Category: fitness

fitness

Day 43 – 49 of My Fitness Challenge

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Halfway through my fitness challenge, and I’m still plugging along. Things have been really good overall, so I’m happy to share this week’s report.

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This week went SO much better! I ate much closer to my intended eating plan so I had a lot of energy. I also got a lot of “accidental” exercise; for instance, the elevators in my building decided to stop working, and I had to walk up 7 flights of stairs. Funny enough, this was my first full week where I didn’t pop into the gym and yet I moved more this week than normal.

However, this week is going to be more intentional. In fact, the remainder of my fitness challenge will be more focused, structured and challenging. I have a big trip coming in October and I want to look my best for it. So, I’ll amp up the exercise, clean up my diet even more, and keep watching my body transform. This is so exciting! I love the changes I’m seeing!

 

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Day 36 – 42 of My Fitness Challenge

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Is it still a “challenge” if you’ve fallen off a bit?

I hope so, because I fully intend to get BACK onto the fitness bandwagon this upcoming week. This past week wasn’t as focused as I would have liked.

dumbells

For starters, I got sick in the middle of the week and on one of the days, I spent all day in bed. That was really tough for me, because I prefer to be up and moving, but my body responded well to the rest so I’m not going to fret about it. I also spent a lot of time sleeping over the past few days (the biggest thing missing from my regular routine is adequate rest). I still have a cough but I’m feeling better overall. I found myself wanting to eat outside of my eating window while I’ve been under the weather, and I indulged because I believe in being gentle with myself.

I got plenty of exercise though not all of it came from gym time. I ended up doing quite a bit more walking than normal this week. During the upcoming week, I’ll be incorporating more than just cardio in my routine: I’d love to see the results that I can get from strength/resistance training.

That’s it for the week: getting back on track and changing up the exercises. I’m excited to see what this upcoming week will be like!

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Day 29 – 35 of My Fitness Challenge

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Hi friends! I’m posting my update on Saturday instead of Sunday because I’ve got something special for tomorrow.

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So this week marks the 2nd week of my intermittent fasting routine. I have found this extremely easy to maintain and I love my results so far. I’ve already seen that it helps tremendously with reducing bloat and giving me energy. I did extend my eating window twice during the week (it was my birthday week, so I was celebrating!) but otherwise I’m still fasting for 16 hours per day.

My waistline is trying to come through!

I only went to the gym once but I was sightseeing in Raleigh so I walked A LOT. In fact, I easily topped 10,000 steps each day that I was there. Throw the many times I went up and down the steps at the property where I stayed, and I’m comfortable saying that I got adequate exercise. In fact, my legs were more sore after my vacation than they are during my workouts at home!

In the upcoming week, I’ll up the ante with my eating routine. Fewer goodies will be consumed, and I’ll focus on eating more whole (unprocessed) foods. I’m also going to incorporate some strength training into my workout routine. I’m still researching which kind of exercises will have the most impact while still being easy for a beginner like myself, but I should have an idea of what I’m doing by Monday.

I’m excited to continue on this path! And I’m delighted to share this journey with me. Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

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Days 22 – 28 of My Fitness Challenge

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Happy Sunday friends! I’m delighted to say that I think I’ve FINALLY found a really good health and fitness routine for me. I incorporated the elements of this routine at the beginning of the week, and I’ve enjoyed how I’m feeling, so I think I’ll keep it up!

Last week, I mentioned that a friend recommended intermittent fasting (IF) to me, and I gave it a try. This week, I stuck to the IF plan for 6 out of 7 days. The IF routine that I’m following consists of fasting for 16 hours and limiting my food intake to an 8-hour block of time per day (16-8 plan). I usually begin eating at 10 or 10:30 AM and have my last meal before 6 or 6:30 PM. After this time, the only thing I will allow myself is water or herbal tea. Likewise, before I have my first meal, I’ll only have water or tea.

sneakers

If all continues to go well, I will eventually transition to a 17-7 plan (17 fasting hours, 7 eating hours). The goal is to eat using the 18-6 plan consistently.

During my 8 hour eating window, I’ve eaten whatever I want, including some junk food. I took off my food restrictions while I tested out the eating times because I wanted to see how my body would react to “cheat day” meals while doing IF. All went well, so it’s time to really kick this into gear. Now that I’ve settled into a routine, I’ll go to the store and stock up on a bunch of good-for-you foods so that I can compound the positive effects of IF.

Speaking of positive effects, I noticed that I slept well and had more energy. I noticed less bloating and even my skin looks a little better. This could all be coincidence, but I’m pretty observant and I notice small bodily changes, so I’m thinking that I can credit all of this to IF.

I worked out five times this week and have already started to see my body beginning to tone up a bit. I used an old trick to get back into consistently working out: I wore my workout clothing to the office. You see, my gym is in the building where I work, so wearing gym clothes to the office practically forced me to go to the gym before I start working. I’ll continue to wear the workout clothes to the office so that I won’t have any excuses for not going to the gym.

Well, that’s it for this week’s update. I look forward to having some more great updates in a week. Thanks for stopping by, and talk to you all tomorrow!

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Days 15 – 21 of My Fitness Challenge

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Happy Sunday, friends! I’m three weeks into my fitness challenge and I’m getting additional insights with every passing day. This is going well!

healthy

One of my friends recommended that I try a version of intermittent fasting. The concept resonated with me, so I’m thinking about trying a version of it during the upcoming week. If it works for me, I’ll keep doing it. If it doesn’t, I’ll let it go. I’m not interested in torturing myself, or making myself uncomfortable, just to see the numbers shift on the scale.

I am now at the point where I’m looking for support on my health journey. A visit to my doctor during the week yielded some good ideas, including the decision to start utilizing my health app on my iPhone (I didn’t even know it was there!) and using the Blue Cross Blue Shield Wellness website to help keep me accountable. I’ll be trying those during the week and seeing if I can make those tools part of my healthcare arsenal.

That’s all for this week. During the upcoming week, I expect to report some intensified activity (both in the dietary and the exercise realms) so look out for that next week. Thanks for stopping by, and talk to you all tomorrow!

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Days 8 – 14 of My Fitness Challenge

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This week was so much better! More exercise, better food choices, and LOTS more water, sleep and relaxation.

kettlebells

You may have noticed that I haven’t been including measurements or weigh-ins. Well, to be honest with you all (and I do strive to be honest), those are good metrics if I just needed to change things for the sole purpose of hitting a weight goal. But that isn’t my plan.

Sure, this started as a “challenge”, and I plan to drastically increase the good habits and decrease the bad ones. But hitting a particular weight is no longer my only goal: now, I want to change my way of being. I’m striving to feel great and look great, so I’m concentrating more on my day-to-day “wins” and letting those accumulate. The more daily wins I experience, the closer I’ll be to hitting my weight “goal” but, more importantly, I’ll be closer to hitting the overall health goals that I’ve set for myself.

For that reason, I think I’ll extend this “challenge” beyond 31 days, and make it a weekly update until I’m inspired to stop recording any progress.I’m also not going to commit to follow the Brittne Babe plan religiously, though I think it’s great for those that are inspired to do it that way. I tried, but I didn’t enjoy it at this point: I’ll try it again, before the end of the year, and I’ll see if I’m more inspired at that time.

Anyhoo, that’s this week’s update. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

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Days 1 – 7 of My Fitness Challenge

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Can I get a do-over?

Seriously though, this first week of my fitness challenge has been eye-opening. I think it’s important to remain flexible while challenging ourselves. A constant “push” energy isn’t good when accomplishing a goal, especially if we aren’t enjoying the “push”.

So I worked out just once this week. I was supposed to work out 5 times over the past 7 days (let’s all sigh together). However, it’s been an unusually busy week and the stress was much higher than normal. I was also supposed to eat fewer calories, and after two days, I was back to eating what I wanted. So both the diet and exercise portions of this week were failures (so to speak).

What happened during the past week was worth noting, and I made some mental notes. I believe in adjusting my routine to correct any issues that I’m seeing. Here are some of the things I noticed during the week.

  • I need more rest in order to undertake any physical challenge. My sleep is too sporadic for me to be effective at a fitness routine. I also notice that my eating habits are poorer when I’m tired.
  • I have no problem eating balanced breakfasts during the week, but things go downhill during the day, especially during the period between lunch and dinner. I need better snack options to satisfy my cravings but not sabotage my healthy eating goals.
  • I could stand to drink more water. I’m already “good” at it but I’d like to improve.
  • I need more accountability when it comes to working out. I’ve made an agreement with one of my friends, who will help “keep me honest” when it comes to working out.

Those are my week 1 observations. I’ll adjust, regroup, and start anew. Here’s hoping that week 2 will have more “wins” that I can report to you all!

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A July Fitness Challenge? Let’s Do It!

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I’m a little more than a month away from my birthday (August baby checking in!) and I realized that I wanted a major change. I used to be slimmer some years back, but now I’m a little “cuddlier” than I’d prefer. I would love to be more toned and healthier. So I figured I’d try to get back into some sort of fitness routine by trying a fitness challenge.

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Ab goals!

Almost two years ago, I purchased one of Brittne Babe’s 21 Day online fitness packages and, while I tried my hand at the meal planning and exercising, I hadn’t committed fully. So I figured that now would be a good time to kick my fitness goals into gear. I will start my training on July 1st, and I’ll post a final pic on August 1st. Keep your  fingers crossed for me: I love cake LOL! It’s going to take some discipline to remain committed to getting toned and feeling healthy and strong. But I’m eager to see some great results, so I’ll do the challenge! If you want to know more about Brittne Babe’s 21 Day challenge, click here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkGyjPfhYpH/?taken-by=brittnebabe

Brittne, looking perfect

Look out for fitness updates over the next few weeks!