Don't be afraid to change up the "norm"

A while back when I was at 138 I felt stuck, I felt like even though I was working hard my body didn't want to lose any more weight. I had hit a plateu and that meant it was time for me to change things up, challenge my body, and make sure my diet was truly clean. Going paleo and changing up my workouts helped me reach my spring goal of 129. I'm now a size 6 or 4, depending on where I shop, and I've comfortably been maintaing my weight for several weeks now. 129 is good, but I am only 5'1" so I would like to get down to at least 125 or a little under. My main goal actually is just to continue to slim down in my midsection. Who doesn't want a flat tummy?? So I've stepped up the intesity of my workouts, cut back on all the cheat meals, but I haven't really been seeing many results. I'm back to where I was when I had hit 138. I didn't realize it until I read Jamie Easons facebook page yesterday.
"If u have been training a while, sometimes you hit a plateau simply because u have increased ur muscle mass, which in turn, increases ur metabolism. You now expend more calories on a daily basis. If u are still eating the same # of calories u started with, u may need to slightly increase them to fuel ur new, more muscular body. I recommend a slight increases in calories (a few hundred) on leg & maybe back days." Well duh! I blogged about this a while back, eating more to lose weight. It sounds silly but Jamie is right. I'm lifting pretty heavy these days and my body is definitely more muscular. So in my effort to get down into the low 120's I've decided to not so much change up my workouts, but my diet.
Eating paleo is a great way to go, and its really gotten me to open up to so many different and healthy foods. But in an effort to shake things up I'm encorporating some grains and legumes back into my diet. Eating clean is obviously still the main objective, but to add some more calories into my diet i'm going to embrace some foods that have been out of the picture for a couple months. Starting right now with some oatmeal!

Are you dead or alive?

‎"Stop eating “dead” foods: junk, fried, and fast foods, as well as processed carbs. They’re loaded with sugar and other additives. The more live foods we eat (fruits and vegetables), the more alive we feel. The more dead foods we eat…well, you get the idea." - Tony Horton

Being fans of P90X and Beachbody on my facebook page is a great thing. They are constantly posting videos, tips and quotes to motivate and encourage. The best part is that most of them are straight forward and what I need to hear, not some little "kumbaya" quote. This one from Tony really spoke to me this week. Since I've hit 130 I've sort of been slacking. I've def not been 100% paleo and I've sort of turned a cheat meal into a cheat weekend. Now I'm still working just as hard in the gym so I'm maintaining my weight but there is so much truth in Tony's quote and I'm a perfect example. The past couple weekends I've let my cheating go a little too far. I'm not pigging out on junk, but I'm just not making the best choices because well, its the weekend. This sometimes rolls over into my week and I get lazy and don't prepare my meals in advance. This often leaves me starving and reaching for whatever is in sight, which is all bad. Yesterday I did better, and today has been 100% on point and I feel amazing. When I skip meals or eat chips and salsa instead of having a real lunch I end up feeling like crap. I'm lethargic and usually end up feeling bloated. Today has been high protein, lots of water, lots of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, and NO crap. And even though I was up at 5am, had an intense spin class this morning, and have spent all day at work, I feel great. I'm in a fantastic mood and I feel ALIVE. Just like Tony said. The more "live" foods I eat, the better I feel. Just one full day of properly fueling my body reminded me of why its so important and why I always need to choose my carrots & zucchini over the candy dish at work.

I spend lots of time reading different articles about paleo, nutrition, weigh lifting, body building, running, etc. so that I can gain as much knowledge as possible to continue to grow and change my routine. Doing the same old boring thing at the gym every day is no fun. Plus our body and muscles need to be confused if weight loss is the goal. I never do the same thing for cardio 2 days in a row, and I never do the same amount of time of cardio 2 days in a row. Tuesdays and Thursdays are hour long spin, so I don't do abs on these days and I don't really do any major lifting. I just let these be my crazy go all out, sweat up a storm cardio days. Mon, Wed, Fri I do a little less cardio and some serious lifting. 10lb weights won't do much for you ladies. If you want to see some definition you've got to lift heavier 6-8 reps. My arms, shoulders and back are really starting to look toned and defined now that I'm not scared of heavier weight. I've also learned that as far as leg days go, leg machines are not the biz. You want to feel a burn in those buns and thighs...its all about squats and lunges! At first I was super self conscious about being "that girl" in front of the mirror doing squats and then walking up and down the gym floor doing lunges, but who cares?! My priority in the gym needs to be to work hard, not check out what everyone else is doing or wonder if they're watching me. The stair master is new to me, I checked it out for the first time last week and it kicked my butt. I'm not talking about the little one where you just lift your foot and do a little step, I'm talking about the moving stairs. It's legit. Don't be afraid to try new things at the gym. I know for me personally I would avoid machines I didn't know how to use because I didn't want to look dumb, but when you are able to do something different each day it keeps your workouts interesting. 

One last tip before I go, if you're like me good music is essential during your gym session. I just don't have the time to keep updating playlists and I get tired of hearing the sames songs over and over. I use my iphone when I'm at the gym as my ipod and the other day I decided to use my Pandora app instead of listen to my now awful workout playlist. It was the best decision ever. I can pick what I want depending on my mood and it keeps my pumped up all morning. If you have a smart phone use your Pandora app in the gym! 

iPaleo

The Paleo diet is not for everyone, many people can't bear the thought of giving up certain food groups altogether. But I have a challenge for you. Try it for a week, 2 if you can, and let it be a chance to learn something from your body. When I started paleo, I instantly slimmed down and got out of my plateau. Obviously when you cut carbs from your diet you're going to see some quick results, but you know how some days you just feel sluggish or bloated and you can't figure out why. I bet you its the foods you're eating! Everyone knows that they should stay away from fast food, and anything fried, mainly because it's bad for you but also because who have you ever heard say they just ate a big mac and feel great?! Stripping away certain foods from your diet can give you an opportunity to not only find healthier alternatives but to also notice how great you can feel without consuming them.
Let me break it down by explaining how paleo has helped me, beyond losing those last 10lbs. For starters I eat WAY more veggies now than at any other point in my life. When grains aren't an option at dinner, veggies become the biggest portion on my plate. Also, in the past I struggled a lot with feeling bloated and with getting frequent headaches/migraines. When I gave up dairy not only did my tummy flatten out but that bloated feeling and those headaches pretty much just disappeared. Let me be the first to say, I love ALL things dairy. I think cheese is good with anything, I could eat ice cream for breakfast lunch & dinner, and I love milk because I LOVE cereal. But what I failed to realize is that while I loved it, my tummy didn't. We just didn't have a healthy relationship and it was time for me to end things. My body does need calcium though, so I do take a multivitamin. And there are times that I do want a scoop of ice cream, or a frozen yogurt, and there are times when eating a little dairy just can't be avoided and that's ok with me. But I've learned that for ME to feel good on the inside I have to limit my intake.
So my challenge is not to convert you to my "crazy" diet, but to teach you something you may not know about your body. Sometimes when we give certain things up we realize we never really needed them in the first place, or that they were doing more harm to us than good.

Screw ups, Hiccups, and Bumps in the Road.

I would say that 90% of the time I am super dedicated to my new found lifestyle of health and fitness. Even on the days (like today) that getting up at 5am is the last thing I want to be doing, I still push through and make it in for my workout. I plan my meals, eat certain things in certain quantities at certain times, its almost religious and borderline ridiculous. But I am human, and I am fighting against years of terrible eating habits. This weekend I let every excuse in the book justify every calorie loaded bite I shoved in my mouth. The weekend started off normal, I even got a workout in on Saturday. But I let the holiday and having company staying with me be my excuse to chow down. There were several times where I could have ordered better, skipped dessert, opted for water or tea instead of a cocktail, picked up an apple instead of another chip, but I didnt. I tuned out all the voices in my head that kept saying, "you'll regret this" and I did it anyways. Now when you cut out dairy and carbs from your diet for a while and then all of a sudden you hoover it like theres no tomorrow, it wreaks havoc on your body. I've spent the past 2 days feeling bloated and lethargic, not to mention the guilt and dissapointment. This all has happened in the past. I've been eating well, working out and then something happens and a wrench is thrown in my routine. And just like that I'm back to my old ways. That is not the case this time. I've put too much time and effort in to just say you know what I'm done, I've already been eating crappy the past few days, I'll just keep it up. Instead I'm picking myself back up, dusting myself off and starting today with a clean slate. Thats all it takes, waking up one day and starting over. I was in the gym before 530 this morning and I'm back to my normal food groups. It will take me a couple days to feel better but deciding to hop back on the wagon is better then just giving up any day!

When I first started typing I had origially put that I was, "fighting against 24 years of terrible eating habits" but thats not true. My food choices were never the product of how I was raised. I was lucky enough to have a mother that cared about my health and nutrition. I was never given soda or sweets and normal snacks for me were veggies and fruits. Theres pictures of me in my high chair with broccoli scattered all over the tray. When I was in school I remember my friends lunches having chicken nuggets and packaged snack foods. I couldn't even get my mom to buy me lunchable let alone pack me pizza or chicken nuggets for lunch. But my mom could only keep me from these foods for so long. Eventually I would discover my love for everything sweet. But still, if I was at home, I was having a good meal. I don't ever remember my mom making anything processed or out of a box for dinner. There were always veggies or a salad and our house was always stocked with fruit. If you wanted a hostess cupcake, my house was not the place to be. It wasn't until my adult life, when I had the choice of what to eat and buy and cook that things got worse. But I couldn't be more thankful for my mom buying the things she did, and taking the time to prepare meals that were nourishing me instead of just feeding me.
I think so many kids are picky eaters because its easier to throw some chicken nuggets in the microwave or cook some kraft mac and cheese then it is to take the time to make a sandwich and slice some fruit. We don't think about how important it is for them to not only learn to like lots of different foods but also be healthy. We want them to say please and thank you and have perfect manners, but why is there health not just as important? Steve's kids like mac and cheese, they like french fries, and cookies. But they also like fruit, they like turkey sandwiches, and just about anything I make for dinner. Just because they like junk food doesn't mean thats what I should keep in the house for them. At first it's what we did, mac and cheese for lunch, what kind of nutrition is that?? Now its half a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with cheese and lettuce, slices of apples or strawberries, and a couple pretzels. And there are no complaints. I quickly learned that just as I want whats best for my body, I want whats best for theirs also. Did you know they even sell organic juice packs with WAY less added sugar then what we normally see in the stores? And that as long as you call it a hamburger, a turkey burger on a slice of whole grain bread is just the same to them.

Quit saying its too hard, quit telling yourself you can't!

Some fitness folks out there are anti-cheat meal because they believe giving into a craving or a temptation will only open the junk food flood gates. Others believe a cheat meal is a good way to reward your hard work and also stay sane. For me personally I think its ridiculous to say that there are certain foods I'm never going to eat again. In the past my struggle with cheat meals was that I felt guilty. I felt like that was flushing a perfect week down the drain. My mentality on this changed once I started seeing the after a not so perfect weekend my weight on the scale was still the same on Monday morning as it had been Friday. In my head, eating out for dinner or snacking on some chips and salsa was going to make the scale go up. But I've been proven wrong time and time again. Now I'm ok with a not so perfect weekend. This doesn't mean that it's ok to go crazy though. If I'm craving a big pancake breakfast, then fine i'll make it, but this means the rest of my day needs to be on track. I don't look at my weekend as a chance to go wild and eat any and everything in sight, but if theres something in particular I'd like to snack on or have for a meal, that I don't allow myself to have on a regular basis, then I'm gonna go for it (in moderation). This works well for me for because I have made so much progress that I don't want to revert back to my old ways. I'm happy with shopping for a size 6 body instead of a 12, so I know that even if I do have say pizza for dinner, I'm only going to allow myself 2 slices because I don't want to over do it like I always did in the past. Cheating doesn't mean pigging out, but a little indulgence here and there won't hurt when you give 110% all other times.

It's really important to know that nutrition is a major part of weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. My #1 trouble area is my tummy, it's the first place I put weight and its the hardest for me to lose. Now I could do all the crunches in the world, run until I can't anymore, and bust my butt doing hours of cardio, but that will only get me so far. Abs are made in the kitchen. If you want you're tummy to be flat, you have to eat clean, thats all there is too it. Now definition and that six pack comes from ab work, but losing the goo is part cardio, but a bigger part nutrition. Have you ever really looked at a food label before? All those grams of added sugar, all the fat, the sodium...none of that garbage is good for us. Half of that sugar is added, and most of the times its one of the first ingredients listed. The sodium makes you bloated, and the sugar and fat well you know what that does. It goes straight to your love handles, or hips, and it sits there. And it taunts you every time you look in the mirror. Now you would think that would get us to stop eating it. We know bad food = a muffin top = not happy with what we see, yet we still throw that bag of chips in our shopping cart, we still come home and eat 5 cookies to make ourselves "feel better" after a bad day. Why are we torturing ourselves??
If you go to any bookstore or search their inventory online, the amount of diet books that are available is ridiculous! And to me, reading them is a big fat waste of time! We all know how to lose weight, I mean really its not rocket science. We know that bad foods and lack of exercise is going to make us fat. And we all know that choosing healthier foods and regular exercise will not only keep us in good health but will also shed unwanted pounds. So then why the need for all these books? Because people want an easier answer. We want something that won't take much of our time (because heaven forbid we miss our favorite tv show) and we don't want something thats too hard or going to make us break a sweat (because heaven forbid we push ourselves). Instead of spending the money towards a gym membership, tons of people spend that money on diet books and pills that will never get them one step closer to feeling better about themselves. All they'll gain is a library of books, the knowledge to be able to change, and a cabinet full of stimulants that didn't work as promised...but a sense of accomplishment and pride, they won't find that. It would be completely ridiculous for me to start applying for jobs in the healthcare field. I haven't put in the hours of studying, the years of schooling, I haven't worked hard for a nursing degree, so how could I expect to get a job in that field? It's completely unrealistic. A well paying job only comes after you've put in the time and work to complete the training. The same applies to losing weight. You will not see the results you desire unless you are willing to put forth the time and hard work. You can't expect to drop a size or two if you're only doing the bare minimum. You won't lose that tummy if you're constantly making excuses for why you can't give up certain foods.
When you first start its hard, and you may feel like you don't really know what you are doing. But there are so many resources out there, so many other people who have decided that they want more for themselves. And the longer you stick with clean eating and a work out routine, the more it starts to become second nature. I no longer look at what I'm doing as just trying to lose weight. This is my life now. This is who I am, who I've become. Working out is not something I need to find the time to do, just like I have to be at work at 9am, I have to be at that gym by 530am.

Excuses Excuses

I've done a blog about excuses before but lately more and more people have been asking me what I've done to lose weight. And just like before, I still get the same reactions. "Oh thats too hard" "I could never give up those foods" "5am is too early." Everyone is full of excuses, if It's not one thing it's another. You're damn right though, it is hard, and 5am is EARLY. Of course I'd rather sleep in, of course I'd love to eat pizza and ice cream, but do I want those things more then I want a long healthy happy life? NO WAY. We've got one shot to get it right and after 24 years, I'm tired of settling, are you?

I stole this next part from Tony Horton's website. http://tonyhortonsworld.com/closet-garbage-eater/  There's no better way to say it, so I'll just let him tell you...

Closet Garbage Eater

"You know who you are. You’ve got all the answers and your lousy at taking sound advice because it’s easier to be lazy. The tilt-a-whirl of disappointment goes round and round and you pretend everything is okay. You’re not fooling anyone and everyone else knows what you’re up to. It’s easy to lack self discipline because you’re not alone. Misery loves company.

I’m sick and tired of hearing why you can’t stop eating crap. Stop blaming your thyroid, boyfriend, childhood and ancestry because it’s not working. The problem is your inability to face reality. The real issues are your lack of accountability, willpower, determination and the lousy company you keep. It’s also your lame plan or lack there of. Your reasons why suck and you don’t tell the truth about what you stuff in your face when no one is looking.

 Your horrendous eating habits is the American terrorist within. If the level of disease caused by unhealthy choices continues at this alarming rate then we will destroy ourselves without any help from the bad guys. Fad diets, pills and miracle potions used to lose weight never work in the long term and they never will. Dozens of studies show that calorie control diets that still allow you to eat forms of unhealthy food always fail. I’ve never met anyone who started a “weight lose only” diet and stayed on it. So you lost 50 pounds and kept it off for 5 years. Why did you gain it all back in 6 months during year six? Are you proud of that?

 When diet deprivation becomes too much the closet eating begins. Your reasons for falling off the wagon are plenty and you’ll defend them till you’re blue in the face. Good for you for choosing the option that required you to be lazy again. Choosing gluttony is no way to build your manifesto my friend. What is your reason for being on this earth? Why do you really put that garbage in your mouth? Do you want to know why? Do you want to look at it closely? Do you care enough?

 The simple answer is choice. I hope you weren’t expecting something more complicated. How do you choose what to be? How will you work to be better than before? Who will you surround yourself with? How long will your better choices last? Will you continue to be the closet garbage eater or will you finally get your act together, stop making it about you all the time and begin to be an example to the people in your life who need your help?" -Tony Horton

When to NOT push yourself

There are days when I don't feel like going to the gym, I feel sleepy or lazy or just not 100% when I wake up, but I push myself because I keep the bigger picture in mind. But sometimes there has to be an exception to the "push yourself" rule. I've run in the rain, worked out with bad allergies or a cold, but sometimes a sickness drags us down so much that our body really just needs some extra rest. The past couple days I've been battling a bad cold or sinus infection, can't really tell what it is. It's causing some nasty sinus headaches, sore throat, swollen glands, stuffed nose, fatigue, chills, and cold sweats. Yeah, it's been a ton of fun. Started Saturday night and by Sunday I was a hot mess. I woke up Monday feeling no better and knew working out was not going to be an option, my body literally just didn't have the strength to get up and walk around. I set my alarm for 4:50 this morning planning to only miss that one gym day, but I got up started hacking and sniffling and Steve yelled at me to get back in bed and let my body rest. Thank goodness for him because my crazy butt would have headed to the gym. I laid back down and had to think about the bigger picture, two days missed is better then possibly a week missed because I pushed my body further into fatigue. I should be good to go by tomorrow, but even then a light workout is probably going to be better for me then to jump in and going 1000% to make up for the workouts I lost.

Because my inner progress has not yet caught up with my outer progress I have a hard time dealing with this whole thing. I'm currently struggling with a phobia of gaining weight. It's a pretty ridiculous actually, I mean missing a workout probably isn't going to help me lose anything, but it's not like I'm going to gain 5lbs because of it, as long as my nutrition stays on point. These are the things the inner part of me is struggling with. Nutrition can be tricky when you're sick though. If you're like me you completely lose your appetite. Yesterday I was literally forcing myself to eat, but everything I ate either tasted funny or had no taste at all (because I can't breathe) lol. I was also dealing with an upset stomach for whatever reason, and pretty much only wanted to eat crackers and 7up (so not paleo). Ok so whats my point, 1. rest is important if your body is telling you it needs a break. 2. The mental aspect of losing weight is something that needs to be addressed. Talk out any unhealthy behavior or negative feelings you may be having with someone you trust. Lucky for me my boyfriend keeps me sane and keeps me focused and is honest with me if I'm being ridiculous.

Fitness icon Jamie Eason. This woman is FIT, and she has alot of great info on bodybuilding.com as well as her facebook page.