Tag: fitness

fitness

Days 71 – 77 of My Fitness Challenge

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Another week, another update … Even though I may not sound too enthused, trust me, I’m still excited and delighted about my progress.

I’m steadily losing ounces on my regimen. I say “ounces” because the losses have been small but accumulative. I feel like I’m not losing any weight then when I weigh myself, I see the scale is shifting, so I know that I’m doing something right. I’ve finally broken through my weight plateau and I anticipating getting extremely close to my weight goals within the next 4 or so weeks.

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I’ve also hit my healthy eating goals for the most part this past week. I had one day that I didn’t eat much – which is unusual for me – but on pretty much every other day, I ate well and gave myself little indulgences here and there. The hardest part of eating well was eating responsibly while I laid low during Tropical Storm (formerly Hurricane) Florence. It’s so easy to eat like an insane person when you’re in the house without much to do! Whenever I wanted to snack, I’d try to remember to work on a chore, instead. I got a lot done while I watched and waited to see if we’d be impacted by the storm.

This upcoming week should go well. I’ve already gotten all of my gym clothes washed and ready to go, and I’m starting my meal prep today, so that I can just grab my meals and go. I also have a light schedule, so nothing should get in the way of my gym time and healthy eating plans.

That’s all for this week’s update. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

fitness

Day 64 – 70 of My Fitness Challenge

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70 days in, and things are still going well. I worked out more this week, and I did what I said: I planned out my meals a bit better so that I could more healthily during the week.

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Did I still indulge in treats on a daily basis? Yes, I did, but despite that, I didn’t gain any weight. In fact, I was down a few ounces at my last weigh-in, so things are still moving in the direction that I desire. However, some more intense workouts are on the agenda for the upcoming week: I want to end the last 30 days of my fitness challenge on a strong note.

As promised, I’m sharing my typical menu with you all. For the most part, I eat this way daily, since it’s easy, affordable, and healthy.

Typical Daily Menu

  • Prior to eating: water or hot tea with no sweetener
  • To break my fast: Fresh fruit (this week, it was peaches or a small container of berries)
  • For lunch: Pre-made salad, frozen entree, couple of bite-sized pieces of candy.
  • Snack: Fruit medley or avocado with salt & pepper
  • Last meal/Dinner: Homemade soup, pasta with some sort of protein, one or two glasses of wine, ice cream

For my pre-made salads, I usually purchase something from Ready-Pac Bistro. They make a variety of salads, many of which are vegetarian, that have everything you need for a delicious, satisfying and healthy meal. I typically use only half of the enclosed salad dressing, so that I can minimize my sodium intake.

Speaking of sodium, there tends to be a lot of sodium in any sort of pre-made or frozen food items. As a general rule, it isn’t good to rely upon these too heavily, as too much sodium creates a whole other set of problems. However, when time is short, we do what we must, so I will grab a Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice or (my favorite) Amy’s frozen dinner.

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Too much salt can cause major issues

I don’t believe in depriving myself, so I am sure to eat as much as my heart desires during my eating window. I just eat a lot of “good” stuff and only have a few treats per day.

That’s it for this week’s update. I’ll be back next week with more info on my journey. Talk to you all tomorrow!

fitness

Day 57 – 63 of My Fitness Challenge

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Well, not much has gone on over the past week. On the upside, I’m still sticking to intermittent fasting (IF), and I ate a lot more fresh food over the past week. However, I still feel I could do better in this regard, so I’m heading out to the grocery store in a bit, and I’ll be making an actual EATING PLAN for the week.

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Yay for eating more fresh food!

I know that I should have done this ages ago, but I really feel that preplanning my meals for the week will do wonders for improving my overall eating. So I’ll be sure to do that and I’ll share my plan in next week’s fitness challenge post.

I did ZERO gym time because I just couldn’t find any motivation. However, I did try to incorporate more movement in my daily routine. This upcoming week will be better because I’m already setting myself up for success: all of my gym clothes are washed and bagged, ready for me to throw on without any additional thought.

This week’s takeaway is the importance of PLANNING. Instead of leaving everything up to chance, I believe I’ll get better results just by taking some time to do any “pre-gym/pre-eating” action. Half of the work of sticking to a good plan is the prep work involved beforehand. With the bulk of my prep being done today and tomorrow, I’m confident that I’ll see some major improvement with sticking to my routine this week.

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Day 50 – 56 of My Fitness Challenge

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I continue to see results on my fitness challenge, and I am loving it! I did one gym day and just pushed myself during my at-home exercises this week: I went through an obscene number of squats and tricep dips, amongst other exercises. I made sure to rest my muscles in between session so I wouldn’t injure myself, and, while a bit sore, I still feel really good.

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I spent some time with a dear friend this week, and he noticed that my tummy is flat and I look really toned. It was good to hear that my results are noticeable to someone other than myself!

I’m still doing intermittent fasting (IF) and it’s becoming second nature to me. I don’t even begin to feel hunger until after 10 or 11 AM, and I don’t feel starved in the evening once my eating window has closed. I’m still tweaking my meals so that I can get maximum nutrition during my eating window, but it’s a process and I’m okay with that.

So, all in all, it’s been a good week and I’m loving how I’m feeling. I look forward to seeing even more results in the weeks to come!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!