November 2013 workout update

November already!?? This year has just flew away for me.

I hit a workout plateau and noticed that my calorie count was actually going down in the beginning of November, significantly down! So of course something had to be done! I decided to increase my incline slightly. I also started doing my weight training prior to the treadmill so every morning (Mon, Tue, Thur and Fri) at 4 a.m. I do a warm up for a few minutes (nothing fancy, just basics) and then do some weight training to tone those arms.

I have a confession, I am oh so scared of getting flabby arms and also have a borderline obsession of wanting Michelle Obama arms. So I do two sets of 30 reps with some basic arm toning and about 40’ish tricep dips. It’s a good burn for now. I am sure in a few weeks I will need to revisit it. I will do a more detailed blog post once I have revamped it.

On to the November stats …

PS: I had to take a break the last week since I pulled my calf muscle. Not sure how.

DATE	CALORIES
11-1-2013	807
11-5-2013	691
11-7-2013	714
11-8-2013	691
11-11-2013	758
11-12-2013	740
11-14-2013	759
11-15-2013	750
11-18-2013	815
11-20-2013	829
11-21-2013	721
11-22-2013	734

TIME (in minutes)	Details	…
At START (5:00 a.m.)	Set Incline to 4.0 Set Speed to 2.5	Start iPod! J
2 Minutes	Change speed to 2.7	*YAWN* *RUB EYES*
4 Minutes	Change speed to 2.9	*YAWN* *ADMIRE the EMPTY Gym*
6 Minutes	Change speed to 3.1	*YAWN*
8 Minutes	Change speed to 3.3	Where am I?!!
10 Minutes	Change speed to 3.5	AWAKE now!
15 Minutes	Change speed to 3.6	Techno beat DROPS!!
20 Minutes	Change speed to 3.7	Gym is PACKED by now!
25 Minutes	Change speed to 3.8	Starting to feel the burn!
30 Minutes	Change speed to 3.9	It’s getting hot in here!
35 Minutes	Change speed to 4.0	Here comes my treadmill neighbor! *SMILE*
40 Minutes	Change speed to 4.1	Remember that dress? You need to fit in it soon!
50 Minutes	Change speed to 4.2	Barely breathing. Its super-duper hot now!
57.30 Minutes	Change speed to 2.5	Wait! Its over? Almost there princess!
60 Minutes (6:00 a.m.)	END	YAY! You did it!

October 2013 workout update

Fall is here! I have a love hate relationship with the cold weather. Yes, I like the temperatures dropping, the leaves changing colors, the fabulous winter gear BUT it is awful for my skin and can we just take a minute and discuss the overload of baked goods everywhere?!!

I mean really, why?!! I struggle with not eating sweets. This time of the year (till the end of December) is especially hard for me. It’s cold outside which makes me want to stay home and bake goodies … ugggh the downward spiral. To help me stay on track, I am keeping one serving size of the baked goods for me and bringing the rest to work for my awesome new coworkers! 

PS: I switched jobs. Won’t go into too many details but I needed to switch. I am much much happier here!

On to the actual purpose of this entry, my October 2013 workout update. Here it goes …

DATE	CALORIES
10-1-2013	852
10-3-2013	810
10-4-2013	818
10-7-2013	664
10-8-2013	763
10-10-2013	814
10-11-2013	699
10-14-2013	686
10-15-2013	666
10-17-2013	727
10-18-2013	676
10-21-2013	791
10-22-2013	710
10-24-2013	700
10-25-2013	675
10-28-2013	821
10-29-2013	742
10-31-2013	809

TIME (in minutes)	Details	Notes
At START	Set Incline to 4.0 Set Speed to 2.5	Start iPod! J
2 Minutes	Change speed to 2.7	Warm up
4 Minutes	Change speed to 2.9	Warm up
6 Minutes	Change speed to 3.1	Warm up
8 Minutes	Change speed to 3.3	Warm up
10 Minutes	Change speed to 3.5	Warm up
15 Minutes	Change speed to 3.6	Drop it like it’s HOT!
20 Minutes	Change speed to 3.7	Drop it like it’s HOT!
25 Minutes	Change speed to 3.8	Drop it like it’s HOT!
30 Minutes	Change speed to 3.9	Drop it like it’s HOT!
35 Minutes	Change speed to 4.0	Drop it like it’s HOT!
40 Minutes	Change speed to 4.1	Drop it like it’s HOT!
50 Minutes	Change speed to 4.2	WOAH! You got it!
57.30 Minutes	Change speed to 2.5	NICE feeling, huh?!!
60 Minutes	END	YAY! You did it!

Doesn't it make you happy when the gym is empty?!! Makes me super happy! Just me, the treadmill and some awesome beats .... 

September 2013 Workout Update

September was a GOOD workout month!

I was in a dark place and was very stressed with my work situation so I decided to concentrate on a positive outlet. Here is breakdown of what I did at the gym and a log of my calorie counts. Again, I don't run. I am on the heavier side and its awful on my knees. Also have some lung issues ..... anywho most of you already know that so moving on. Stay tuned for more healthy recipes and updates!

DATE	CALORIES
9-3-2013	745
9-4-2013	807
9-6-2013	762
9-9-2013	877
9-10-2013	799
9-12-2013	805
9-13-2013	775
9-16-2013	807
9-17-2013	708
9-19-2013	714
9-20-2013	796
9-23-2013	735
9-24-2013	718
9-26-2013	832
9-27-2013	816
9-30-2013	760

TIME (in minutes)	Details
At START	Set Incline to 4.0 Set Speed to 2.5
2 Minutes	Change speed to 2.7
4 Minutes	Change speed to 2.9
6 Minutes	Change speed to 3.1
8 Minutes	Change speed to 3.3
10 Minutes	Change speed to 3.5
30 Minutes	Change speed to 3.6
50 Minutes	Change speed to 3.7
70 Minutes	END

August 2013 workout update

So this month I decided to switch things up. I finally went back to a professional gym. Something about working out in a huge gym just works for me. Seeing other people working out, women who have my goal figure, seeing coaches train others etc. makes a huge difference to me. The Polar HRM helps too. I have been going three times every week, eating all meals and trying to do at least one to two days of weight training. My calorie count has typically been around 750. I plan on switching things up significantly in September. Stay tuned!!

December Workout Update

December (2012) Workout Update: 

I continued my workout from last month, despite my Asthma concerns. This month was rough and I gave it my best but life happens .... Details below!

I always started with a warm up and it was followed with a short 20 minute walk in the treadmill with no incline. This eventually progressed into my current workout on the treadmill (listed below). Keep in mind, this is gradual. I can't stress this enough! It took me weeks to get to this point, well I could actually say months. Now before I tell you what exactly I am doing, please keep in mind that I do have asthma and am by no means lean. Having said that I am not saying that chubbier people can't run. If I can, so can you! Just do it in small sections like me. 

Total Time: 70 Minutes

Calories: Approximately 470-500

Incline 3.5 - I maintain this incline all through the workout time, including warm up and cool down. 

Repeat the following 7 times:

Minutes 1 through 3 - Speed 2.7 m

Minutes 4 through 6 - Speed 3.3 m

Minutes 7 through 9 - Speed 3.5 m

Minute 10 - 5.2 m - RUN! RUN like you see a clearance rack WITH Black Friday deals! HAHA :)

Repeat! 

I workout 3 times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am a morning person and have a pretty demanding day job so my workout time starts at 5 a.m. Yes waking up that early, even for a morning person, was a tad hard but coming home from work and being lazy is a great feeling!

December 3: 490 Calories
December 5: 550 Calories
December 7: Sick -- My Asthma decided to come visit. I had to change my workout routine. I changed it to something that didn't involve too much cardio but still got rid of some calories.
December 10: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (JM30DS) - Day 1
December 12: JM30DS - Day 2
December 16: Apartment Flooded - We lost a pantry full of food, clothes, electronics, home decor items etc. :(
December 25: Just when I thought I had the apartment organized and could get back into the working out routine, we were hit with a snow storm that knocked all the power out, cars under trees and iced in. I am telling you this was not my month!
BUT we restart!
December 30: JM30DS - Day 1
December 31: JM30DS - Day 2

In case you missed ... 

Why I started this section: 

Lets face it, no one truly enjoys working out. I didn't either! My life is a constant battle between my love of food and not wanting to get fat ... well fatter! I also love to cook and bake which doesn't help either. At some point on the battlefield I decided enough was enough! I truly enjoy walking. Yes, walking on the treadmill gets a tad boring, but trust me listening to some music or watching TV makes the time go by so much faster! As most aspects in life, people tend to do better when held accountable for things. So lets just do that! Trust me after doing it for a few weeks you will feel horribly guilty and oh-so yucky when you miss a workout! And after that, ... well you are hooked at this point and well on your way to an awesome new you! 

How I stay motivated: 

This didn't come easy! The system that worked for me was to reward myself for every successful week I had. I would grab myself a magazine or a nail polish or an eyeliner or some cheap jewelry from Forever 21. I kept it under $5 and made sure there was no food involved, it would defeat the purpose of working out. With time this gets easier and then no rewards are needed :)

To be perfectly honest I also had a great support system that kept me on track by holding me accountable. If you can get some friends to follow this with you, do it! If not, I can be your support system! 

I'm making myself unstoppable. Why don't you join me?!!

November Workout Update

November Workout Update

Why I started this section: 

Lets face it, no one truly enjoys working out. I didn't either! My life is a constant battle between my love of food and not wanting to get fat ... well fatter! I also love to cook and bake which doesn't help either. At some point on the battlefield I decided enough was enough! I truly enjoy walking. Yes, walking on the treadmill gets a tad boring, but trust me listening to some music or watching TV makes the time go by so much faster! As most aspects in life, people tend to do better when held accountable for things. So lets just do that! Trust me after doing it for a few weeks you will feel horribly guilty and oh-so yucky when you miss a workout! And after that, ... well you are hooked at this point and well on your way to an awesome new you! 

November (2012) Workout Update: 

I started with baby steps. I always started with a warm up and it was followed with a short 20 minute walk in the treadmill with no incline. This eventually progressed into my current workout on the treadmill (listed below). Keep in mind, this is gradual. I can't stress this enough! It took me weeks to get to this point, well I could actually say months. 

This month I wanted to incorporate some running into my workout so I changed things up a little. Now before I tell you what exactly I am doing, please keep in mind that I do have asthma and am by no means lean. Having said that I am not saying that chubbier people can't run. If I can, so can you! Just do it in small sections like me. 

Total Time: 70 Minutes

Calories: Approximately 470-500

Incline 3.5 - I maintain this incline all through the workout time, including warm up and cool down. 

Repeat the following 7 times:

Minutes 1 through 3 - Speed 2.7 m

Minutes 4 through 6 - Speed 3.3 m

Minutes 7 through 9 - Speed 3.5 m

Minute 10 - 5.2 m - RUN! RUN like you see a clearance rack WITH Black Friday deals! HAHA :)

Repeat! 

I workout 3 times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am a morning person and have a pretty demanding day job so my workout time starts at 5 a.m. Yes waking up that early, even for a morning person, was a tad hard but coming home from work and being lazy is a great feeling! 

How I stay motivated: 

This didn't come easy! The system that worked for me was to reward myself for every successful week I had. I would grab myself a magazine or a nail polish or an eyeliner or some cheap jewelry from Forever 21. I kept it under $5 and made sure there was no food involved, it would defeat the purpose of working out. With time this gets easier and then no rewards are needed :)

To be perfectly honest I also had a great support system that kept me on track by holding me accountable. If you can get some friends to follow this with you, do it! If not, I can be your support system! 

I'm making myself unstoppable. Why don't you join me?!!