HOW DO YOU DO YOUR PUSH-UPS?

Day one of the first 6 out of 7 days of working out. Also day one of being back at work after a much needed break. I am going to have to be on my A game with being prepared and planning my food. Today was good though.

This morning was tough getting going. I had a heck of a time getting to sleep last night. I have to get back into going to bed early. I am totally a 7-9 hours of sleep a night type of girl. My hubby (His name is Jorge, so I can stop calling him my hubby) usually makes fun of me in the winter because he says I hibernate. In years past winter time rolled around and I was falling asleep on the couch by 8pm. For some reason this year I have not gone into hibernation, in fact I have done the total opposite.

Anyway back to today…Can I get a woot woot for making protein shakes in the Magic Bullet. How fun and so tasty.

This was love! Thanks to Janetha at Meals and Moves for loving her Magic Bullet so much to tell the world about it. Also for posting tasty shakes. This one is chocolate protein powder, a banana, milk, and ice.

I had a busy day at work today so I didn’t get to eat my planned meals as planned. By the time I was able to eat it was a little after our scheduled lunch time (there is no schedule but we eat lunch at 11:30am everyday) and I was starving. Just so you all know it is a little embarrassing to whip out a camera at lunch time and take pictures of your food. Oh well this is for me, everyone is just going to have to think I am crazy.

Next up…

A turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with a tiny bit of fat free mayo and spicy mustard in a very cool plastic container made just to hold a sandwich. I also had a darling Clementine and lots of H20.

A few hours later and it was time for a snack.

Cottage Cheese and yogurt!

Then it was off to get my workout on. Today I was able to workout with a different trainer. Meet Samantha! She kicked my butt and it was great. She has a different style then Andrea, who I did my last two sessions with. Neither is better then the other, just different in a good way. It is great to be able to work out with different people to mix it up. Towards the beginning of my workout Samantha asked “how do you do your push-ups”, I reply, on my knees, she says “ok we will start that way, but you will not end that way” That’s what I’m talkin about! When I first met with Wendy I told her that I wanted to be pushed and I wanted to work hard. Samantha took that and ran with it ) I think I am going to get my words handed to me on a sliver platter.

 So here is a run down of my workout.

Double cable pull tri downs; 10lbs./side

Medicine Ball side slams with forward lunge; 10 lbs.
Reverse lunge with forward high kick; (Body weight) BW
Bench dips (modified); BW
Walking lunges with medicine ball forward shoulder raise; 6 lbs.
Forward crunches on Bosu; BW
Cable forward fly; 10 lbs
Incline Cable fly; 15 lbs.
Modified Pushups; BW
Fast Disk Run; 10 lbs
Cable Woodchoppers with side lunge; 15 lbs

Then I hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes and burned 287 calories. Not to bad if I do say so myself.

Dinner- no need for pictures- was a repeat of chicken soup and salad. I am about chicken souped out! To bad we still have a ton of it left. I am going to have to work on my variety!

How do you do your push-ups? How many can you do?
~ I’m weak but that is going to change.

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

Instead of going out in the cold we spend the day cleaning the house from top to bottom or in this case from side to side. My house doesn’t have a top or a bottom it is all one level

I started out the day with some protein oatmeal.

I also had a banana

Lunch time rolled around pretty quick. Last night I made some homemade chicken noodle soup. I use whole wheat noodles, 99% fat free chicken broth, skinless chicken breast, onion, celery, carrots and seasoning! So this was lunch! I love using the apple slicer!

After I got up to clear the table and put the dishes in the sink. I caught my two favorite stalkers with their butts hanging out of the door.

These two are worse then kids… my mom use to yell at us as kids, In or Out! I am now yelling the same thing at my dogs.

After a long day of cleaning (I tell ya we did A LOT)

We had some more soup and left over salad from last nights dinner.

I made some Fiber One Blueberry Muffins as a little treat. I followed the reduced fat recipe and used apple sause instead of oil and 2 egg whites instead of 1 whole egg.

I think they turned out pretty well. Tasty!

Tomorrow I am back in the studio with Fitness Together. I think I am working out with Samantha, I am looking forward to seeing the difference between some of the trainers. Tomorrow is the real start to working out 6 out of 7 days a week and 100% eating right. Wish me luck!

Today’s happenings

My sleep schedule is so off thanks to staying up until about 4am on new years eve. Today we slept in a little until 10. I am usually up on the weekends around 8 but I will take the few extra hours. Before we hit the road to run a few errands. I started my day with a breakfast burrito.

One whole egg, three egg whites, spinach and tomato. Put it on top of a

whole wheat tortilla and toped it off with a little salsa. I like to cook the eggs like an omelet so that it all stays together when I fold it up and eat it.

We headed out to pick up some food for these three.

Meet Minnie, Jinx, and Emma.

They are in love with Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison and Venison.

~Sounds pretty good to me!

Then we headed over to Chevy Chase, MD to exchange the Ugg boots I got for Christmas. They were to big and I couldn’t find a black pair in size 6 any where near home.

Then it was off to Costco to get some yummy human food. We walked in the door and my husband says “can we get a hot dog?”,  I say I can’t eat that, so he says “well can I get a hot dog?”

Costco hot dogs have always been a we’re hungry and their cheap solution. He got his hot dog and I got this.

Except there was like a cup of parmeasan cheese on it so I had to do this.

Then we got to shop and I got to buy this.

I can’t wait to use it. I have wanted one for a while so that I can make my protein shakes in it and be able to make more variety. This sucker was on sale for $40 and it includes many more pieces then the typical set that we have seen for $50.

We got all the supplies that we need for the week so that I can be prepared and we can make some changes to our unhealthy eating and so we are not eating out as much as we have been over the last year. We are going to make it a priority in our lives to get to the grocery store every weekend and to make a menu for the week. To often we are looking at each other and there is no food in the house and we are starving and we end up going out to get something. No more!

On the way home my husband decided he wanted to take the dogs to the field near the dog park. It is 22 degrees outside. But we went anyway to let them run.

When we got home I made dinner. I have been hearing a lot about spaghetti squash so I decided to make it.

 It was actually very easy. I just stabbed it with a knife like you would a potato and put it in the microwave for 14 minutes. Pulled it out, cut it in half, removed the seeds and scraped it out with a fork.

I made a salad to go with it and called it dinner.

Here is my plate!

So it was a full day for everyone in my house. Over all I think I have done really well with food today. I also cooked up some home made chicken noodle soup for tomorrow.

What is something new you have tried for dinner recently?

Do you have a magic bullet? If so what is your favorite thing to make with it?

A NEW YEAR AN OLD GOAL

The difference~ this time I am going to achieve my goal. I have all the support I could possibly ask for. Everyone is in my corner cheering for me. I have to cheer for myself and believe in myself. I have to learn to put myself first and what I want above everyone else’s wants. I have gained 20 pounds in the last year putting everyone else first. I have to take care of me. This year is Stacy vs. 2010.

I don’t know why I have had such a hard time believing in my own success. I can’t help but kick myself for getting so out of control. It wasn’t that many years ago that I was in the best shape of my life and feeling on top of the world. I have made change before. I may not have had quite as much to lose as I do this go around, but regardless, I have done it and I can do it again.

Yesterday I had my initial assessment at Fitness Together with Wendy. The numbers were not pretty. Could they be worse? Of course they could. I am not 300 pounds over weight but I am still over weight and not as healthy as I want to be. There are a ton of people out there that are a lot further from healthy then I am but they are that way for the same reasons I am the way I am. Excuses! Bad ones at that!

So here are the numbers, eeek…

Official weight- 158.9, now this is with clothes, no shoes and I did have oatmeal before I left the house. My unofficial weight at home first thing in the morning with no clothes and no food in my tummy was 155.
Body Fat: a bigger eeek. 34.9%
BMI: 28.2

Resting blood pressure: 117/78
Resting Heart Rate: 92bpm

Post exercise blood pressure: 138/82
Active heart rate: 168bpm

Sit ups in 60 seconds: 29
Total push ups (real ones) 2 ½
Sit and Reach: 11 inches

Measurements:
Neck: 13 inches,  Shoulders: 43 ½,  Chest: 37 ½,  Waist: 36,  Hips: 42 ¾,  Thigh: 23 ¾ ,  Calf: 15 ½,  Arm: 12 ½,  Forearm: 9 ½

After the assessment I had my second session with Andrea. I learned that my lower back is really weak. We spent some time working on strengthening that area, we also spent quit a bit of time focusing on my core (which I have felt every ab I have in my body today). Andrea walked me through a total body work out and then I did some cardio on the treadmill. Wendy also took some before pictures. (I didn’t think they showed a true picture of my before body because of the loose clothes I was wearing, so better before pics are coming soon)

Starting next week I will be in the studio Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday and either Saturday or Sunday I will be doing some kind of cardio on my own.

Have you ever used a personal trainer? If so what do you think was the best thing you gained out of your experience? If not have you ever thought about hiring one?

~For me this is the first time I have used a personal trainer and so far the best thing about it is the accountability but I am just starting and I think there are going to be a lot of things that I gain out of this experience.

Starting Slowly Is Better Then Not Starting At All!

I have had a little bit extra on my plate the past few weeks…I have been taking a class to get my real estate license. I am happy to announce that today was that last class and I passed my finial exam with flying colors. WOOHOO! Now I just have to take the national test and I will be on my way! With the class behind me and more time during the week I am 100% ready to get my butt kicked by Fitness Together Trainers.

Now on to the good stuff…

Last Saturday I went in for my first free session. The deal is that everyone gets a free session. How great is that? You get to go in and check it out and see what they have to offer and decide if it fits your needs. I had my first session with Andrea.

 I must admit that I signed myself up to go in at 9:45 in the morning on a Saturday, the Saturday after Christmas at that, and when that alarm went off I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. If I had been just going to work out on my own I would have never made it there. Way to go accountability!

I got myself up and out the door and even made it there with a few minutes to spare. Andrea was finishing up with another client so I read the success story of their client of the month. (more on that later)

Then it was my turn! I have never worked with a personal trainer before and didn’t really know what to expect but Andrea was great. She asked me a lot of questions to find out if there was anything that I couldn’t do. In the past I have had a lot of knee pain when I did lunges so that is something that I tend to stay away from. We talked about it more and decided that I would give them a try and if there was anything that wasn’t feeling right then we would exclude them and do something else. So it turns out that when I was doing lunges on my own I was trying to be a SUPER STAR and trying to dip down as far as I could, which put a lot of stress on my knee. So I did a TON of lunges the right way and other then the burn I had in my rear end there was no pain.

We covered a lot during the first session, legs, biceps, back, abs, chest and I don’t know what all. I was not pushed too hard (It left me out of breath and a hot sweaty mess in a good way) since it was the first session but everything we did gave Andrea a good idea of were I am with weights and my overall ability. It was a great first experience and I left thinking I can’t wait to come back.
I had to leave a few days in between my first session and my next session due to my class. I am heading back tomorrow to do the initial assessment (Official weighing in, measurements, body fat, and more) and then onto my second session.

Here is the unofficial weigh in….155…OUCH!
Starting next week I will be going to sessions Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I will be blogging on the regular.

IN THE BEGINING

Let me start by telling you a little bit about what this blog is going to be all about. I need motivation, I need accountability, I need someone to push me, I need to work harder, I need to lose weight, I need to be healthy. I need all of these things that at one point in my life I was able to do all by myself. However now the story is very different. I have not been able to get myself to stay committed to my goal long enough to make a difference. I have put in time in the gym, but not enough time. I have put in effort, but not enough effort. I have not been able to drop weight on my own.

So that’s where this blog comes into play. I have decided that I need help to achieve my goals. I reached out to Wendy Shepherd, the owner/fitness specialist at Fitness Together in Chantilly, Virginia. I met with Wendy last week and got a tour of the personal training studio and a break down of the in’s and out’s of how Fitness Together works. I got excited about fitness and my health. I am going to be blogging about my experience with Fitness Together in Chantilly, Virginia, where I will have access to one-on-one training with a team of fitness specialists in a private studio, nutritional advice and a fitness plan designed to meet my needs. Wendy and the team of trainers will help me stay consistent and reach my goal weight.

I am not getting paid to write this blog, I am not being bribed to say good things about the facility or the trainers. I am going to write my experience of my day in day out journey through losing 30-35 pounds. I am going to use this blog to help stay accountable for my actions both working out and with the food I put into my mouth. I am putting myself out there so that I can come to terms with my weight and the struggles that I have had in getting my body back to my ideal weight.

I am an everyday woman who has to get up and go to work five days a week for eight hours a day. I have to take care of everyday responsibilities just like everyone else in the world. I have to find the time to exercise and I have to decide if I am going to make good or bad choices when I go to the grocery store and when I am preparing my food. At the end of this journey I hope to be able to show everyone that change is possible regardless of what struggles you face.

Stay tuned…this blog is about to get really personal really fast as you are invited to witness my expericene with Fitness Together and watch my step-by-step transformation.