Affirmation of the day

I am well, I am whole, and I am strong and healthy - Jeff Staniforth

Challenging workout of the day

Squat and press

Works legs, butt, and shoulders

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and loop the center of a resistance tube under your arches. Hold a handle in each hand next to shoulders with palms facing forward. Bend knees, lowering hips until thighs are parallel to the ground , then rise up as you press your hands overhead. Return to start position and repeat.

Exercise tip of the day

4. The faux pas Coasting on your cardio
The facts Sticking with the same aerobic workout can sabotage your results as much as pushing too hard. To truly boost your fitness (which enables you to burn more calories with less effort), you need to venture outside your comfort zone a couple of times a week, to the point where you're somewhat winded and can feel your heart pounding.

The fix Instead of zoning out or doing moderate-intensity cardio all the time, mix in some high-intensity intervals twice a week. For instance, after warming up for 10 minutes on the treadmill, increase the speed or incline for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then recover with 1–3 minutes of easy-to-moderate exercise. Keep alternating for 10–20 minutes, then cool down. You also may want to do longer high-intensity intervals -- say, 5 minutes -- where you don't push quite as hard as you do on the shorter ones.

5. The faux pas Lifting the wrong amount of weight
The facts If you lift weights that are too light, you won't see improvements in strength, tone or bone density. If you lift weights that are too heavy, you'll compromise proper form, increasing your injury risk. You'll also be forced to recruit additional muscles, for instance, using your entire body to complete a biceps curl, thus cheating the targeted muscles of a good workout.

The fix For the most significant strength building, perform 4–6 repetitions per set; for more moderate strength building, perform 8–12 repetitions per set, choosing weights heavy enough that you struggle through your final few reps, but not so heavy that your form falls apart. If you get to your final rep and feel that you could perform another one, increase the weight by 5–10 percent. You may find that when you've considerably increased the amount of weight you're using, you'll drop to fewer reps, which is fine, as long as your targeted muscles are fatigued by the final rep. Don't worry: Lifting to fatigue will not leave you with monstrous muscles.

The Numbers

Weight: 178 ....a total of 7 pounds ! Hooray!!! 

Waist Circumference: 31"

Hip Circumference: 37 "

Left: 22.5" 

Right 22.5" 

The type of foods I have been eating so far this week

Lasanga with whole wheat noodles

Boiled eggs

spinach eggs/omelette ...yummy! 

Tons of fruit...Bananas, apples, peaches, berries of all kinds. 

I did have ice cream to often this week....yikes, I had to workout hard to burn what I ate off, so no losing weight just staying where I am at. 

***Tip when you are craving something like lasanga (high cal) just try to eat it in the middle of the day around an early lunch 11:30-12:00 noon. This way you eat it early and burn off the calories from keeping busy. Sometimes that meal is so heavy all I want for dinner is a small salad or just water even after my mid afternoon snack. It is not good to eat a heavy meal and then sleep 2 hours after eating...the fat will just sit there! Not good at all :) 

Check out here for food receipes: 

Challenging workout of the day

Intermediate Intervals

0.00 to 5.00 warm up on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

5.00 to 10.00 increase pace on treadmill speed 4.0 incline 2.0

10.00 to 12.00 run fast on treadmill speed 6.5 incline 1.0

12.00 to 13.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

13.00 to 15.00 run fast on treadmill speed 6.6 incline 1.0

15.00 to 16.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

16.00 to 18.00 run fast on treadmill speed 6.7 incline 1.0

18.00 to 19.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

19.00 to 21.00 run fast on treadmill speed 6.8 incline 1.0

21.00 to 22.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

22.00 to 24.00 run fast on treadmill speed 6.9 incline 1.0

24.00 to 25.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

25.00 to 27.00 run fast on treadmill speed 7.0 incline 1.0

27.00 to 28.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.0

28.00 to 30.00 run fast on treadmill speed 7.1 incline 1.0

30.00 to 40.00 recover on treadmill speed 3.5 incline 1.00

cool down! hard but worth it....I did this after I ate that ice cream pile for two days (including eating healthy) and lost two pounds!  

Thought of the week

You know the classic “Nobody can eat just one” potato-chip ads? For some women, when it comes to chips or cookies or, say, even nuts, that is the absolute truth. “I see my clients struggle with this all the time—there are one or two foods that they really can’t control the portion size of, no matter how good their intentions are or how strong their motivation,” says Beller. “For some of my clients, it’s peanut butter or nuts. For others, it’s ice cream or chocolate. I never want to suggest cutting out foods altogether—let alone something you really love. But if you have a food that you know you’ll just endlessly eat, it might be a good idea to skip it for now, even if it is a healthy food.” It sounds scary to go without a favorite food for any period of time, but the fact is, the craving usually fades after two weeks, says Beller. And by then, you’ll be feeling so great about all your progress; you’ll have excellent motivation to keep going! “Once you feel like you’ve got the whole eating-healthy thing down and your weight loss is on track, then try adding it back in again. Trust me, avoiding your personal trigger foods is easier than trying to fight them in the moment! It works.” - Glamour nutritionist Rachel Beller, R.D.

 

Ask yourself, what Are Your Trigger Foods? Here Are Four of Mine

 

1. I absolutely love making cookies. How many of you out their get bored and bake? Well, that is me, baking is a fun in this house and my excuse is, I will bring over to my girls that I visit teach. But, somehow, it never gets over to them unless I take it that day. So, if I don't take it over, which honestly and subconsciously, I had no intentions of doing bringing them cookies. Selfish, I know, I just wanted "a cookie". But, somehow, I am the one who ends up eating almost a dozen and a half of cookies in three days combined with my husband and my kids!!!!! Wondering where all that cellulite is coming from, those cookies, brownies, or whatever it is that you bake. Do yourself a favor and cut it out for now until you can handle portions. Find another healthy sweet snack to devour that can satisfy you and if you don't want to then accept that you won't lose weight. So... you see what I am getting at? It is not good to eat these things every day. Sweets are a sometime food unlike fruits and veggies, which are an all the time food. :)

 

2.  Ice Cream. What woman doesn't have ice cream in the house? Again, portion control is key and if you can't hack it, then it is time to cut it. Try going for an ice cream bar that is better for you. Some brands include skinny cow and weight watchers. These are awesome! They taste so good (especially skinny cow) and are satisfying.

 

3. Trail mix. How many of you think that is healthy for you? Well, it is if you can again, control your portions. I love this stuff especially the chocolate lover's trail mix with chocolate chips and M & Ms. But, the chocolate is not the only reason this high cal; the nuts in it are also high cal and fat! I never would have thought! You know what to do...cut it out or portion control it. The best way to portion control is go for 1 serving of the item and if it is way to many calories then go for half a serving.

 

4.  Chips and Salsa. I absolutely love chips and salsa and especially when the salsa is really good! How many of you have gone to a Mexican restaurant, had basket of chips put on your table (where you can still see the oil drying off) and devour them and ask for more? I have!!!! It tastes so good that you just can't stop. Sadly, that is being out of control. Salsa is good but chips, oh the chips, is bad! Think about it, how many chips are you eating and how many chips are in the serving? How many calories are those chips? How were they prepared? The salsa is good, but the chips are bad! I feel like I get the "healthy chips" because I got them from Henry's...but they are not. Look, There are 11 small chips in a serving. For every serving, there are 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 0 grams of protein (not filling at all, just empty calories). Imagine eating about double that at a restaurant because they are fried and not baked! Yikes!!!! Eat the basket with your family and don't get anymore, if you can't hack it, then cut it!

 

Think about what your triggers are and why they are so good. Do you really want to lose weight? What can you do to manage your intake? Do you need to cut it out of your diet for now? How can you be strong while eating out? Make a commitment to yourself that you will do all you can to cut it out or control your intake and stick to your commitment. You are strong and you can do it!

Exercise tip of the day

2. The faux pas Performing your reps too quickly
The facts If you zoom through your repetitions when strength training, you'll be using momentum instead of muscle power. You won't get the same stimulus for muscle building, and you won't burn as many calories. You'll also be more susceptible to training injuries such as torn muscles or connective tissue.

The fix Take 6 seconds to perform each repetition: 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it. (Since you have gravity to help you lower the weight, you need to slow down even more on this phase in order to give your muscles a sufficient challenge.) Our experts agree that slowing down is the single most significant change you can make to get better results from strength training.

3. The faux pas Exercising too hard, too often
The facts If you don't rest enough between hard cardio or strength workouts, you'll stop making progress and may even lose some of the fitness you've gained. You're also likely to burn out on exercise.

The fix To keep your muscles fresh and your motivation high, alternate shorter, tougher cardio workouts (for instance, 20 minutes) with longer, easier days (40–60 minutes). Don't go all-out more than twice a week. Keep in mind that the more intensely you train, the more time your body needs to recover. It's a good idea to do a couple of tough workouts and take 1 day completely off each week. On the strength-training front, take at least 1 day off between sessions that work the same muscle group

I love vacation but I don't like...

How easily you can lose focus when you are trying to be healthy. Monday my family and I went up to Sacramento to visit a law school. I was doing so well, I even worked out! But, when I met with my friend, we decided to go out for ice cream. I love ice cream and it smelled so yummy and fresh, I just had to have it! So here is what I had. I ate all but 1/2 a scoop (by myself). I was sure a piggy! 

I did regret eating it after. Especially beause, I gained two pounds! 

HOW UPSETTING! THIS IS GOING TO BE A NIGHTMARE TO WORK OFF!  

Two days of hard workouts and restricted meals. :( Bummer! 

Affirmation of the day

I am in control of my health and wellness - Mj. Bovo

Exercise tip of the day

This week the exercise tip of the day will be the 10 reasons your workouts aren't working. This article had some great tips from shape magazine.

THE APPROACH

1. The faux pas Getting married to your strength routine

The facts If you do the same routine over and over, your muscles will simply adapt; you're likely to hit a plateau because each exercise stimulates only a limited number of muscle fibers. However, if you challenge your muscles from a variety of angles by adding or alternating moves periodically, you'll get significantly more fibers into the act and develop more tone and strength.

The fix For each muscle group, learn an additional 2 or 3 exercises, trying new angles and equipment. (If you can't get instruction from a trainer, there are plenty of books and videos organized by routine for each body part.) For instance, if you usually do the dumbbell chest press on a flat bench, try it at an incline. If you normally use the chest-press machine, try the dumbbell chest press or the bench press with a barbell. Expand your repertoire enough so that you can change your entire routine every 6–8 weeks.

Challenging workout of the day

Go longer on your workout. 

If your typical workout is 30 minutes -- no shorter, no longer -- here's an easy way to challenge yourself. Twice a week, try adding 10 or 15 minutes to your cardio. You'll burn more calories and increase your cardiovascular endurance level. To adapt your workout to your higher fitness level, every two weeks up your intensity level by increasing resistance or incline on the machine or road.

Calorie-burning boost: Running 30 extra minutes on the treadmill each week can burn 400 calories. - Shape magazine

LET YOUR BODY TAKE A REST. REMEMBER, JUST BECAUSE ITS YOUR DAY OFF DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN PIG OUT!   

Affirmation of the day

"The more I like myself the more others like themselves."

"Nothing is too good for me as a child of God.  I deserve the best!"

 

(also)

"I am a highly influential person, 
Everything I do, 
Effects everyone around me."

- Hannah J Wratten

Exercise tip of the day

Sphere Medicine ball

$25 to $70; SPRI.com

What it is A total-body toning tool, usually color-coded by weight (2 to 18 pounds). Opt for a rubber one so you can bounce it, allowing a wider variety of moves.

Why it works Throwing the ball develops muscles’ explosive power by recruiting different fibers than lifting dumbbells. The payoff? Speedy arm sculpting!

Move to try With feet hip-width apart, knees bent, raise a 6-pounder overhead. Slam it to the floor and catch at chest level as you squat. Do three sets of 10 reps

- Lix Miersch

I have one of these in 8 Ibs, when I had a trainer,  he made me do abs with these. I tossed it back to him as I was coming up. It was killer, I wanted to kill him, but my abs were starting to develop faster than doing cruches. Have someone toss it to you and for you to toss back or just get a recreation ball and lay flat, hold to your chest, and do abs on the ball. It will burn, trust me! I got my at walmart for $15.00 

**Bonus: It tricks areas that you haven not worked on especially when you do the same workout all the time, this will define areas that have been neglected. **

Challenging workout of the day

Burn those calories! :)

Lifting weights burns tons of calories fast however, when you need to slim down it is very important that you do cardio 3 times a week. 

****A tip 60 minutes of cardio will usually burn 500 calories***

Try doing 20 minutes on the elliptical 

20 minutes on the tread mill

20 minutes back on the elliptical 

random hill training. warm up for 5 minutes at a easy pace. Bring it up a notch by increasing the level to a moderate pace for another 5 minutes. Burn those calories the most by raising your heart rate and working at hard level for 9 minutes. Slow it down for the last minute at an easy pace. 

Challenging yes...but trust me, you feel oh so good when you are done! Have some fun music and cold water to keep you going. Studies have shown that people who have had cold water have been able to go longer on a workout than those with room temp water. 

Stress and...

Chocolate = Happiness

I was craving the ultimate chocolate shake but then  I thought...Do I really want that? I mean, to work that off would be a nightmare! So I thought, what about choclate milk (lowfat) of course. :) check here for receipe. 

The skinny: 540 cal 5g of fat 11grams of protein compared to Jack n the box: 797 cal and 39 g of fat ...medicore calories but tons of fat and sugar which turns into fat! Tell yourself yuk! 

Was it worth it? I would have to say yes, it sure hit the spot! 

Affirmation of the day

I love and care for my body and it cares for me. - MJ Bovo

The Numbers

Weight: 180 ....two pounds! Hooray!!! 

Waist Circumference: 32"

Hip Circumference: 37 "

Left: 23" 

Right 23" 

The type of foods I have been eating so far this week

Whole wheat pasta with chicken

Boiled eggs

Berry Parafaits with sliced almonds

Tons of fruit...Bananas, apples, peaches, berries of all kinds. 

I did have pizza this week....yikes, I had to workout hard to burn what I ate off. 

***Tip when you have a day where all you do is binge on junk food, it is ok, just as long as it is not often. Just remember that you have to burn that off. Do 40 minutes of hard cardio and then lift weights after (remember you burn more calories lifting weights). Just be concious of what you put in your body. 

Check out here for food receipes: 

All you need...

Is a little bit of heaven: 

I was really craving ice cream. My favorite is butter pecan. All I needed was a spoon full to satisfy my craving. Enjoy that spoonful and drink some water after to control the want for more! 

Challenging workout of the day

Trick your heart rate: Burn those calories! 

Do a 5 minute warm up at an incline. (I like to start at a 6 incline then increase after 2 min to an 8 for three minutes then bring it back down to 2)

Run/walk for 15 minutes (run for 60 seconds and walk for 90 seconds)

Walk for 5 minutes at an incline (I usually do around 7 or 8 depending on how tired I am)

Jog for the last five or Run/walk (walk for two minutes briskly and then jog for the last three)

You'll be sweating more than just running! It will trick your heart rate and cause you to have to put more of an effort into your work out. 

Tip: Tricking your heart rate helps you to shed more pounds than just keeping it at a single heart rate level 

Exercise tip of the day

To get sexy lean toned arms: 

Stand with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding a three- or five-pound dumbbell in each hand. Bend elbows and press them into your sides, holding weights at chin level in a boxing stance, palms facing each other. Then twist torso left and punch right arm straight out and across your body and to the left. Immediately switch sides, bringing right arm back in and punching left arm out and across body to the right. Keep going, punching side to side for 20 counts. That’s one set. Do two sets

Thought of the week

I don't know what you do when you're feeling frustrated, bored or upset, but a lot of women eat. Sure, a few cookies now and then aren't going to kill you, but there are so many better ways to take care of yourself! We are always willing to justify eating crap by saying, "I had a rough day. I deserve this." Deserve what? Heart disease? Cellulite? Diabetes? Come on! Would you reward your loved ones this way? I bet not. What do I do to make myself feel better? - Jillian Michaels

Here are somethings I do to make myself feel better

1. Go for a walk with the kids and explore the beautiful flowers, bugs, and just the outdoors. 

2. Talk to a close friend about my frustrations. 

3. Read

4. Shop and pamper myself if I can't shop. For those of you with kids, require that your husband give you at least 2.5 hours of freetime a week or how often you need it! 

The Numbers

Today: 

Weight: 182 ....yay one more pound! 

Waist Circumference: 33"

Hip Circumference: 38 "

Left: 23" 

Right 23" 

The type of foods I have been eating so far this week

Spinach Salad with chicken

Boiled eggs

Berry Parafaits with sliced almonds

Grilled Halibut

Check out here for food receipes: 

Challenging workout of the day

Down size that butt and thighs! 

Along with your cardio (30-45 min) do squats: 5 sets of 30 squats

Feel the burn baby! 

Exercise tip of the day

A $1 rubber ball can help you score million-dollar legs. During crunches and other ab moves, "holding an 8- to 12-inch ball between your knees or ankles gets your inner thighs and glutes in on the action," says Brooke Siler, owner of re:AB Pilates Studio in New York City, who has worked with Kirsten Dunst. - SELF Magazine

Weekly progress

This past week I have worked out a ton and I completely feel so much better! I have tons of energry and I just have the desire to work out now! 

As for my numbers

The height of my weight has been 185 this past week. I have been lifting a lot of weights and eating  a ton of protein and less carbs or more like good carbs. 

Today: 

Weight: 183 ....yay! 

 I have gained muscle and trimmed fat...it should be good from now. I reached my max of weight gain and now the process of trimming the fat should be following. 

Waist Circumference: 33.5"

Hip Circumference: 38 1/4"

Thigh Circumference: Gaining muscle in the thighs by doing a lot of squats and leg machines at the gym. 

Left: 24.5" 

Right 24.5" 

Current Weight: 184

The type of foods I have been eating

Veggie Omlette

Kabobs with pineapple, chicken, and veggies. 

Berry Parafaits with sliced almonds

Pasta salad with tons of veggies

Shrimp Kabobs

Garlic chicken ...yum! 

Check out here for food receipes: 

FYI: Pictures of me coming June 2nd! I will be posting pictures once a month

Challenging workout of the day

Don't forget that strength training!  

Get on the treadmill and jog for 5 minutes at an incline to get warmed up or Run/walk for 10 minutes

Arms (Biceps): 3 reps of 20

Arms (Triceps): 3 reps of 20

Legs: 3 reps of 20

Some people like to do Arms one day and Legs another, but I prefer to alternate. When my arms get tired, I give them a break and work on my legs. In between breaks I do abs or jumping jacks to keep me warm. 

All done 50 to 60 Ib weights except for the back of my thigh which was 20 Ib weights. 

BTW: I will probably gain some weight only because I am lifting weights. When you lift weights you gain muscle and lose fat especially when you are doing Cardio. I will most likely lose inches faster. So don't Panic! You will look a lot leaner rather than skinny fat. It is all a process, it takes time to look healthy :)

Toodles,

Marissa

Official Inches

Here are those ugly numbers no one likes to know! 

Waist Circumference: 34"

Hip Circumference: 39"

Thigh Circumference:

Left: 24"

Right 24" 

Current Weight: 184

Uh Oh!

I gained 3 pounds! I guess that pie wasn't so good after all! Just got back from walking. I pushed the stroller with two kids at the park with lots of hills, that was one work out! Way different from the gym. 

Goal

My ten pound goal weight treat is this cute shoe! That will keep me motivated. I haven't bought anything new in a while and I decided...hey, why not treat myself to this cute shoe?!?! It look cute on my ten pound lighter leg. :) 

I felt in control!

Today was a pretty good day today. I felt in control of my eating habits, which was a plus because last night Mike brought home a fresh strawberry from Polly's and I had two large slices! It was yummy but, I was stuck wondering why I wasn't satisfied with the first small piece. 

Today I had: 

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of milk with 1/2 cup of honey bunches of oats 

Snack: nothing

Lunch: A yummy grilled Turkey burger with low fat cheese and veggies with a scoop of garlic mash potatoes

Snack: low fat chocolate pudding (this satisfied my choclate craving)

Dinner: Nothing ....I was so full from my lunch and snack! 

First day of Kissing the bad stuff goodbye

Hi Everyone!

 My name is Marissa Acker and I have reached my max! I am 24 and have two children and from the time I have been married (5 years). My current weight is 181 and I used to weigh 135. I have gained the grand total of 36 pounds! I gained 10 my freshmen year of college (a year before I was married), which brings me to 46 whopping, pounds. Ouch, it hurts to say it, but I have come a final end and have decided that a size 12 is unacceptable especially when I was a size 4/6. I love food so much that I have let it take control of me and I feel that it is time to say good-bye to all the fat. I need to find the joy in being healthy and I know that I can do it. I know how to lost weight because I have done it before. When I got pregnant, I stopped caring, but if you keep a regimen you do see results. I have to tell myself that all the time. I lose hope especially when the pounds are not coming off as fast as I want them to be. It is time to care and it is time to be healthy. My body should never have to be at risk for health, I am way to young! I will be journaling about the things I eat, the exercise I do and the of course the bad days where I stress and lose self control. Yes, that is right the ups and the downs of weight loss. So Goodbye yummy fatty burritos and delicious sweets and here comes a healthy lifestyle that allows me to eat these things in moderation and be joyous. I hope to blog as often as I can. Daily affirmations, challenging workouts, and exercise tips. I will weigh in twice a week. Pictures will accompany each monthly progress post. 

 

Enjoy my current pictures and past pictures on my weight gain  

Current me

The Current Me

Me at college

The beginning of my freshmen year

My senior year of HS

Senior Year