CA Motivated Fitness

In the last week I have done things I would have never done if it weren’t for my life changing experience with health and fitness. I have come out of my shell in ways that I even I can’t believe.

I am normally a extremely reserved person. I’m sure my teen and many others would consider me to be a boring person. Besides my fitness, I enjoy reading, sewing, housework and just being in a quiet environment.

My fitness could also be considered reserved, I mainly workout at home, with home fitness DVDs. I did branch out last year and joined a gym. That didn’t last too long, as my work schedule changed and I couldn’t get there any longer.

I did make a big move a year and half ago. I decided I would get my certificate to teach Zumba. Zumba is a dance fitness program. So what? Well, I had only done the DVD version of this program, maybe a half a dozen times. I thought I would be going with a friend, so I was somewhat ok with my decision. Well, my friend couldn’t get in to the class, so I was on my own. I went! Oh my goodness! I had no idea what I was doing! I did my best and received my certificate.

Since I received my certificate, I have done nothing with it. I’ve told myself over and over again, “you have no time or no business teaching. You’re too reserved and you definitely have no rhythm!!” So, here I am a year and half later.

A good friend of mine gave my name to someone looking for a Zumba instructor. I have to be honest; I blew her off the first time. Well, I bit the bullet last week and met with her. She was so excited. I think the one thing that really helped me make my mind up was seeing the people who would be in my class. These people were motivated and dedicated to changing their lives by getting fit and healthy. They weren’t a bunch of Barbie doll beauties in a gym. I guess you can say, they were people I could relate to, reserved!

I start teaching them in two weeks. I will also be teaching a free class to people I work with. I’m hoping this will help build the confidence I so desperately need.

I would recommend everyone do something everyday to “Come out!”

Happy New Year! With the New Year come those New Year’s resolutions. Mine usually consists of starting a new workout program. This year’s workout of choice it the new P90X2!! If any of there are any late night TV. Viewers are out there, you are familiar with P90X, and this is the newest version. If you are interested in learning more about it, check it out www.gettinfit4u.com.

The first workout X2 Core was very difficult to say the least. This program focuses on balance and stability, two things I lack! I got thru the entire workout…barely.

I thought I was in decent shape, but when beginning a new program, reality sets in and I realize, “You need work!” I try not to let these things discourage me. I think that is one of the biggest reasons people give up two weeks into their workout. Patients and practice are the two things needed to complete a workout or achieve any goal. I will practice more tomorrow with Plyocide (OMGEEEEEE).

Keep pushing forward!!!

What do you see when you look in the mirror?  As I worked out this morning, it seemed like all I could focus on are those areas of my body I hate.  I know, I know, we’ve all heard this before, “It’s not what’s on the outside that counts, it’s what’s inside.”  If we all understand this, why do we still have such a problem with weight and how we want the “perfect” body? 

I’ve been working out consistently for almost two years now.  As a forty something, mother of three, there are many trouble areas, or at least I think they are trouble areas, on my body.  Many are blessed with great genetics and can overcome the “mommy body,” I am not one of those blessed with those genetics.  I have to work harder to achieve MY perfect body. 

I say MY perfect body because I will not have the body of say, Demi Moore or Camron Diaz, I have to work on my perfect body.  I think we lose focus on that when decide to begin a workout.  We are intimidated by the hard bodies at the local gym or even the fit women in the home workout videos, or we think, “If I do this workout, that is what I will look like when I complete this program, and when it doesn’t happen, we become discouraged and give up. 

While I was focused on the flabby this and saggy that this morning, I also thought about my strong heart as it beat 160 times every minute during my workout, I thought about how high I could now jump, how I’ve improved on lifting my legs higher during certain exercises, and I thought, “Yes, I still have those problem areas, but look what I’ve accomplished!” 

Be the best you can be.  Challenge yourself, don’t compare yourself to others, YOU ARE NOT THEM!  Celebrate your accomplishments; even those you feel are insignificant, so that when you look in the mirror, you will love what you see!

We will be heading out toCalifornia to visit our son and his wife this week.  I’m wondering how I will do with my diet and exercise.  I will be in my fourth week of my current workout; the fourth week is the recovery week (smile).  I’m hoping to stay active while we are out there.  The campground has a swimming pool and a clubhouse for us to set up our laptop where we can pop in the DVD workout! 

I will keep you all posted on this visit and how well I do with my diet and exercise while I’m “On The Road.”

Is it too soon to think about retirement?  I don’t think so. 

My husband and I went on a weekend alone recently.  It is always nice to get away from the rat race!  We have a travel trailer we like to travel in.  We’ve had it for 12 years now.  We have had some wonderful trips in it with our youngest son Dominnic.  Well, Dom is now almost 15, he won’t be going on too many trips with us any longer. 

We were relaxing thinking about retirement, RVing is a senior thing, after all.  While we sat there day dreaming about our retirement, I began looking around at the seniors in the campground.  The work campers, those running the stores and escorting you to your site, seem to be in decent shape.  There are many who are not.  Sure they have their bicycles strapped the back of their motor home, I think they are just decorations that never get used.  You see them driving what seems like three blocks to the club house or laundry.  They are large individuals, many with oxygen tanks.  We both thought the same thing, “That will never be us.”

Our decision to start taking care of ourselves started over a year ago when my father-in-law passed away.  He was one month shy of his 85th birthday.  He was so full of life except for his physical condition.  My husband and I knew we did not want to live like that.

We are in the single digits for retirement now, it won’t be long.  We want our quality of life to be active, not full of doctor’s appointments and medication.  We know that physical activity is associated with an improved quality of life and we plan on living out lives to the fullest.

If our bodies are not cared for they begin to deteriorate.  The effects of this deterioration are heart disease, arthritis, and high blood pressure to name a few.  These effects can be reversed with regular exercise and a healthy diet. 

We see many Americans experience a decline in health starting in their 30s; this scientist say shouldn’t begin until we are in our 80s. 

A past surgeon general estimated that close to 85% of the most dreaded diseased could be prevented with lifestyle changes that include a good diet and exercise.  This also improves the quality of life.  We don’t just want to exist; we want to live full lives. 

Being sedentary has many of these adverse effects:

  – Inactivity and poor diet causes at least 300,000 deaths a year and that number increases every year.

 - Everyone knows that there is an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and high blood pressure.  Why don’t we do anything about that?

 -  By the age of 75, one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity.

There are many other effects, I just mentioned a few.

We all know the effects of inactivity.  I don’t understand how we can just continue on with the unhealthy lifestyles knowing at anytime we can and will come down with one or all of these diseases. 

 We plan on spending our retirement on the road, not in the doctor’s office.  We need to be careful living a life on the road, many bad habits can begin.  We’ve decided we will work camp to keep busy.  With my fitness back ground I plan on helping other seniors stay in shape and enjoy their Golden Years healthy and happy! 

I received this article in an email.  I thought it would be good to share with you:

After a while of consistent exercise, one becomes more in tune with their body.  You can tell the difference between being really tired or just being lazy.  You really need to listen to your body.  One thing your body will tell you is when it needs to rest. 

Once you begin a routine, there should always be at least one day of rest.  Depending on your age and fitness level, you may need more than that.  When working with weights, those muscles worked need at least one day to rest before hitting them again.  Muscles build during rest.  They respond better the next time you work them. 

This morning was a morning of rest for me.  My job is shift work.  Shift work is hard on your body, especially the night shift.  There are weeks I work 48 hours in four days or 36 in three.  My body is tired on those long weeks.  This was a long week for me.  I knew my body needed a rest this morning. 

Once I got to work I was fine.  I knew I may head to the gym later for some weight training.  I usually go around 11 p.m.  Tonight was different.  My best friend was working and asked if I wanted to go workout with her.  We usually just walk the parking lot and catch up.  It’s been too hot to walk, so we decided to workout in the gym.  When she came up to get me, she said she really didn’t feel like working out.  I responded, “Oh no, we are working out.”  I truly believe everyone needs support with whatever goals they have made.  I know my friend has been struggling to get back into working out.  Although I was tired as well, I knew I wasn’t working out for myself tonight, but I was also there to support her. 

Even though this didn’t turn into a full day of rest, I did enjoy the rest I had in the morning and the time I got to spend with my friend.

I didn’t even think about how tired I was this morning.  I had my two bananas and my cup of coffee, said my prayers and heading up to the gym.  This morning’s workout was Insanity: The Asylum, Vertical Plyo!!!  Shaun T, the trainer, describes this workout as HELL!!!  It is one of the hardest workouts I have ever done.  The only one harder would be The Asylum’s Game Day Overtime.  That is ten minutes of PURE HELL!!! 

Many people think I am crazy when it comes to my workouts.  I’m not an athletic lunatic.  I sometimes hate working out.  Just like most people, I would rather sit on my butt doing nothing.  What did that get me, many, many hours in the gym working on the results of all that time sitting on my butt doing nothing!

I have many problem areas I am working on.  I am a mother of three, I  have battle scars.  I have the stretch marks and loose skin that never seems to go away.  I look in the mirror and think, “Wow, am I really making any progress?”  I do see the small results, clothes are loose, smaller sizes, but, like most people, I am never satisfied with my results. 

This past Spring, I began a workout program I purchased from a trainer I saw on Facebook.  This woman is amazing.  The program is very demanding.  I did it for a good two months.  I tried following the nutrition plan as well as I could.  The problem was the workouts.  Life kept happening.  I just couldn’t put that much time into it.  I know if I would have continued, I would have reached my fitness goals.  Sometimes we just need to step back and evaluate what is most important at that moment.  At that time  I needed to focus on what was going on around me.  I didn’t stop working out, but not to the extent this program required.  I decided to follow the nutrition as well as I could and workout everyday, maybe not always as much.  I will complete this program one day, it is a goal of mine, but not right now.

One thing I have learned through my year and half journey is what is important physically is not what I see in the mirror, but how healthy I am inside, to include my spiritual health.  In our house God is always first.  He gave me this body and I need to take care of it, after all it is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  But, it is not the most important.  We all need to put all areas of life into persepective and go from there.  That is how I now live my life.  I recommend everyone do the same.

God Bless you all,

Christine

It’s 00:03 or 12:03 am on August 23rd.  It’s still August 22nd for me.  Today was my daughter’s 26th Birthday.  I was not able to spend her birthday with her as she lives out of state.  I can’t tell you when the last time we spent her birthday together.  She left home very young….and came back a few times, but never was she home for her birthday.  Maybe one day we could spend it together.

This morning I tried my best to talk myself out of cardio.  I wanted to do a Plyometric workout.  Plyometrics, is a type of exercise that suddenly preloads and forces the stretching of a muscle an instant prior to its concentric action. An example is jumping down from a bench and immediately springing back up. Well, after only five hours of sleep, I was not up to plyo this morning.  Instead I did Hip Hop Abs, Extreme cardio. 

I believe the only way to stick with a workout routine is if you have fun working out.  Most people don’t find it fun to walk/run on a tread (dread) mill or jogging outside.  Many women would prefer not to lift weights.  They feel they will bulk up.  I am one that usually goes against the grain.  I love lifting weights.  I love muscle!

In the last year I have come to enjoy more of the dancy workouts.  I’ve been Zumba certified for almost a year, Turbo Kick since December of last year and Saturday I will be working towards a S.T.R.I.D.E. certification.  S.T.R.I.D.E. is Strength and Tone Real Intense Dance Exercise.  Did I say I LOVE INTENSE!!!   I can’t wait for this training.  Shaun T is the trainer for this workout.  He is also the inventor of Hip Hop abs.  Hip Hop Abs this morning was a great way to practice for Saturday’s training.

I go through around 45 minutes of the workout when my phone rang.  It was my daughter.  How could I tell her she was interrupting my workout.  There are priorities in life and my children are mine.  Don’t feel guilty if all you can do is 30 minutes, at least you are moving!

My workout got my heart rate up for most of the routine, that’s what matters.  It is recommended that you get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day.  I like to go by the RPE or Rating of Perceived Exertion – on a scale of 1-10, one being a resting heart rate and 10 being, “I CAN’T BREATH!”  I think 8 is a good goal.  My RPE this morning was around 6 or 7.  I had fun with this workout, that’s also important. 

Tonight’s workout was good.  I focused on shoulders and arms.  I did a superset, meaning moving from one body part to the other and repeating that round or set twice.  My rotations was shoulders, biceps and triceps.  When lifting weights, the amount of weight depends on your goal.  If you want to tone, the number of reps should be between 12 and 15 with lighter weighs.  If you want to build muscle add weight with less reps, between 8 and 10 is good. 

My nutrition has been good, except for the extra coffee tonight.  I am really tired. 

If I get more sleep tomorrow, my cardio will be plyo in the morning.  My strength workout will be chest and back. 

Until tomorrow.

I am going to begin to share my daily workouts with you all.  The reason I am doing this is to show that I have the same difficulties with my workouts and my nutrition.  It is also a way for me to keep myself accountable. 

I will start with the workouts from yesterday, Sunday, August 21st.  Since I am a “grave yard” person, I will be a day behind y’all.  With what my fitness goals are right now, I should be doing “two-a-days.”  This means a workout in the morning, usually some sort of cardio and one at night, strength with abs.  The workout from the morning was Insanity: The Asylum, Speed and Agility.  This program is very difficult.  I would not recommend it to beginners.  I still have trouble keeping up.  I usually stop with around eight seconds to go for whatever move is going on. 

I woke up very tired.  I really didn’t try to talk myself out of working out this morning, like I usually do.  I’m sure many of you have experienced this.  I should have stopped when I felt a little dizzy during the beginning of the workout.  You should never continue if you feel dizzy.  I know this, but I kept on going.  The dizziness did stop half way through the workout.  I was pretty pleased with the workout. 

I showered and headed out to work.

I headed to the gym at work around 22:15, that’s 10:15 p.m.  My routine was legs and back.  I have really neglected my legs lately.  I have strong legs, but as you probably know, when you workout large muscle groups you burn more calories,  your heart rate is elevated.  I really don’t like that feeling, it’s HARD!!! 

I used resistant bands for my back exercises.  I can not do pull ups without either a chair or a pull-up strap.  I drape the resistant bands over the pull up bar and go from there.  I enjoy back exercises; I just need to work up to those pull-ups without help.

My nutrition was very good today.  No cheating for me.  I still have one meal to go tonight.  I try to get six meals in, three food meals and three whey meals.  This doesn’t always happen.  I also need to work on drinking more water.  You should drink 20 ounces during a cardio workout and near 100 more ounces during the day. 

Tomorrow’s workout will be similar cardio and for strength, shoulder and arms.

Till tomorrow,

Christine