By Randi, on January 4th, 2012
Happy New Year everyone!
I rang in the new year surround by my boys! It was a joyous occasion. I’ve been enjoying quite a few days so I am just now getting around to writing my 2012 goals.
Weight Loss Goals
Long term weight loss goal 104 lbs
Short term weight goal: get back to pre pregnancy weight (240lbs)
Short term (weekly) Goal: I am aiming for a solid 2 lb loss every week. I figure my first go round I was able to on average lose 1lb a week I should be able to average 2 lbs each week.
in addition to aid in the 2 goals above I also want to:
Take measurements monthly
Take progress photos monthly
Fitness Goals
Pushups: Right now I can do 1 real push up and omg it kills me. By the end of 2012 I want to be able to do at least 10 good form pushups
Pullups: Ha pull ups my arm muscles cry when I think about doing a pull up. I want to be able to do 5
Running: I really want to get into running again with the ultimate goal this year of running at least a 5k (or 2).
Short term running goal: Run 1.5 miles straight by April 1st
Plank: I want to be able to hold a plank for at least 1-2 mins
Try a new exercise monthly
Track exercise daily
Get at least 15-20 mins of daily exercise!
Eating Goals
Aim to eat “clean” 75% of the time.
Cut out sweets (since I’ve been preggo I’ve craved something sweet daily!)
Track my food daily.
So there you go. It’s been written
What are your goals for 2012?
Related Posts:
By Randi, on January 21st, 2011
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. ~Arthur Ashe
I love the quote above because it’s so true. In order to succeed and be self-confident you must be prepared! This post is all about preparation for to me the most important part of the week! The weekend, this is the time where our schedules get all jacked up. Most of the time our weekends are reserved for letting loose,partying or relaxing. Because of that we tend to slack on all aspect of healthy living.
I know for me I have a totally different work schedule on the weekends so it’s been difficult at times to keep up with what I do during the week. Sometimes the schedule change gets me all discombobulated and I just throw my hands up. Other times I try to stay on track but only end up partly succeeding. The things that unites bothe of those statements is the fact that with either one I usually end up gaining weight over the weekend or not losing what I should have from my efforts over the week.
Because of that I have come up with these simple steps to avoid weekend weight gain. They have helped me tremendously and I hope they help you too.
1. Stock up on Healthy food
I know weekends are lazy and who feels like cooking but in order to keep you from just ordering pizza or chinese stock up on healthy foods that are easy to prepare. What I like to do is check out what I have on hand Friday before I leave for work and prior to returning home I hit the store for anything that I need. That way Friday night/Sat/Sun I have no excuses.
2. Be Consistent/Don’t skip workouts
The weekend is reserved for sleeping late and hanging with friends I know but studies have shown that people who successfully lose weight and keep it off long term are also the people who are the most consistent. If you don’t wanna do an hour long work out that is perfectly fine. Instead try a quick 30 min work out or throughout your day do 10 min bursts of high energy activity.
3.Don’t Skip meals
We have all done this before. Plan a big night out and in preparation for that night we try not to eat anything or we eat as little as possible. This is a huge mistake since in the end from being so hungry you will more than likely end up eating more in that one sitting than if you would have eaten meals throughout the day.
4. Watch your alcohol intake
This is a biggie since there is no work/school etc the next day some of us may indulge in “happy juice” more than we should. Those yummy mixed drinks pack lots of sugar and lots of calories. I try to stick to 1 mixed drink and 1 (or 2) glass of white wine. I don’t drink too often so that is usually more than enough for me to get a “buzz”.
5. Keep your goals in mind
Keep your goals in the back of your mind at all times. Don’t obsess but try to remember what you are trying to achieve and remember it’s all about balance. The weekend should be a time to relax and unwind…so have fun!
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.~Thomas Merton
Related Posts:
By Randi, on November 16th, 2010
Ha! This title of this post is horrible but I really couldn’t think of anything else. I am feeling some sort of way. I’m somewhat uninspired. I don’t know I’m just not feeling “it” lately.I’m still exercising,watching my intake, and journaling my food but for some reason it’s not enough. I feel somewhat lost like I am looking for something to keep me going strong instead of just making it like I am now. Eh well enough about that.
Last week was an ok week for me. Nothing too exciting happened. I am still going string with using the stairs at least once (if not twice) a day. My weekend ended up being pretty great. I joined a new book club and went to the first meeting. Then I went indoor rock climbing with some friends.
1st: it was AWESOME
2nd:I may have found a new activity!
Seriously I loved it. My arms are still sore! (from pulling myself up instead of pushing myself up with my legs…a big no no) It was a great workout and I generally loved the challenge of the different levels of walls. The gym I went to was close to my house. It’s called RockSpot Climbing Gym and Saturdays is Ladies night. All Ladies get a lesson and gear for $15. The lesson was great, our instructor Tanner was awesome and made sure we knew all the basics before letting us try out our new knowledge. We stayed for about an hour and a half after the lesson to climb with the auto belay system. Here are some pictures:
 After Lesson  Me wearing totally not the right attire for rock climbing..lol  my bff at the top! 
I had a great time. I am supposed to go again this Saturday with a different set of friends. This time I get to take a test to get certified at the gym. I cannot wait! I am seriously debating on getting some type of membership or at least trying to hit up the gym twice a month to change up my routine.
Have you ever gone rock climbing (indoor or outdoor)? Did you enjoy it? Would you ever consider rock climbing?
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 30th, 2010
Stats
Highest weight: 293
Starting blog weight: 279
Last week’s weight: 249
This week’s weight:248
Total lost this week: 1
Thoughts
I am extremely happy that I managed to lose weight this week. I encountered one of my main hurdles which is eating well on the weekend. I worked OT this weekend and when I do it’s almost a guarantee that I am going to eat more calories than usual. This is especially true when I do the overnight shift (which I did 2 this weekend) because despite the fact that I would usually be sleep (hence not eating) my body when forced to stay alert through the night basically becomes ravenous. It’s a problem and I swear it gets me every time. This time I am proud to say it didn’t catch me up too much.
This past Saturday I went to AppleBee’s (requested by my son since we almost never go out to eat anymore). I was surprised that I actually had some good meals to choose from. They have a special part of the menu called “Under 550 calories” That had about 6 different options. I chose shrimp skewers with steamed veggies and island rice. It was extremely yummy & because I shared some mozzarella sticks with my son I actually couldn’t eat it all. That saved me Saturday night when I got hungry because those calories were already accounted for so I ate my leftovers happily.
Sunday didn’t go so well. I ate pretty decently all day. I even went to a BBQ/Baby shower and only ate a small bit of potato salad, a fried thing (i have no clue what it was but it was good) and a cupcake. I also ate a small piece of cake. I managed to stay away from the burgers and BBQ chicken. I was proud of myself because I love all BBQ’d foods. At my house we BBQ all year round. Even with Boston winters we will bundle up to go outside and light the grill. I ate some cherries before I went to sleep & since I didn’t have anything to bring with me to work to nibble on I decided to go cold turkey. Needless to say I felt extremely hungry but I think it was all in my head.
Zumba
So I have decided to start paying for my Zumba class. Apparently they were able to give those Zumba classes for free because of a grant. The grant runs out September 2nd and after all the Zumba teachers will need to be paid. I have no problem paying. I love my Zumba class, it definitely gives me a good little shake up in my routine right in the middle of the week. My teacher is great and I always work up a huge sweat.
I tried another Zumba class given by another instructor the day after my usual class and let me just say NOT ALL ZUMBA TEACHERS ARE CREATED EQUAL. Now I am not gonna bad mouth this woman because she put her all into her class and she worked up quite a sweat but for me it wasn’t quite hitting the spot. She was somewhat un-coordinated and the moves were extremely um awkward. There was no smooth transition and really she didn’t lead the class well. A few times she even messed up the steps herself. I still burned about 700 calories but compared to the 1100+ I burn at my regular class it’s nothing.
I’m so happy that I took the class that I did when I first tried Zumba. I probably would have never given Zumba another thought if I had gone to this woman’s class first. So I encourage anyone who doesn’t quite like a Zumba class when they first go, try another class with a different instructor. It may make a world of difference.
How was your weekend?
~Randi
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 28th, 2010
 courtesy of www.fitnessmagazine.com Good for:
Shoulders, abs, butt, quads
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms by sides.
- Lunge forward with left leg, bending both knees 90 degrees, and reach arms toward floor.
- Explosively push off left leg to return to starting position and lift arms straight overhead.
- Do 8 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 24th, 2010
 picture from www.fitnessmagazine.com Good for :
Abs, obliques, butt, quads
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, elbows bent 90 degrees by hips.
- Lunge forward with right leg and rotate torso and arms to right.
- Rotate back to center as you quickly push off right foot to return to start.
- Do 16 reps, alternating sides.
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 23rd, 2010
Stats
Highest weight: 293
Starting blog weight: 279
Last week’s weight: 251.5
This week’s weight:249
Total lost this week: 2.5
Thoughts
Woooo hoooo! Finally. I have been waiting for this. I haven’t been in the 240′s since July and the dreaded 4th of July weekend BBQ’s. I am so happy and excited and I am officially saying good riddance to the 250′s. I never wanna see the 250′s again. This week was full of hard work. I tracked my food almost everyday (including the weekend). I also exercised 4 out of the 7 days. The weekend was so packed that I had no to time for any real exercise. All in All this week was great.
Today is also weigh-in day for the Drop that 15lbs challenge. Please check out all the post from the last week. Kim gives some great suggestions on caloric needs, portion sizes and making good food swaps.
My weekend was great. I got a bit of OT in and I celebrated one of my besties marriage. I was kinda scared that all the reception food (roast beef,baked potato,green,beans, pasta alfredo) would mess up my progress this week. I ended up eating 2 rolls & two cupcakes! #FAIL. To make up for it though I did dance the night away with my mama (who was stealing my shine! lol) and friends. Here are a couple of pictures from that night.
 Bridesmaids  The lovely Bride  The Bride & I I ended up heading straight to work after the reception was done. My outlook on sunday was extremely dim. As soon as I sat on my bed when I got home, my body wanted nothing else to do with any physical exertion. I only ate 8 almonds during my overnight shift (which is usually when I eat tons from sheer boredom). Sundays eating consisted of Dunkin Donuts wake up wrap,hash browns & tea. Lunch was Clam chowder with oyster crackers and Dinner was a mushroom,onion & garlic with fresh mozzarella pizza. I tried my hardest to make decent choices this weekend as to not sabotage my entire week of good work. Obviously I did better than I thought.
How was your weekend? Do you find it harder to maintain your eating on the weekends like me?
~Randi
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 19th, 2010
So last night I tried Zumba for the first time. Usually I don’t do classes. I don’t know why, actually I do. It’s usually because I feel like people are looking at me and critiquing my every move. I know that is not the case but still.
When I took my son to camp this week I noticed my community center was offering a Zumba class and I swear it was written in the stars. I had literally just read Bitch Cakes blog (Check her blog out it’s seriously great!) about her trying Zumba for the first time. I thought to myself “hmm maybe I will try Zumba someday”. I asked the woman at the front desk about the cost and she said a word that made me insanely happy FREE. I said “excuse me” because I had obviously heard wrong. She told me the classes had been going on for about 4 weeks and were to continue (FOR FREE) until September 2nd!!!! How great is that. Apparently it’s part of the YMCA’s (which is around the corner being renovated) initiative to get the neighborhood healthy over the summer. They offer numerous FREE classes all week for children all the way to adult.
I immediately jumped in the car and told my mother that she was coming to Zumba. She said “uh, maybe”, yea that’s as far as that went because I told her she has no choice. She always begging me to start Jillian michaels again so I told her this would be like live action Jillian michaels with some Spanish flair. We tried to go Tuesday night but apparently I read the board wrong and the next class wasn’t until Wednesday.
I was soooo amped that I announced the class on my twitter, told people I would be attending and asked them to come along. A few people inquired but no one agreed to go (I’m gonna try again next time to see if I can reel some people in).
Here is my mother & I right before we went to class (photo courtesy of my son).
Wait first of all can you believe my mom just turned 50 2 weeks ago! She doesn’t look it at all. I love my mama!
Ok enough of that..onto the class review:
All in all the class was absolutely fantastic. I forgot to start my HRM when the class started but for the 45 mins it was on I burned about 958 calories, Amazing! Whats even more amazing is that I actually had fun. While some of the foot work was a bit too fast when it got deep in the latin steps a majority (90%) of the steps were super simple. I loved it and I cannot wait to go back. I wish I could remember the teachers name because she was a beast. She made it fun though, reminding us to keep our abs in and doing the steps in slow motion (not really slow motion but slower than they were performed at regular speed) before going full speed. We had a few breaks to get water (which we didn’t bring…We eventually found a fountain right behind the stage) and the music was great. The hour flew by.
My mom and I have already made plans to attend next week! I cannot wait. I encourage any and everyone to try the class at least once it really is like a dance party. For us youngins (who only just grew out of the club stage) it’s like the club with out the darkness and nasty sweaty guys! I am so happy I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I think even after the free sessions have ended I will still pay to take the class.
 photo courtesy of lizszumba.com If you don’t know what Zumba is here is a little blurb from the official site:
The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life!
~Randi
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 15th, 2010
So I wasn’t going to post until tomorrow morning but I am sooo excited & happy that I just couldn’t help it.
As you know I was on vacation all week, I got back last night feeling all of the food choices that I made resting on my shoulders (more on that tomorrow). So I made the decision that since I had today off that I would hit the gym. I didn’t give tony much of a chance to say no so I enlisted him to be my gym partner.
We did typical strength training for about 25 mins. After we decided to do 10 mins on the treadmill. We all know I hate the treadmill! Tony wanted to do the bike but I loathe the bike even more than the treadmill so there was no way I was sitting my butt on there.
Anyways I got on the treadmill determined to do at least 10 mins on 4.1 mph. I won’t lie and say that I believed I could do it. The last time Tony & I did a run with c25k we did week 4 and I thought I was going to die doing the intervals.
So I’m running. Then I’m thinking ok 5 mins in and I don’t feel too bad. Then came 8 mins, ok breathing a bit hard & I feel the beginnings of shin splints but still not to bad. I pay close attention to my breathing & running form and before I know it I am coasting to 10 mins. I was feeling good. I look & the cool down had just started. Tony was still running at this point so I said what the heck and cleared the cool down & started running again on 4 mph for another 10 mins!!!!
When I was done I was astonished. Did I really do that? Where did this come from? Then Omg I just did a 15 min mile!!!!
I may just become a runner after all!
~Randi
Related Posts:
By Randi, on August 4th, 2010
So I know I probably said this before but I hate waking up early. HATE IT. If I don’t have to wake up for work until 7am getting me up any earlier is almost impossible. If you do get me up I am a grump and please say nothing to me until I am fully awake. Sometimes though when I know I have a busy day ahead of me that may not allow me to get in my customary evening workouts I have wake up early to ensure I get my exercise for the day. Because of the reasons above I have come up with some fool-proof ways to ensure that I actually wake up and get out to exercise.
1.Prepare everything the night before
I make sure I gather all my workout gear in one place. This includes my sneakers, HRM (Heart rate monitor) and earphones. The fact that when I get up I don;t have to look for stuff (just the thought of it is enough to keep me from getting out of bed) is an automatic motivator. I usually make sure to leave a granola bar with my stuff also.
2. Grab a buddy
This is huge for me! Having a friend (or your SO) come with you to the gym or for a run ensures that you will wake up. If you don’t that means they will have to hit the gym or run alone which defeats the whole purpose of asking them to come along with you. Plus it’s kinda rude and who wants to be that type of friend?
3. Do an activity that you actually like.
Make sure you plan your activity according to your mood. If you don’t feel like a run early in the am don’t run. Plan ahead sometimes I am in the mood for a run, other times I am in the mood for a quick 20 min Biggest Loser workout. Also plan for how long you intend to do said activity. Make sure it’s something you want and actually somewhat enjoy doing to make it that much easier to get out of bed.
4. Start slow
When I first began thinking of early morning workouts I knew that it would be hard for me. So I chose in the beginning to only wake up 20 mins earlier than usual. I didn’t get much exercise done usually just some stretching but it allowed me to acclimate my body to waking up earlier than usual.
5. Choose specific days.
This is a great motivator. If you know that your morning workouts only land on Tuesdays and Thursdays this allows you to get yourself ready. Leaving it up to chance and saying “maybe I will workout out in the AM a few days this week” is almost always gonna lead to you hitting the snooze button and saying “tomorrow” before you know it the entire week has past and still no exercise. Also it doesn’t have to be the same days every week, you know variety is the spice of life!
Do you have a hard time getting motivated for early morning exercise? Do you have anything that you do to ensure you will wake up and exercise? If you have any suggestions please leave a comment!
~Randi
Related Posts:
|
My Progress!!! Get back to my pre-preggo weight
|
