When do you exercise?

I know we've all heard the rumor that it's better to exercise in the morning right when you get up, right? I think that it boosts your metabolism for the rest of the day or something. Not sure, but its supposed to be way better. So I try to commit and this is what happens:

Every. Single. Morning.

I go to bed, all excited and motivated like "tomorrow's the day!" Then in the morning...fail. I never get up! I just can't motivate myself to get out of bed to do something that I don't like doing anyways, when no one is forcing me to get up. I don't know what my problem is!!

How do you motivate yourself to exercise? What time do you exercise? Do you find it makes a difference to exercise in the morning vs in the evening?

M&M's for breakfast

Sometimes you just need to eat M&M's for breakfast. I wouldn't suggest doing it often, but sometimes, its okay. 

Personal Training

Yikes! The first appointment is always the worst because that's the one where they take down all your measurements and stuff. Lemme tell ya, it was not pretty. So, In the interest of science, I am prepared to share my fitness baseline results with you. This is not easy.

Weight: 184lbs
% Body fat: 36.5% (Well below Avg.) Avg= 23.7-20.7
BMI: 31.58 (Well below Avg.) Avg= 22.0-21.1
Waist-Hip Ratio: 0.73 (Avg.) Ave= 0.769-0.737
Resting Heart Rate: 89 BPM (Well Below Avg) Avg= 74-70
VO2 Max: 32.5mkm (Below Avg.) Avg= 33.8-36.6
Push Ups: 12 (Below Avg.) Avg=14-19
Sit Reach: 15.5ins (Below Avg) Avg= 18-19.99
Blood Pressure: 149/75 (Slightly Elevated) Avg=120/80

Measurements in inches:
neck: 13.5
Shoulder: 43.75
Chest: 39.5
Waist: 35.25
Hip: 48.25
Thigh: 23.5
Calf: 16.25
Arm: 13.25
F-Arm: 10.25

There you have it. It's all out there now. I provided all the averages so you can compare your own results if you'd like. As you can see, I've got tons of room for improvement. I'll re-test again in 6 weeks and hopefully I'll have gained lots of ground.

I love my trainer. Her name is Andi. She's very enthusiastic but she also a good listener. I'm really glad I'm in a position to take advantage of personal training. Check in to see progress!

Opportunities

As I have mentioned before, I am blessed to be able to work in an environment that promotes a healthy lifestyle. I have been given an opportunity to be personally trained by a neighboring business and I think I'm going to do it! I'm pretty nervous about it but the most success I've ever had was with a personal trainer. My goals are obviously centered around losing weight and looking super sexy this summer but I'm trying to distract myself with other goals as well. I'd love to be a runner but I'm just not. I have poor respiratory strength and my stamina frankly sucks. But I've always imagined myself getting up early and going for a quite run or taking pictures at the end of a marathon with my water bottle and a big number clipped to my front. So, thats the distraction goal. A group from Madison Park get together and run a couple of races every year. This year they're all running the Seattle Rock N' Roll Half marathon. I'm hoping to join them. I know it's a stretch but in my consult with my trainer, she said it was totally doable. 

With training, I'd also have to be accountable for what I eat everyday. In order to see results, I have to eat healthy and exercise. The trainers see the exercise so if they don't see results, they know its with my diet. I think that this is where I really need someone. It is just way too easy to slink off somewhere where no one knows me, buy a bunch of unhealthy food, and shamefully eat it all. Why?! Why does everything unhealthy taste so good while everything healthy doesn't?! 

I'll have my initial fit test this week so look for those frightening results soon. Has anyone else been personally trained? If so, how'd it go? Did you like it? Success? 

Is it spring yet?

Every year I go through this process of wanting summer to be here but at the same time not wanting it to be here. I definitely love summer but I'm SOOO not ready for it. Every year! It's getting a bit warmer and the sun is coming out. Companies are advertising swimsuits and shorts and people are out walking their pets and stuff. All I can think is, crap! I have yet to reach the goals I set last summer to be hot and sexy this summer.

I always start in January saying "okay, I've still got 5 months or so until I might be in a bathing suit. No big. I can totally lose enough in 5 months." And so it goes...every month...until its too late and I'm setting goals for next year. Anyone else? Eh? Eh?

This year though, not going to happen! I'm totally in the right frame of mind to reach my goals. I've got tons of support from my husband and family and my many anonymous readers! I know you're out there and I thank you.  

At what point....

At what point does one just stop eating. At what point does one consider unhealthy methods of losing weight in order to see just some progress? I feel like I should be losing at least a little bit of weight. I mean, I'm conscious of what I eat so I don't binge, and I've started exercising regularly. Yet, I still haven't lost one pound! I was hoping that "going on a diet" wouldn't be necessary but I'm afraid it might have to be. 

I've got this co-worker. She's a bit heavier set, and she's decided to try veganism "just until she's done with school". What!? Why would someone do something so drastic if they plan on returning to their bad habits once they've reached a goal. I think that thinking like this sets us up for diet failure. This is how I feel about all "diets". It's the mindset that the depravation is only temporary. In only a short time, not only will I have the body I've always wanted, but I'll be able to "re-introduce" the things I gave up to get this great body and my life will finally be perfect. Blah! This is why women and men in our nation are trapped in a constant "diet-cycle". So how do I, essentially, "go on a diet" to lose weight, without falling into this cycle?

Don't get me wrong, I know that a healthy life-style includes healthy, well-balanced meals with regular exercise. But it can take years for people to lose weight this way! So, how would someone. like myself, with reasonable goals, and a reasonable time-frame, lose weight without "dieting" but with the expectation of visible results? It's a tough question because I want quick, diet-like results, without the unhealthy diet cycle. HELP!

Superbowl

Well, looks like the Seahawks are Superbowl champs! How exciting is that?! I feel very blessed to live in Seattle and to work for the Seahawks chiropractor. Such a fun time! I also made a deal with Danny that I would lose as many pounds as the Seahawks scored (within reason of course). So...43 pounds. I definitely have 43 pounds to lose but I haven't weighed under 145 since high school. It will be a challenge but if the Seahawks can make it to the Superbowl, I can lose 43 pounds. 

I was also thinking about the show The Biggest Loser the other night. I love that show! They are so inspiring. I was fantasizing about how awesome it would be to go to one of the Biggest Loser resorts for four weeks or so. I was thinking "Man, it would be so nice to be able to get up every morning and solely focus on myself and my health with help from professional dietitians and trainers. How easy would that be?!" Then I had the idea, "I have a good imagination...why don't I just pretend I'm there?" Obviously, my imagination isn't THAT good but the idea has merit. I don't have to hide myself away for four weeks at a glorified fat-camp in order to keep myself motivated and accountable. 

I know it sometimes feels like you're starting over every day. Like you wake up and say to yourself, "today, I'm going to be perfect with my eating and I'm going to exercise my butt off." And then you're not perfect, so you wake up tomorrow and say "today, I'm going to be perfect with my eating and i'm going to exercise my butt off." It can feel like and endless cycle but never stop saying "today is the day". 

The Mirror

You always hear people who have gained a lot of weight say that they avoid looking in the mirror. They say that they don't like to see themselves because it makes them sad to see themselves that way; that they even hate what they see. Well, last night, I got a good look at myself in the mirror. It wasn't pretty. It made me sad and frustrated and, for a moment, I truly hated what I saw. A while later, I was lying in bed thinking about my feelings, (as girls often do at night) and I came to the realization that the mirror is my friend. It's times like that, when I catch myself off-guard, that I find motivation to be healthier. As much as I don't want to look at myself and hate what I see, it is good to look at myself and love the potential I see. I know what I can become because I know what I've been before. I have pictures to prove it! Ha!

I guess my point is that the mirror is a tool that can be used, not something to be feared or hated. Use it to motivate yourself and love yourself. Enjoy watching yourself become who you want to be. Anyone can lose weight. Anyone can eat healthier and exercise. Its just finding that one thing that motivates you to get off your butt, put down the pizza and get to it! For me, I think its my mirror. 

TRX

This is obviously not me. This is the system a lot of the trainers at my work use. I'm taking one home tonight to install in my garage. Has anyone ever done a TRX workout? They are supposedly used in training military and law enforcement groups but they're also good for beginners (me). I'm also taking it home because I think it might be something fun that my husband and I can do together instead of spending hours on our electronic devices in the evenings. We'll see. 

New Year's Resolutions.

Yes. We all have the same one. Among such resolutions as "read more books", "save more money", and "be a better spouse", there's always "lose weight" or "get in shape". Don't deny it. It's probably the most common goal people make during the New Year. I am not to be excluded. For the past 5 years, I've written down "lose weight" as my top resolution one January 1st. 

I've been trying to think of ways to actually achieve my goal this year but there's so much advice out there that its hard to sift through the BS. Tell me, what has worked for you? What has worked for people you know? 

I've heard a lot about writing down what you eat and being aware of you caloric intake so I downloaded the Livestrong app. Its free and I like it so far but we'll see if I can actually stick with recording consistently. Thoughts?

Good luck to those who have committed to being a better you this year. I respect you.