go down the road of perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, setting myself up for failure.  I refuse to do that to myself.  So while I'm disappointed that my diabetes got in the way tonight, I am glad I got through one circuit--it is a pretty tough circuit that definitely got my heart rate up, burned some fat and built some muscle :).

By the way, it is KILLING me to count these.  I feel like I'm cheating.

XOXO,

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Workout #57 of 2012 (Cardio)

Today I did manage to get in a traditional workout--20 minutes on the elliptical while reading December's Self (Yes, I'm a few months behind). At 20 minutes, my wonderful husband announced that dinner was served so I quit a few minutes earlier than I had planned.

I still am harboring the hope of getting in some yoga later though every time I mention it, it doesn't happen.  I am trying to get ahead on my workouts because next weekend is a fun wedding shower weekend for my cousin and I will be less likely to find time to workout.

XOXO,

Workout #56 of 2012

Yesterday, my mother helped us go through all the kids toys, get rid of some, and reorganize the rest.  We also rearranged the furniture in various rooms (for example, my dining room which had become the office/playroom is now back to being a dining room and any downstairs toys have been relocated to an area in our spacious kitchen).  It was enough activity to make me have low bloodsugar twice so I'm definitely counting my day yesterday as a workout :).

Today I want to get in a more traditional workout or two... BUT, we still have to finish with our spring cleaning in preparation for our maid coming for the first time on Wednesday--I could not be more excited!

XOXO,

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Workout #55 of 2012 (Yoga)

I have been slacking off on the yoga so tonight I got back on the wagon. It was tough but I powered through Chris Freytag's 10-Pound Slimdown Yoga. It felt so refreshing. Yoga always makes things better! What a great ending to the day.

XOXO,

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Workout #54 of 2012 (Cleaning)

My husband finally agreed that we could get a maid. Tomorrow night a service is coming to give an estimate so naturally I spent all night cleaning in preparation :). It may be low impact, but it counts!

XOXO,

Monday, March 19, 2012

A little motivation...


Get that workout in!

XOXO,

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Workout #53 of 2012 (Cardio)

I have had Season 3, Disc 3 of Sex and the City from Netflix sitting on my stairs for over a month.  The kids are at the grandparents, the husband is at drill, so I indulged while working out on the elliptical and doing some ab moves.  Looking like Carrie Bradshaw is great motivation.

Not gonna lie, the time seemed to take forever.  I think I'm more of a fitness/health magazine guru while on the elliptical.  Reading always makes the time fly by for me.

XOXO,

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Workout #52 of 2012 (Ripped in 30 Week 3)

Note to self: Week 3 is hard and requires you to take every cheat available.  I always forget that week 3 is the hardest of the Ripped in 30 workouts (at least for me).  I feel like I did not really get a good workout because I was unable to physically do many of the moves (a lot due to inflexibility--I cannot get into an ab-hold position because my back is that inflexible).

I'm glad I did it nevertheless.  Now off to enjoy a delicious Tex-Mex meal with my fam.

XOXO,

Friday, March 16, 2012

Workout #51 of 2012 (Cardio)

I took full advantage of this amazing Texas weather and did a 50-minute powerwalk through 2 neighborhoods and a park.  By the end, I was quite fatigued--I know I was going around a steady 4-4.5 mph pace until the last 10 minutes.  It was amazing to get outdoors!  I hope the nice weather lasts.  I am NOT fully recovered from our record-breaking heat wave last summer when you could barely walk to the car let alone work out outdoors.  I'm hoping to get in some yoga in a bit.  If I do, I will be 2 workouts ahead of schedule for the year! :)


XOXO,

Inspiration does not generate action. Action generates inspiration.

I read this tweet by Chris Freytag this morning and it really struck a chord with me.  The quote reads: "We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start.  Action always generates inspiration.  Inspiration seldom generates action."

I see the truth in this quote with almost every workout I do.  Anyone who reads my blog can also see the truth because I often consider doing a second workout after my first because I feel so inspired.  I'm rarely inspired before I workout, but after, I'm almost always inspired to do more.

So how do you start when you aren't inspired?  Like I've said before, AUTOPILOT.  Put on the workout clothes, shoes and just start.  Turn down the volume in your head, and treat working out as a part of your daily routine.  Some days it will be easier, others it will be harder.  You may not be inspired before, but you most certainly will be after!

XOXO,

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

25% done! Workout 50 of 2012

Tonight I could not resist the amazingly perfect weather and thus did a 30 minute power-walk through my neighborhood and the one next it.  I wore my mom's Sketcher Shape-ups (I have the hot pink ones Kim is holding) which I think kept me at a slower pace.  I had a lot of difficulty figuring out how exactly I was supposed to walk quickly in them but by the end I had a pretty good rhythm.  Nevertheless my keens are a bit sore so I'll definitely be icing them.

After finishing, I did some ab moves for about 5 minutes before stretching out my entire body--I'm quite sore from yesterday's workout.

I can't believe I've already done 50 workouts!!!!  Last year, I did not hit 50 until June 4th, though I hit 25% on March 18th (my last year goal was 100 workouts versus this year's 200) so I'm right on track compared to last year.

XOXO,

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Workout #49 of 2012 (No More Trouble Zones)

I have been craving No More Trouble Zones for a few days so today I did it again! It was great for the first 4 circuits but then I had to really keep my focus in order to finish. But finish I did and now I'm even contemplating hopping on the elliptical while watching The Biggest Loser :).

I may be obsessed....

XOXO,

I'm intrigued...

I am seriously contemplating throwing out my workout plans for the next two weeks to try this workout by my fave Chris Freytag.

It promises a lot of changes in a 2-weeks and I'm VERY intrigued.  I know I could be spot-on this week (seeing as how it's spring break) but I worry that I'll fall off the wagon when I go back to work on Monday.  Maybe I'll save it for summer?  I don't know... Hmmm...

XOXO,

Monday, March 12, 2012

Workout #48 of 2012 (A walk to the park)

Sure it's lower impact, but I'm counting it.  The park is just under a mile from our house so we'll count 1.5 miles.  The way there, I carried a 2lb water container and alternated which arm was lifting it up and down.  On the way home, I had to carry a toddler about half of the way so that counts for something as well, LOL.

It was so nice to get outside in this much missed 80-degree weather! :)

XOXO,

Workout #47 of 2012 (Cardio and abs)

I was in the mood to read some fitness/health magazines so naturally I hopped on the elliptical.  I decided to try out doing it with the Sketchers Shape-ups that my mom gave me and I must say, my thighs felt like they were working a bit harder than normal.

After my 25 minutes on the elliptical, I did various types of crunches for about 5 minutes.

Looking forward to heading outside in a bit in this wonderful Texas spring weather!  It's supposed to reach 80 today and I'm so excited!

XOXO,

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Current Weight...


I decided to weigh today and I currently weigh 140.4!  It's amazing how much cutting out fast food has done in just a matter of weeks.  Here's hoping for a 139.9 or less next week so I can officially be back in the 130s! :)

XOXO,

Workout #46 of 2012 (Jillian Michaels: Kickbox FastFix)

Jillian Michaels just released a new cardio DVD that sounded like one I could handle, Jillian Michaels: Kickbox FastFix.  I downloaded it for $9.99 on itunes and tried out workout 1 today.

This is the first of her workouts that actually is 20 minutes from start to finish.  There's not a warmup and a very quick cooldown (that lasts maybe 2 minutes total--I cooled down for longer because I don't want to be unnecessarily super-sore) so you have a solid 17 minute cardio workout.  I watched the tutorial on proper form before doing the workout, but still had difficulty maintaining proper form at the pace she led the workout.  This is not Jillian's fault; I am just a bit uncoordinated :).  Workout 1 focuses on the upper body and does incorporate weights on 3 or 4 different moves.  I worked up a good sweat and had no joint issues while doing all the moves--yea!

All in all I liked the workout, I just have to work on my form.  Down the road, I could see myself doing multiple of these workouts back to back seeing as how they are short.

XOXO,

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Workout 45 of 2012

Today I did Ripped in 30 Week 2 and those plank moves about did me in. In fact, I substituted other cardio in circuit 3 because I had had enough, LOL.

Anyways, glad I did it! You definitely never regret a workout! :)

XOXO,

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Workout # 44 of 2012 (Circuit Training)

Tonight I did Ripped in 30 Level 1 with my 3lb weights!  I am excited to have built back up my muscles enough to be able to use them.  That's what the girls in the DVD use (including Jillian) so it makes me feel very satisfied.  I am happy to say the workout was very easy but as they say, "It doesn't get easier, you get stronger," and well, I'm stronger! :)

XOXO,

Monday, March 5, 2012

Workout #43 of 2012 (Cardio and abs)

Laugh all you want, but I just got a great 30 minute workout while playing with my toddler.  How? (Besides the obvious chasing her around)  Just Dance Kids for the Wii!  Yes, I looked a fool but I had so much fun and worked up a ridiculous sweat trying to keep up with the dance moves.  I LOVED every second of it.  In fact, my toddler lost interest about 15 minutes in, yet I kept on trying new songs.  I'm now seriously contemplating getting the adult version of the game for more fun cardio :).

After finishing my impromptu dance workout, I did the Mad Abs March workout for today.

XOXO,

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Some Motivation...


What more can I say?
Have no regrets, go workout!  NOW!

XOXO,

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Workouts #41 & #42 of 2012


Today I did 2 total workouts so that I can have a guilt free day off tomorrow.  Plus I'm having Chuy's tonight for dinner so I wanted to make sure I have plenty of residual workout benefits (If you did not know, your metabolism can be increased for like 24-48 hours) to cover the meal.

My first workout consisted of 1.5 hours of cleaning paired with 20 minutes on the elliptical.

My second workout was the entire No More Trouble Zones workout--all 7 circuits.

I'm a little shaky right now but I feel FREAKING AMAZING!  I needed this energy boost to motivate me to keep doing what I'm doing!  I'm already sore from my workouts yesterday so tomorrow will be a much needed day off!  I'm a little scared of how badly I'm going to hurt tomorrow, but I'll take sore over sorry any day! :)

XOXO,

Friday, March 2, 2012

Workout #40 of 2012 (Yoga) 20% done towards my goal!!!!


It's been awhile since I've done yoga so today's workout was pretty darn tough.  I was only able to do chaturanga twice before my muscles refused to hold me up--but at least I was able to do it twice!  I am so relieved I did a second workout today because I hate being behind on my plan and I'm officially all caught up.  Not to mention the fact that this is a milestone workout for the year--20%!  If I stay on track, I will hit 30% before the end of the month--which will be so AWESOME!

XOXO,

Workout #39 of 2012 (Cardio & Abs off Pinterest)


I did this workout twice for a total of 20 minutes and supposedly 200 calories burned.  It was a good workout that I could do all but jumping jacks and jumping squats.  Instead I did jumprope and sumo squats where you pulse and go up on your toes.  The workout flew by and I worked up a good sweat.  I'll definitely do it again sometime.  It requires nothing but myself to complete so I can do it even if I have zero equipment.


After that, I did Mad Ab March exercise for yesterday (March first).  I'll play catchup on Sunday and then will be on track to do it all month.  Here's hoping to some Mad Abs at the end of March!

XOXO,

Weigh-in

I haven't weighed in in awhile because I choose to avoid the scale at all costs since I used to obsess about it daily--weighing 10-50 times a day. I knew I gained weight over the holidays despite all my workouts.  This is of course because you can eat your way through any exercise program.  We had gotten lazy and were eating out several times a week (3-5 times).  I last weighed sometime in January and weighed 145.  I was relieved I hadn't gained more than 5 pounds in our unhealthy eating habits and set my sights on Lent as a time to fix the dietary problems.  I actually started making changes a little before Lent but Lent is when I officially gave up fast food.  It's been 10 days since I ate fast food and I'm happy to report that this morning I weighed in at 141.2.  I am excited to be back on track and to feel healthier.  While I'm not going to say that I will never have fast food again, my hope and goal is that Lent will put us back into a healthier pattern.  We used to have fast food once a week and eat out an additional time over the weekend.  I don't want us to exceed that.  We can't allow ourselves to get lazy just because we are tired after work.  

I'm hoping to be 139 again soon--I just LOVE being able to say I'm in the 130s, even if barely! :)

XOXO,

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Workout #38 of 2012 ( Circuit Training)

Today I had to pick up my adorable toddler from daycare because she had a fever. A trip to the doctor told us she has the flu and she basically passed out all afternoon. I thus decided it was time to work on clearing out the DVR. After America's Next Top Model, Dance Moms and The Biggest Loser, I felt motivated to multitask while watching by choreographing my own circuit workout. (it's amazing how watching skinny people prance around and others working their butts off to lose weight can really inspire you to get off the couch). I did 4 Jillian-styled circuits while watching Parenthood and I'm feeling like I want to do more. I'm 2 workouts behind schedule so I very well may head out for a power walk when the hubby gets home--it's 80 degrees outside woohoo! And we're stuck inside :(...

XOXO,