Phases of Fitness

One of the biggest challenges of starting to workout again after being a sedentary couch potato with a desk job for many years is that your heart can't do what your body and mind can. I would actually call this phase two of getting back into shape. Let me explain: 

Phase 1) When I originally bought Zumba for my Wii I weighed about 10-15 pounds more than I do now (between 196-201 lbs) and even though my mind somewhat wanted to get into shape, my body and heart really struggled. I would do the easiest 20 minute Zumba and my feet would be killing me and my calves would ache so bad the next day. At first I figured it was just because I had new shoes and I needed to break them in. After having this happen multiple times I got frustrated and I didn't want my feet to hurt anymore so I tried doing it barefoot. What do you know? That hurt my feet too. Not only did my feet hurt, but my heart was pounding out of my chest, and I felt like it was just way too hard for someone like me. This was a few years ago and since my mind was only partially committed, I gave up and stopped doing Zumba. I figured I would need to lose a little weight before I could workout.

So as far as my personal journey goes, there was a long period of time between Phase one and Phase Two. Phase one could be broken down as my Mind was only partially committed, my Body "couldn't" do what I needed it to and it ached too much afterwards, my Heart held me back from being able to keep up.

Phase 2) This time when I decided that I need to workout in order to meet my weight loss goals my Mind was in it 100%. I calculated how many calories I would need to burn exercising every week in order to not have to sacrifice by in-taking too few calories that I would feel restricted and give up on my new diet. I had a game plan that made complete sense to me and I had to workout in order to eat the amount that  I wanted to. I started Zumba Fitness Coreand I enjoyed it. My feet only hurt a little because I had already lost a little bit of weight. I was sore the next day and I still couldn't keep up with the zumba lady on the screen, but I did my best. Since I needed an accurate way to track how many calories I was burning, I bought a Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor
. After using it the first time, I realized that I was pushing myself way too hard and going over my max heart rate trying to keep up with the zumba wii lady. I told myself " that's alright, that computer graphic is fit and you need to modify it to work for you". The heart rate monitor has become a very valuable tool for me. It lets me know when to slow down a little and when I need to try harder. It gives me valuable information that keeps me going. I also pick individual songs that I like on Zumba now and take short water breaks between each song. Picking individual songs helps me workout longer because I have no idea how long I've been working out and I don't look at my watch. I wait until I feel like it's been a long time and then I check my calories burned and determine if it's a good time to stop or not. Oh, and by the way, my feet don't hurt at all anymore, even after 2 hours of Zumba with the same shoes!

I would say Phase 2 would be broken down as my Mind was completely committed, my Body was being pushed to the limit and could now do things I used to say it could not, my Heart is getting stronger every time I work out. 

Even though I feel like my heart is holding me back sometimes, it's not my heart's fault. I let it just sit there and flutter lightly for a few years and now I am putting it in overdrive. I've started taking Omega -3's and I know it will get stronger with more cardio. I have to say that I think it's very interesting how your mind can be one of the biggest determining factors of whether your weight loss journey will be successful or not. Nothing has really changed between Phase 1 and Phase 2 except for my Mind set and commitment to getting it done this time.

Dealing with Problem Areas with Muscle Targeting

Muffin Top. Saddle Bags. Love Handles. Flat Butt. Bye Bye Arms. Back Rolls. Thunder Thighs. We all have one or more problem areas that we wish would go away. Losing weight in general will just make us a smaller version of ourselves. So, unless we specifically target these muscles in our problem areas, they will always be there. There is no way other than muscle targeting that you can target a specific problem area. Spot reducing fat in one specific area is impossible. That is why we must lose fat in general by having a calorie deficit and then target specific problem areas by building the muscles. I particullary want to shape and tone my Triceps (goodbye, bye bye arms!), Obliques (not lovin' those love handles), Latissimus Dorsi (Rolls belong at the bakery, not my back!) and Adductors (wouldn't mind a "thigh gap"). I have provided a muscle chart below so you can relate to the muscles I just mentioned . Plus, you can pinpoint which muscles you need to work for your problem areas.

Image from www.fitness4her.com

How do we know what exercises will help these muscles? It's called Muscle Targeting. I could already tell that some of the at home dumbbell training moves I am doing were targeting these problem areas. I can feel the muscles sore the next day and over the past few weeks I have seen the difference in those areas. There's a better way to know what exercises to do to target an area rather than gauging your soreness and guessing which exercise helped. BodyBuilding.com has an awesome muscle targeting chart to tell you exactly which exercises you need to do. Click here to get to the chart. While this is a great chart, it definitely does not include all of the exercises possible to target that specific area. Some exercises may also require a gym machine which I personally don't have access to. In that case, just try googling things like " adductor exercises" or "adductor swiss ball exercises" . I have a swiss ball at home so I found an exercise using that rather than the adductor machine.

Below, I will show you the exercises that  I am currently doing at home to target my problem areas:

Adductors:

Exercise:  Adductor Squeeze

HOLD THIS POSITION	HELPFUL TIPS
	Squeeze ball with legs inwards. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds. Note:  This exercise is intended for the inner thighs. Source : http://www.fitmoves.com/Video/Exercise%20Dictionary/Adductor%20Squeeze.htm

Latissimus Dorsi: 

Exercise: Bent Over Dumbbell Row

Start by standing with your back straight, your core braced and your shoulders pulled back.
Lean forward from the hips, not the waist. Ensure that your feet are shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent holding the dumbbells just outside your knees.
Pull the weights up to your sternum allowing your wrists to turn naturally during the movement squeezing your sholder blades together at the top of the move.
Lower the dumbbells slowly back down.
- See more at: http://www.supplementwarehouse.co.uk/blog/exercises/whole-body-beginners-dumbbell-workout/#sthash.MQh90j4r.dpuf

Start by standing with your back straight, your core braced and your shoulders pulled back.

Lean forward from the hips, not the waist. Ensure that your feet are shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent holding the dumbbells just outside your knees.

Pull the weights up to your sternum allowing your wrists to turn naturally during the movement squeezing your sholder blades together at the top of the move.

Lower the dumbbells slowly back down.

Source : Click here 

Obliques:

Exercise: Dumbbell Side Bends

Source : Click here

Exercise : Russian Dumbbell Twist

I do this exercise with my 10 pound dumbells. It is tough! I do multiple sets of 20 and my heart rate gets up really fast. I love doing these because I can really feel it. 

Source : http://munfitnessblog.com/abs-workout-4-russian-twist/ 

Triceps:

Exercise: Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

To perform a basic dumbbell triceps extension, hold a dumbbell in your hand, extend your arm straight above your head, then bend your elbow so the dumbbell is close to your ear (your elbow pointed to the ceiling). Extend your arm, raising the dumbbell up toward the ceiling. Repeat lowering and raising.

I use 10 pound dumbbells. It should be hard to do!  I normally do 2 sets of 25. I may be moving up in weight soon.

Source: http://www.healthylifetoolkit.com/dumbbell-exercises.html

These are some good muscle targeting exercises. However, I do many other exercises than these that also help these muslces and the surrounding muscles. I do squats for my quadraceps and my gluteus maximus. I do dumbell curls, dumbell flys and other exercises as well. I just wanted to show you a few that you could do if you are targeting the same areas as I am. I hope this helped!

Start by standing with your back straight, your core braced and your shoulders pulled back.
Lean forward from the hips, not the waist. Ensure that your feet are shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent holding the dumbbells just outside your knees.
Pull the weights up to your sternum allowing your wrists to turn naturally during the movement squeezing your sholder blades together at the top of the move.
Lower the dumbbells slowly back down.
- See more at: http://www.supplementwarehouse.co.uk/blog/exercises/whole-body-beginners-dumbbell-workout/#sthash.MQh90j4r.dpuf

Bent Over Row

Start by standing with your back straight, your core braced and your shoulders pulled back.
Lean forward from the hips, not the waist. Ensure that your feet are shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent holding the dumbbells just outside your knees.
Pull the weights up to your sternum allowing your wrists to turn naturally during the movement squeezing your sholder blades together at the top of the move.
Lower the dumbbells slowly back down.
- See more at: http://www.supplementwarehouse.co.uk/blog/exercises/whole-body-beginners-dumbbell-workout/#sthash.zvqEb2gW.dpuf

Bent Over Row

Start by standing with your back straight, your core braced and your shoulders pulled back.
Lean forward from the hips, not the waist. Ensure that your feet are shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent holding the dumbbells just outside your knees.
Pull the weights up to your sternum allowing your wrists to turn naturally during the movement squeezing your sholder blades together at the top of the move.
Lower the dumbbells slowly back down.
- See more at: http://www.supplementwarehouse.co.uk/blog/exercises/whole-body-beginners-dumbbell-workout/#sthash.zvqEb2gW.dpuf

Post-Workout Meals: Why They are Important

I have really been getting into weight lifting. More specifically, I am enjoying doing at-home dumbbell training. I should actually say that I have really been getting back into weight lifting. You see, when I was 14-18 years old and in shape, I LOVED weight lifting. While many of my friends were taking dance classes I opted for weight training classes. Part of the reason was that I am just not very coordinated and I would probably embarrass myself. If you saw me do Zumba you would probably laugh so hard that you would crack a rib. I know that I look ridiculous , but that's why I only let my dog watch ( he doesn't judge! hehe. ) So, with that little back story out of the way...let me get to what  I really wanted to talk about in this post. Like I said,  I have been doing dumbbell training and that's provoked me to wonder if I am getting enough protein and other nutrients that muscles desire. That thought led me to post-workout meals. I already eat my dinner after I workout, but I am wondering if I am really giving those muscles what they are asking for. One reason I questioned this is because a lot of the time I feel way too run down the next day.

    According to BodyBuilding.com , there are some important nutrients to get not only after your workout, but before and while working out . In order to stay on the topic at hand, we'll just talk about Post-Workout Meals.

Protein is important because it is essential for tissue growth and repair. The amount you intake will depend on your own body and what you are trying to achieve. According to this calculator , a 191 pound person would consume 122 grams for endurance training, 156 grams for strength and power training and 174 for weight gain or weight loss training. This amount of protein can be a little hard for someone like me who doesn't care too much for red meats and is trying to cut down on animal proteins. That's when the help of protein shakes and bars come handy. There's multiple types of protein supplements but the most recommended is Whey Protein. It's rich in BCAA's, digests quickly, blends easily and is highly available. Recent research shows that a mixture of slow and fast digesting proteins may be best. An example would be Whey protein and Casein.

BCAA's (A.K.A. Branch Chain Amino Acids) are the building blocks of protein and muscle growth. You should intake about 4-8 grams before and after your workout or just do 10 grams after ( I use Amino-X by BSN Supplements). BCAA's are simple amino acids that form muscle tissue. They must be present in the body for muscle growth. BCAA's are important because when you are working out at a high intensity, your body will deplete your glycogen storage and send a signal to stop protein synthesis. You do not want that to happen. It's called making your body catabolic. BCAA's can reverse this effect and let your body continue with protein synthesis. The result is better muscle gain, quicker recovery and greater performance.

Fast Carbs (Optional) Now this is what  I think I have been missing and what has been leading me to extreme exhaustion the next day (I've overslept 2 hours and was late to work!) . Blood sugar and glycogen is low after you workout. If you are dieting while working out, you may have even gone into your reserves. Rather than worrying about building you muscles, your body want to level out your blood sugar and replenish glycogen. Ingesting 50-75 grams of high-glycemic carbs post workout will help spike insulin, spare your protein and speed recovery. Some examples would be a potato or  fruit. Take advantage of this time that you "need" fast carbs and have a little treat for getting your workout done. Yes, chips and white bread would fall in this category, but you just worked out and you're trying to be healthy so don't use this as an excuse to eat junk!

Changes to my Diet Plan

 

I am incorporating Advocare products in my diet again. I am also going to follow their eating plan the best I can. I am somewhat following the 24 day challenge, but without the cleanse phase and I am not using all of their products. Below, I am going to give you a break down of what my day today will be like.

8:00 am : Spark and Color packet of MNS Max 3
8:30 am: GNC Lean Shake
10:30 am: Apple with 1/2 packet of Justin's Maple Almond Butter
12:15 pm: Color Packet of MNS Max 3 
12:45 pm: Prepared lunch consisting of a pita pocket filled with canned chicken breast, romaine lettuce and red onion. Also a veggie salad with low cal dressing. Both White Packets of MNS Max 3
4:00 pm : 1/2 cup of Red Grapes and 14 raw almonds
5:45 pm: Pre-workout N.O. Xplode mixed with BSN Amino X (I mix them because I think N.O. Xplode is gross. I also use these because my Fiance bought them and they are just sitting on the top of my fridge)
6:15 pm : Cardio Zumba workout for 45 minutes
7:15 pm: Dinner of 4 oz All Natural Chicken Breast  with mixed veggies, black beans, and pico de gallo. I take my Omega-3's at this time as well. CoQ10, Fish Oil and Flaxseed Oil. I also take muscle recovery supplements such as L-Arginine and L-Glutamine at this time.
Throughout the day: Drink Water constantly. I probably drink easily over 100 ounces of water a day. 

So, that's my little improvised version of the plan advocare uses. Now below I will show you what they say to do. They consider this the "Max Phase" in the 24 Day Challenge:

30 minutes before breakfast: MNS Color Pack and Advocare Spark (optional: Catalyst and ThermoPlus)
Breakfast: Advocare Meal Replacement Shake
Snack: a small amount of one of the 24 day challenge approved foods
30 minutes before lunch: MNS Color Pack (optional: Catalyst and Carb-Ease Plus)
Lunch: Both MNS White Packs. A protein, Veggie and Complex Carb
Snack: a small amount of one of the 24 day challenge approved foods
Immediately before dinner: Optional Carb-Ease Plus ( only take once a day)
Dinner: Omegaplex pills , Protein, Veggie and Complex Carb
Snack: a small amount of one of the 24 day challenge approved foods
Bedtime: Optional Catalyst
Throughout the Day: Advocare recommends the following equation to figure out how much water you should be drinking:

Body Weight (in pounds) divided by 2 = ounces of water you should consume per day. So, for me that is 188/2 =  94 ounces of water per day. It sounds hard, but once you start doing it, it is second nature to constantly have a water bottle by you.

So, as you can see, it’s pretty close to the Advocare plan. I’m just using some things I have on hand rather than all of their products.

Here's to hoping I get the quick (but healthy) results I am searching for!

Week One Weigh In and Update

Hey guys! I've been doing great with my plan! I slipped a little on Father's Day but I am pretty sure I actually stayed within my calories at the end of the day. Saturday night I basically drank most of my calories but I didn't use being drunk as an excuse to eat everything under the moon to "soak up" the alcohol when I was feeling a little sick. My new Zumba game came on Friday so even after making cake pops for 3.5 hours I got my workout in and only ate one cake pop. I kicked butt and burned over 600 calories. It felt really good.  So I think I did pretty well over the weekend even though I did not log my calories.  I still kind of counted them in my head though.
    I did my week one weigh in on Saturday Morning and I am down three pounds!! Wahoo. Also, A non-scale victory is that I have more energy, I don't feel bloated half of the time and I swear I feel a little firmer in some areas from doing Zumba! I am so excited to continue. Here's a little comparison picture for you:

See you guys soon! Here's a link to the Zumba I got for my Wii. They also have it for X-Box Kinnect.

The Waist Trimmer Belt that makes me SWEAT!

Since I have started working out I have definitely become more interested in all of the things that come with that world. New workout clothes, supplements, tools to perform better, etc. Back in October I purchased a waist trimming belt. I used it a few times and was pretty pleased with the sweat that it produced. Now that I have used it even more I can definitely say that I recommend it. The particular one that I purchased was the Bracoo Adjustable Waist Trimmer Belt, One Size, Black from Amazon. Currently, it is $11.70 and ships free if you are an Amazon Prime Member. Here's what it looks like:

After doing 30-45 minutes of Zumba while wearing this belt, I have a ton of sweat in my mid-section. One of these days, I will have to take a picture of my shirt afterwards. There is a huge sweat mark under the belt because of all the sweat it makes. I love working out wearing the belt because I know it is working and it is not uncomfortable at all. Getting all of this sweat out is getting rid of water weight. There is a pretty good article explaining all of the benefits better than I could. Click here to see it! If you have any questions, just let me know .

Weight Goal Chart

Hey everyone! I made a Weight Goal Chart today to help me see if I am on track. I am using this strictly as a guide since I am more interested in what my body looks like and how many inches I've lost rather than a particular weight. I think this will help me see if I am on track along with taking pictures and measurements. I might pick a few weights in here to be a mini goal. Also, one of my close friends is looking for people to do a 5K Run in September and I told her if I am in better shape I will do it with her. It's time to get serious!
Here's my chart in case you want to take a peak!