I gained five pounds?!?!?!

This past weekend was our anniversary and I ate myself into 5 pounds! I am so dissappointed with myself. I work so hard and then I devour tons of food that is not good for me! What happend to my proportions? It tasted so good...and I didn't care what I was eating. I don't think the stress of moving has helped either! Now what do I do? I gues I have to get back on that treadmill and work twice as hard. I want these five pounds gone by next Tuesday!

By the way...Moving has been so stressful that I have not had a chance to blog daily...I will keep Exercise tips, Affirmations, and Challenging workouts 3x a week. Journeling, thought of the week, and measurements will be at their scheduled times

Affirmation of the day

I allow health and happiness to flow through my body - K Harrel

Challenging workout of the day

Run/walk for 2 miles with your family or yourself. Enjoy the Saturday and get out of the gym!

Exercise tip of the day

Increase the calories you burn by waking up 15 minutes earlier and mildly exercise. For example, take walk around the block, dance, lift some weights or do some abs, bounce on a core ball, etc. Just move around for 10 minutes. It will burn some calories and increase your metabolism.

The Numbers

Weight: 173 ....a total of 12 pounds ! Hooray!!!
Waist Circumference: 30"
Hip Circumference: 34 "
Left: 22.5"
Right 22.5"

I have been eating out a lot this week. We have been in and out of town and so I have been trying to choose wisely with my food selection. I have been working out longer because I have increased my endurance and I feel like I can go longer with my workouts.

***Keep staying motivated! Read the thought of the week to find ways to keep motivated***

Thought of the week

Who or What Inspires You to Be Healthy?
We all have at least a few fleeting moments of inspiration where we want to improve our lives and during which we feel capable of positive change. Motivation is easy at the beginning of any new job or task. (In this case it's about health, but wanting a leaner body and better health through diet and exercise is really a metaphor for wanting a better life.) But sustaining it is another matter. Here's the trick. (Glamour Magazine)
I justly believe that the only true and lasting source of motivation must come from within you. Outside stimulus can't provide you with reason enough to continue healthy habits for a lifetime. I mean, sure, you might see a picture of Madonna's rock-hard 50-year-old body and feel inspired to hit the gym that day--which is great. But what about the day after that, and the year after that? To begin finding your true inner, lasting motivation to get healthy, grab some paper or a journal and a pen and answer these questions, here are some of mine:

1. What do I want to change? Be specific.
I want to change the way I eat. Fast food is NOT ok and I need to come to terms with that. I need to know that My body is sacred and when I put nasty things in them, it affects the way I think, act, and feel. I want to be healthy because I want to be happy with myself. When I look in the mirror, I want to know that My body is healthy and I want to feel good about what I see, not feel guilty for eating Taco Bell. I want my family to eat better and I know that when I start cooking better, they will soon come along. Bad food is Bad for you, It is not ok to be overweight and unhealthy!

2. Why do I want to change it?
I want to live long to see my kids grow up and my grandkids grow up. I know that if I take care of myself now I can do that. God gave me this body and I know he expects me to take care of it! I would not be doing him any good if I just let it go, how would I better my family If something happened because I didn't take care of myself?

3. What will the benefits of making this change be to my body and to mylife?
I know that If I take care of my body, I will be happier. I will feel better and so will my family. When we change the way we eat and add more exercise, it just makes us feel healthier. I know it is so hard to feel motivated but, my family is my motivation. My daughter Maleelah always asks, "Mommy why are you going to the gym?" and I reply, "Maleelah, do you want a healthy mommy or an unhealthy mommy?" and she says, "I want a healthy mommy so that I can play with her!" Already, we set the example; if we eat badly our kids will eat badly. If we don't exercise, our kids won't exercise. They watch our every move. It is important for them to know that taking care of our bodies is what is important!

4. What am I willing to sacrifice to make this change happen?
I am willing to sacrifice my time for more exercise. It feels good when I do. Yeah, I don't get as much "me time" But if you look at it his way, our me time is when we exercise and when we exercise we are happy and feel accomplished. Better than sitting in a salon or watching TV! I am willing to sacrifice baking all the time! I love to bake, however, my hips don't! It will all be worth it in the end.
Your answers might be as profound as living long enough to see your grandchildren graduate from college, or as frivolous as rocking a bikini on your summer vacation. It doesn't matter how deep or how seemingly shallow your answers might be--they're yours and as long as it's important to you that's all that matters!
Now, the next time you are about to throw in the towel, I want you to go back and look at this journal entry of yours. Remind yourself of what it is you are fighting for and put things in perspective. I don't love working out and I hate broccoli, but I tolerate them because I know the ultimate goal is worth it. What's worth it to you?
How about you? What was the turning point that made you decide to live healthier and more active lifestyle? Was it something serious, like a health scare, or simply not fitting into your favorite jeans? And what changes did you make? Did you give up soda or move the television out of your bedroom? Did you commit to working out a certain number of times a week, or purchase a piece of fitness equipment? They’re all significant changes, big or small, so please, do share! (glamour magazine)

Affirmation of the day

I am confident about life; I always long for and enjoy new challenges - world village

challenging workout of the day

Run/walk for 10 minutes evenly split Run/Sprint for 10 minutes evenly split, Run/walk for 10 minutes. Each interval is with a 2-minute recovery

Exercise tip of the day

Increase your intervals by a minute and decrease your recovery by 30 seconds

Affirmation of the day

I eat healthy for my family and myself - Marissa Acker

Challenging workout of the day

Increase your speed minutes when you run by 2 on the treadmill

Exercise tip of the day

Have you ever thought about what kind of support your feet are getting? Don't skimp on shoes...it is very important that you what the right type of shoe when you are running. Shoes only last for a couple of miles. Don't be cheap, get the right kind of shoes for your feet!

Affirmation of the day

When I exercise I feel happy and healthy - Marissa Acker

Challenging workout of the day

Increase your reps and weights by 5 to 10 pounds, go by how heavy you feel the weights are to you. You will not get anything out of lifting weights that are heavier than you can handle. The more comfortable you are, the more reps you can do, but make sure that there is resistance.

Exercise tip of the day

Working out i.e lifting weights or doing abs on a core ball will improve your posture, save your back, increase your strength in your core, and will flatten your abs faster than doing abs on the floor.

Affirmation of the day

I am in control of what I eat - Marissa Acker

Challenging workout of the day

Workout with a faster buddy. It can be a bit competitive, but it will get you out of your rut!

Exercise tip of the day

Monday: exercise tip of the day -

Dumbbell bench fly

The faux pas Lowering your arms too far The facts This mistake places major stress on your shoulders and rotator cuff, the delicate muscles that sit underneath the shoulders. Plus, it becomes difficult to press arms up and use the chest muscles effectively.

The fix Lie faceup on bench, knees bent and feet on edge. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended above midchest, in a slight arc, palms in. Contract abs and keep chin level. Maintaining elbow arc, lower elbows down and out to the side until they are even with or slightly below shoulders (shown). Press dumbbells up and in to starting position, without letting dumbbells touch or allowing shoulder blades to rise off the bench. Strengthens chest and front shoulders

Welcome Back!! I Lost 10 Ibs!!!!

Vacation was wonderful! My mother in law is awesome and bought all healthy food and cooked healthy food including my daughter's birthday cake! Hmmm....delicoious. I do happend to have the receipe. Busy Busy Busy family and I know when my family is busy we don't have time to plan meals as much...bummer! However, there are ways. When we left for our airplane ride at 5am the only resort I had was Mc Donalds...can you say toxic junk? Yuk! This is where planning would have been nice a cliff bar or zuna bar, some kind of protein bar to keep me full until the next stop. I ended up eating one pancake and a sausage for protein. If you are stuck in this situation try to plan ahead or just eat smart. Don't eat everything, eat a little bit of proteing and a little bit of carbs. Drink tons of water and try to get something healthy and large for lunch. The next airport had subway...thank goodness! I was starving! I will admit, it was somewhat hard to eat healthy when my husband would go out to burger places at night and stuff his face with burgers, french fries, and a extra large shake! But, I had to remember yuk....that is not good for me! Lastly, seeing him gravel in the mirrior about how fat he was getting helped somewhat. All in All the trip was great. What I learned most is that it is always important to plan ahead. When you are trying to be healthy, that is all we can do because not many places are eating healthy. I did gain about two pounds on the trip. But, I exercised as much as a I could and ate healthy as much as I could. Two pounds was better instead of five. Much easier to come off. Of course, when I got home, I got back to work! It feels so much nicer to eat healthy. I automatically want to eat veggies and fruits rather than potato chips an fried food. When I exercise, my body doesn't feel heavy and yuckky. I am finding joy in being healthy...yay! On top of that I reached my 10 pound goal!!!! yay!!! More motivation to keep going! Hard, yes. Worth it, definietely!!!! Keep in for more news!

Out of Town

Hey Ya'll I will be in Alabama this week and next week. Check back next week for new posts on the blog! Wish me luck, it is hard to eat healthy while out of town :)

Monthly progress

This past month, I have worked out moderately, about 5-6 days a week, and I feel great! I love to work out, I feel like I have so much more energy. But, I do kind of feel like I am in a gym rut. I am going to start working out outside at least twice a week; I think it may get me out of my rut. Also, I may need to detox. My body is full of horrible toxins (from eating fast food and sweets) and I have noticed that I have been hitting somewhat of a plateaus. Normally you would push through that if you have been eating healthy normally, but I did not detox before I started a healthy lifestyle, leaving my body unpurified and an increase of cravings for bad food.

 

The purpose of detoxing is to purify and cleanse your body. It will change your eating habits and will get rid of all the toxins that are harming your body causing it to not lose the weight.

 

Please refer to here for more information on cleansing your body. 

Affirmation of the day

I am healthy and beautiful inside and out - Marissa Acker

Challenging workout of the day

Have a stadium with bleachers near? Trying running up the bleachers and walking down 20x 

Exercise tip of the day

8. Triceps kickback 
The faux pas Swinging your upper arm, dropping your opposite shoulder, trying to lift your arm and the weight too high behind you The facts When you make any of these mistakes, your triceps aren't sufficiently challenged, and you also may place stress on your shoulder and elbow joints.

The fix Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and stand to the right of the long side of a bench, feet hip-width apart or in a staggered stance. (You also can kneel on the bench with your left knee.) Flex forward at hips at about 90 degrees, and place left hand on bench for support. Keeping torso stationary, bend right elbow so upper arm is parallel to ground and forearm is perpendicular to ground, palm facing in. Position elbow close to waist and contract abs. Keeping upper arm still, use triceps to straighten arm behind you until end of dumbbell points down (shown). Slowly bend elbow to return to perpendicular position. Strengthens triceps

9. Crunch
The faux pas Jerking your neck, not lifting shoulders, failing to engage abs The facts These mistakes will result in a sore neck, and your abs won't get any firmer.

The fix Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on mat, hip-width apart. Place hands behind head, thumbs behind ears, fingers unclasped. Hold elbows out to the sides. Contracting abs, draw hips and lower ribs together, keeping buttocks relaxed. Without pulling on neck or drawing elbows in, curl up and forward, keeping head and neck relaxed as shoulder blades lift off mat (shown). Hold, then slowly lower back down. Strengthens abdominals

Affirmation of the day

I am healthy, happy and radiant. - Jeff Staniforth

Challenging workout of the day

Run/Walk up the hill at a fast pace. 3x 

Exercise tip of the day

6. Squat
The faux pas Letting your knees shoot ahead of your toes, lifting your heels, dropping your knees inward The facts These mistakes place excess pressure on the tendons and ligaments of the knee.

The fix Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet hip-width apart, legs straight but not locked, chest lifted, abs contracted. Keep body weight toward heels and bend knees to sit back and down, lowering thighs to as parallel a position to ground as possible, torso erect and knees aligned with ankles (shown). Straighten legs to stand back up. Strengthens buttocks, quadriceps and hamstrings

7. Bent-over lat row 
The faux pas Rounding your spine and not flexing from your hips, pulling the weights up too far behind you The facts These mistakes place stress on your spine and reduce the demand on your back muscles, making the move less effective.

The fix Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms by sides. Bend knees and flex forward from hips at about 90 degrees. Let arms hang in line with shoulders, palms facing in. Contract abs to support back. Draw shoulder blades down and together; maintaining body position, bend elbows up and in toward waist until upper arms are in line with torso and forearms are perpendicular to ground, knuckles pointing down (shown). Slowly straighten arms to starting position without changing torso position.Strengthens middle back, rear shoulders and biceps