Wednesday, February 2, 2011
"Dont talk to me until I've had my morning coffee"
First I have to apologize- we had a weekend full of weddings and blizzards and I have not been available to blog....or workout. very bad! By losing 2 days in the gym, I am stepping up the intensity of all my workouts this week. Today, my cardio workout is one hour of zumba...incorporating 5 pound weights in each hand for at least 30 minutes of it.
The worst snow storm that Michigan has seen in the past 70 years is not going to put a damper on my fitness schedule. Today's workout will be in the comfort of my own home.
There is a fabulous zumba music channel on Pandora. So turn up the speakers on your computer and start dancing away!
Afterwards, I am pushing myself through 8 minute abs (video posted below) and a half hour of relaxing yoga.
But today's post is not about my workouts. Today we are going to talk about coffee.
One of my favorite discussions in the book Skinny Bitch was about coffee and the effects it has on your body.
As quoted from the book: "coffee is for pussies". hah! ;)
You shouldnt "need" anything in order to wake up. If thats the case, you are either addicted to caffeine or sleep deprived.
"Caffeine can cause headaches, digestive problems, irritation of the stomach and bladder, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, contipation, fatigue, axiety, and depression. It effects every organ system, from the nervous system to the skin".
Caffeine raises stress hormone levels, intrupts the body's cleansing system, and may increase susceptibility to diabetes.
But dont go racing to the decaf pot now.....whether you are drinking regular or decaf coffee, they are both highly acidic.
Here's the big kicker- "Acidic foods cause your body to produce fat cells, in order to keep the acid away from your organs"
Not to mention, CANCER thrives in acidic conditions.
So kick the coffee habit and instead go for healthy green tea in the morning, or freshly squeezed natural orange juice. Once you get rid of all the junk in your diet, including coffee, the natural sugars in fruit will be more than enough to wake you up in the morning.
Coffee has always been a big part of my life. I was introduced to my first cup when I was just 11 years old. Not only was coffee treated as breakfast in my household, but also as dessert. A coffeehouse is also usually my first choice for a place to meet up with friends. It's an inexpensive date, afterall?
Kicking the habit has been the biggest challenge for me in my lifestyle change so far...but with my mom's history of breast cancer, it is extra important that I switch out my cup-o-joe for another glass of water. We are supposed to get 8 glasses of water in a day....and add in another glass for every cup of coffee or can of soda we consume. How many of us are actually getting the correct amount of water in for our bodies to function properly?
The worst snow storm that Michigan has seen in the past 70 years is not going to put a damper on my fitness schedule. Today's workout will be in the comfort of my own home.
There is a fabulous zumba music channel on Pandora. So turn up the speakers on your computer and start dancing away!
Afterwards, I am pushing myself through 8 minute abs (video posted below) and a half hour of relaxing yoga.
But today's post is not about my workouts. Today we are going to talk about coffee.
One of my favorite discussions in the book Skinny Bitch was about coffee and the effects it has on your body.
As quoted from the book: "coffee is for pussies". hah! ;)
You shouldnt "need" anything in order to wake up. If thats the case, you are either addicted to caffeine or sleep deprived.
"Caffeine can cause headaches, digestive problems, irritation of the stomach and bladder, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, contipation, fatigue, axiety, and depression. It effects every organ system, from the nervous system to the skin".
Caffeine raises stress hormone levels, intrupts the body's cleansing system, and may increase susceptibility to diabetes.
But dont go racing to the decaf pot now.....whether you are drinking regular or decaf coffee, they are both highly acidic.
Here's the big kicker- "Acidic foods cause your body to produce fat cells, in order to keep the acid away from your organs"
Not to mention, CANCER thrives in acidic conditions.
So kick the coffee habit and instead go for healthy green tea in the morning, or freshly squeezed natural orange juice. Once you get rid of all the junk in your diet, including coffee, the natural sugars in fruit will be more than enough to wake you up in the morning.
Coffee has always been a big part of my life. I was introduced to my first cup when I was just 11 years old. Not only was coffee treated as breakfast in my household, but also as dessert. A coffeehouse is also usually my first choice for a place to meet up with friends. It's an inexpensive date, afterall?
Kicking the habit has been the biggest challenge for me in my lifestyle change so far...but with my mom's history of breast cancer, it is extra important that I switch out my cup-o-joe for another glass of water. We are supposed to get 8 glasses of water in a day....and add in another glass for every cup of coffee or can of soda we consume. How many of us are actually getting the correct amount of water in for our bodies to function properly?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Today's At Home Strength Training Exercise
incredibly cheesy video.....COME ON GANG!..... :)
but regardless, a great ab workout.
Hormonal Imbalances That Hinder You From Losing Weight
So its the beginning of week 4, which means yesterday was weigh-in day.
Shockingly, after an intense week of fitness and a strict organic whole food diet, I did not lose a single pound.
Nothing to get bent all out of shape for though. Sometimes your body resists change....all the more reason to get back in the gym and work even harder. OR you are gaining muscle mass...which weighs more than fat.
speaking of muscle, dont take that as a reason not to lift weights. Muscle mass burns calories WELL after your workout.
If you are following all the right steps and are still not seeing an improvement in your weightloss, you may want to consult with a doctor. As I said earlier, hormones effect the metabolism. If the hormones are out of wack, so is your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight.
Get some blood work done and ask the doctor to check your thyroid while he's at it.
I personally have a condition called Premature Ovarian Failure...or POF. It's a fancy term for "I possibly ran out of eggs and my fiance most likely has more estrogen than I do."
Statistics show that 1 in every 100 American women have this condition. Doctors are having a hard time determining the cause it. It could be due to the fact I was grossly premature as a baby (didnt develop enough eggs), or my genetics, or simply the chemicals in our food that threw my hormones off wack. Who knows.
With POF, it is EXTREMELY hard for me to lose weight. Conditions like POF can cause insulin resistance.....which is just one reason why you may not be seeing major improvement on the scale.
POF is not curable, but it IS manageable......and its all the more reason to be getting adequate amounts of exercise and being on an organic whole food diet.
Taking care of your body can prevent other issues that hormonal imbalances can lead you to like diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart attack, and cancer.
Some symptoms of premature ovarian failure are:
*absence of periods
*difficulty losing weight
*carrying fat mainly around your mid section
*having a difficult time getting pregnant
*fatigue
And then some people have no symptoms at all!
In conclusion, I have a difficult time keeping weight off. When you can indulge in the occasional bowl of maccaroni and cheese....I will gain 5 pounds by just looking at it.
The recommended amount of exercise each day - 30 minutes - is not quite enough for me. My typical workout is 1.5-2 hours. Lots and lots of cardio mixed in with moderate-intense strength training.
So dont read this and be like "1 hour of zumba + 20 minutes of abs + 1 hour yoga??!?! F*ck that!"
thats me, not you - you will discover what works for you and your body once you start this program.
but in the mean time, its 8AM, I just finished my pre-workout meal which was a handful of blackberries, a banana, and a cup of black coffee....and now im off to the gym for some yoga and circuit training. :)
Shockingly, after an intense week of fitness and a strict organic whole food diet, I did not lose a single pound.
Nothing to get bent all out of shape for though. Sometimes your body resists change....all the more reason to get back in the gym and work even harder. OR you are gaining muscle mass...which weighs more than fat.
speaking of muscle, dont take that as a reason not to lift weights. Muscle mass burns calories WELL after your workout.
If you are following all the right steps and are still not seeing an improvement in your weightloss, you may want to consult with a doctor. As I said earlier, hormones effect the metabolism. If the hormones are out of wack, so is your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight.
Get some blood work done and ask the doctor to check your thyroid while he's at it.
I personally have a condition called Premature Ovarian Failure...or POF. It's a fancy term for "I possibly ran out of eggs and my fiance most likely has more estrogen than I do."
Statistics show that 1 in every 100 American women have this condition. Doctors are having a hard time determining the cause it. It could be due to the fact I was grossly premature as a baby (didnt develop enough eggs), or my genetics, or simply the chemicals in our food that threw my hormones off wack. Who knows.
With POF, it is EXTREMELY hard for me to lose weight. Conditions like POF can cause insulin resistance.....which is just one reason why you may not be seeing major improvement on the scale.
POF is not curable, but it IS manageable......and its all the more reason to be getting adequate amounts of exercise and being on an organic whole food diet.
Taking care of your body can prevent other issues that hormonal imbalances can lead you to like diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart attack, and cancer.
Some symptoms of premature ovarian failure are:
*absence of periods
*difficulty losing weight
*carrying fat mainly around your mid section
*having a difficult time getting pregnant
*fatigue
And then some people have no symptoms at all!
In conclusion, I have a difficult time keeping weight off. When you can indulge in the occasional bowl of maccaroni and cheese....I will gain 5 pounds by just looking at it.
The recommended amount of exercise each day - 30 minutes - is not quite enough for me. My typical workout is 1.5-2 hours. Lots and lots of cardio mixed in with moderate-intense strength training.
So dont read this and be like "1 hour of zumba + 20 minutes of abs + 1 hour yoga??!?! F*ck that!"
thats me, not you - you will discover what works for you and your body once you start this program.
but in the mean time, its 8AM, I just finished my pre-workout meal which was a handful of blackberries, a banana, and a cup of black coffee....and now im off to the gym for some yoga and circuit training. :)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
dinner time!
today's dinner: 3 saurkraut pierogis with dill, 3 large mushrooms cut up and sauteed in their own juice, italian cut green beans with garlic, and half of an orange for dessert.
eat up! yum!
workout: 1 hour of cardio - mixing it up with 20 min stat. bike, 20 minutes elliptical, and 20 tredmill. + 30 minutes weight lifting.
I'm getting stronger! today I did 3 sets of 90 pound squats. thats 40 pounds more than I could do last week!
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