Monday, July 23, 2012

Progress | July 23, 2012

I've been watching what I eat and recording it in the My Fitness Pal app {see example screenshot below} on my Android phone as well as doing at least 30 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week for the past two or so weeks. It's a start. It's 5 pounds down. It's a stronger me. It's abs that are getting firmer. Within the first few days of watching what went into my mouth, I noticed my pants and skirts weren't so tight in the waist. That was the first sign that I wasn't taking in so much sodium and crap. Less bloat is great! I have also been drinking a crap load of water. And I started my weight training again. Baby steps.


I got a new bicycle helmet, new workout kicks, a new sports bra and I'll be bringing the old kicks and some workout clothes to the office this week so I can ride my bike or head over to Cherokee Boulevard for a long walk during the day. Making my fitness more accessible helps. And having the right food choices with me does too.

Oh, and I also also taking part in my friend Mary Weaver's Body Transformation Boot Camp for women over 40. It's a 5 week program with weekly calls, a private Facebook group, a private website and lots of great support from Mary herself. She's awesome! Visit her website at primefit.org for more information. Here is a link to a Q&A with Mary in MetroPulse.

It's on! I'll be posting more updates and insights every so often.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

New Attitude!

Finally after a couple of months of skipping my workouts and cardio more often than doing it, I decided I had to take back my life. We've been really busy. Our photography business just celebrated its fifth full-time year and my glass business continues to grow. These successes mean more time working and running around. Being busy shouldn't be an excuse for me to not be working out and eating right. I know this. But I wasn't doing anything about it. 20 minutes squeezed in on the elliptical wasn't cutting it. Eating a protein bar for breakfast followed by a meatball sub for lunch wasn't cutting it. I finally hit my breaking point when I realized that none of my clothes were fitting and I was going to be spending a week at the beach in August.
This was me before the Tight Curves Transformation Challenge.
NOT ACCEPTABLE!
I won't be able to completely transform my body in a little over a month, but I can put my healthy habits back in place. I CAN DO THIS! I did it once, I can do it again. Yes, I am a little older and my body looks like hell {you may disagree but chances are you don't see me unclothed} and my body is just super pissed at not being as strong as it would like to be. So what am I going to do about it? I'm going to shed a huge portion of my body fat, increase my lean muscle and improve my body composition! Here's my plan...

1. Logging all my food and fitness into My Fitness Pal. It's a free app I downloaded onto my phone that lets me easily add to it no matter where I am.
2. Shopping for healthy foods, packing my food for the day and preparing meals at home unless absolutely impossible. {Impossible is when I get caught on location longer than planned or there just isn't a healthy option. This should be a rare occurrence.}
3. Drinking as much water as possible. All day. Every day.
4. Minimum of 30 minutes of cardio 6 times a week. Aiming for 2 cardio sessions a day to start.
5. Weight training a minimum of 3 times a week to train all body parts at least once.
6. Minimum of 100 crunches per day. These may be standard crunches, using the dip station or Roman chair.
7. Getting up from my chair every 30 minutes when I am in the office and hula hooping or going for a walk around Downtown Knoxville. I also have my balance ball, 5# dumbbells, stretch band and yoga mat in the office so there is always something I can do for 5 minutes every hour.
8. Not going to let anyone or anything derail me {short of an injury}. NEVER. EVER.
9. My fitness and 'diet' will continue to be my lifestyle until the day I die. Being strong and healthy is my goal. Being 'thin' is not the goal, but being fit and lean is. If you aren't interested in being lean and fit, I won't cram my lifestyle down your throat. Promise.
10. I will still enjoy the things I love...margaritas, beer, Hooters wings, pizza, Rita's gelati and frappes, but it will be in moderation. No cheat days per se, but I will be flexible. I'm being realistic.

So now you know what's going on with me and my health. I want to be in the best shape I can possibly be and I don't believe my husband when he says 'round is a shape'. So watch out world, Kitty Fantastic is going to be fit and fab at over 40 before you know it!
Me after eating clean and working out for six months.
ACCEPTABLE!
I'd love to hear from anyone committed to the same success or looking to take back their body and transform it whether you are over 40 or any age. YOU CAN DO THIS! I CAN DO THIS!

Peace out!
Lisa