Wanna box?

On Tuesday, I had my second session with my personal trainer and it proved to me that I made the right choice to hire someone to help me.  I need variety in my workouts and he delivered.  I need to be pushed harder than I would push myself and he absolutely delivered.  I need cardio and strength training that can make me work hard despite my limitations, and once again, he delivered!

We boxed the entire session.  He put 1 lb gloves on me and it was ON.  He grabbed his

mit/pad things and we sparred until my arms were ready to fall off.  He would hold the pads to the sides and have me cross punch them, then he’d move them in different places making me cross and pivot to reach out further to the sides, or upper cut punch, or hook.  I was determined to make every single punch just as forceful as the next because I didn’t want to slack OR have him think that I was slacking.  He could feel every single punch and how hard I was working. 

Just when I thought I couldn’t throw one more punch and I started to wonder if this was literally the only thing we were going to be doing the entire time, he told me to drop and give him 10.  I looked at him like he was crazy.  My arms were about to fall off and he was telling me to do pushups?  I summoned up every last morsel of strength I could muster and got in 10 really good pushups.  He congratulated me on my progress (I’ve been practicing my pushups, cuz I really suck at them) and then told me to do a 30 second plank.  This actually felt like a rest for the first 5 seconds… like I could finally catch my breath, and then rigamortis began to set in… On second 28-29 of torture he piped in “once you hit 30 seconds you’re going to jump up swinging!”  Oh, I was going to swing alright… He was pissing me off now!  As soon as I heard “30!” I sprung up and cross punched his left pad that wasn’t quite ready for me.  He stumbled back and tried to recover saying, “Shit, you really did come up swinging!” 

We continued this workout doing sets of intense boxing followed by different plyometrics exercises such as: 

1.)    5 squats, 30 seconds squat hold, 5 squats, 30 seconds squat hold.

2.)    Push-ups, plank

3.)    Wall sits- toes up, toes flat, toes up, toes down (I don’t know why raising your toes makes it harder… try it and let me know what you think.)

On a few boxing sets he told me to duck after so many swings.  At one point he said, “ok now instead of ducking after two punches from each side, you’re going to duck after three!”  One set went great, then the second set he miscounted and I almost got decked and I yelled “YOU REALLY ARE TRYING TO KILL ME!”  At least my reflexes were on point!

I was drenched in sweat and exhausted, but I had just had so much fun working out.  The half hour FLEW by even though towards the end I could barely lift my arms.  My sets of pushups were decreased to 5 each because it was a MAJOR struggle.  When he and the other trainer who had stopped to watch me both offered me high fives, I considered head butting them instead.  I had to manipulate my body in a way so I could swing my arm up to reach their outstretched high five.  You can’t just leave them hanging, but my arms were begging me to leave THEM hanging.

I finally got to the locker room and cursed myself for hanging my jacket in an upper locker… how the HELL was I expected to get it down?  If there was another woman in the locker room at that moment I would have asked her to put my jacket on for me and zip it-no joke.  I laid my jacket out on the bench, sat down in front of it, slide my right arm into the sleeve, maneuvered my left arm and shoulder into the other sleeve by laying my body down and doing a rolling type motion, much like how my dog looks when he’s rolling in something nasty.  I felt like a champion.  Once I got into the car I sat for 5 minutes sipping water willing myself not to throw up before I drove home (which also proved to be quite the feat).

It is now Friday and I can finally lift my arms up comfortably to type, drive, itch my nose, eat, drink and everything else you do with your arms.  This may sound totally idiotic, but you use your arms to do EVERYTHING!  EV-RY-THING!

My Coke Addiction

Hello, 

My name is Tami, and I'm a recovering Diet Coke Addict.

I love McDonald’s Diet Coke, it's my favorite.  You can Google why McDonald’s Diet Coke is better than everyone else’s… it’s true.  Other people agree and McDonald’s gives the middle finger to any other restaurant that wants to sell it.  I love it so much that I have even stopped at subway across the street to get food, and then went across the street through the McD’s drive-thru just to get a large Diet Coke. 

Anyway, I've been taking small steps towards giving up Diet Coke altogether.   I actually had one at lunch today but otherwise can’t remember the last time I drank one.  I feel like crap after drinking it today so I was compelled to write this blog.

I started noticing after lunch, maybe around 1:30-2:00,  I would feel SO tired at my desk.  I would run to the soda machine to get a Diet Pepsi (bleh, not the same… but it’s all they have) and about an hour later I would feel another rush of pure exhaustion.  I mean, I was fighting to barely keep my eyes open.  Eventually I traced it back to the days that I go out for lunch and have a Diet Coke/Pepsi with my meal, and then I proceed to make it worse by having an afternoon soda to get more caffeine in my body because God knows I shouldn’t have coffee at 2:00 in the afternoon…. That’s just crazy.  Right?  Well not as crazy as drinking soda is, it turns out.  Usually, any afternoon dips in energy happen around 3:00ish and can be rectified by a little snack, but not the afternoons after I drink diet soda.  

Not only does Diet Coke make me tired, but I also have noticed that I get hives!  I get so itchy! I take Zyrtec everyday because I always have allergies.  Not always in the form of a runny nose/eyes, but usually in itchy skin/minor hives.  When I drink a Diet Coke, the response is almost immediate.  Again, I always assumed it was because I forgot to take my allergy medicine, and never thought it could be a reaction from Diet Coke but see #5 below!

I googled “Why does Diet Coke make me so tired?” and I got a plethora of results.  I’m not the only one!  There are some really gross facts out there.  Diet Coke can really wreak havoc on your body and you think by drinking “diet” you’re doing yourself a favor.  It’s been about a year that I’ve been trying to scale back since I always knew it wasn’t good for you… but now that I’m reading how BAD it is, I’ve kicked that habit breaking into high gear.  I don’t buy it at work, I don’t bring it along on road trips(maybe THAT’S why I always get so sleepy when I drive for more than an hour!) I’ve never really bought it to have at home, but I sure am putting it on my “do not buy list” now!  I’ve started ordering water with lemon anytime I go to dinner, so I could say I’m on a path to being completely Diet Coke free, but I find myself still craving it every now and then.  Today was one of those days, but I regret it.  Not worth it!  Now I just have to figure out what to order at a bar…  Bacardi Limon and Diet Coke was always my go to drink.  

Here are my top 10 Gross Diet Coke Facts:

1.)    It messes up your metabolism.  While a link to whether diet soda and metabolism is attributed to an ingredient in diet cola or the drinker’s eating habits is unclear, a study shows that even just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome.

2.)    It’s bad for your kidneys.  In an 11-year-long Harvard Medical School study of more than 3,000 women, researchers found that diet cola is associated with a two-fold increased risk for kidney decline.  Kidney decline wasn’t associated with sugar-sweetened sodas, and they suspect that the diet sweeteners in the diet colas are responsible.

3.)    Increases risk of being overweight.  A study at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight.  Drinking just 2 or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%!!  Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body’s natural ability to regulate calorie intake making you more likely to overeat.  Your body is tricked into thinking it’s eating sugar and cravings increase.  When waist circumference/belly fat increases, so does the risk of heart disease and diabetes. 

4.)    Cell Damage.  Nearly all diet sodas contain sodium benzoate and/or potassium benzoate.  These are “mold inhibitors” that have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point where they totally inactivate it.  The preservative has been linked to hives, asthma, and other allergic conditions-which I’ve actually suffered from!

5.)    Makes you moody.  As a girl, I don’t need help in this area… Aspartame in Diet Coke can really mess with those who have anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.  Aspartame is also on the EPA list of potentially dangerous chemicals contributing to neurotoxicity, right under arsenic.  EW.

6.)    It messes with your skin.  Soda lowers your pH levels, which can cause acne and negatively affect your complexion.  We need a high level of alkalinity for our bodies to be healthy and for our complexion to be glowy and radiant.  You want to be radiant?  Ditch the soda.  (I hope it’s that easy!)

7.)    Awful Hangovers.  Cocktails made with diet soda get you drunker, faster because sugar-free mixers allow liquor to enter your bloodstream much quicker than those with sugar, according to a study done by the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia.

8.)    Rotting Teeth.  Soda is very acidic.  Wanna know how acidic?  It has a pH of 3.2, Water is 7 (neutral) and battery acid is 1.  This acid dissolves enamel.  Soda drinkers have far greater decay, more missing teeth, and more fillings.

9.)    Reproductive Issues linked to cans.  Soft drink cans are coated with BPA, bisphenol A, an endocrine distruptor which has been linked to everything from heart disease to obesity to reproductive problems. 

10.)  Cancer.  Two contaminants in the caramel coloring used in colas, 2-mthylimidazole and 4-mthylimidazole have been found to cause cancer in animals.  This caramel coloring is purely cosmetic and is un-necessary.  According to California’s strict Prop 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, just 16 micrograms per person per day of 4-mthylimidazole is enough to pose a cancer threat and most colas contain 200 micrograms per 20 ounces.  Yikes.

Not cool.  I love the taste, but I don't love what it does to my body.  Takes the fizz out of drinking Diet Coke, doesn't it?  Pah ha!  See what I did there?

1st training session

Well I'm alive and only a little bit sore after my first personal training session!  

Our first session was all body weight exercises.  No weight room...yet.  Rob says that'll come on our 2nd or 3rd session.  

I thought I'd share what exercises he had me do in the 30 minute session we did.  I was dripping with sweat, literally.  I was staring at a little puddle on the mat growing from the sweat dripping off my nose as I was doing planks.  True story.  It was sick.  I spilled my water just so people wouldn't think all that water was my sweat.  That's a lie.  I spilled my water because I'm a clutz.  I just got lucky that it helped camouflage my sweat puddle.

Anyway....  this is what we did:

Wall-Ball Squats with hold:  Stability ball between you and the wall about in the middle-ish of your back.  Feet about shoulder width apart, squat 10 times with top of your thighs at a 90 degree angle.  On your 10^th rep, hold the squat for 30 seconds with arms extended in front of you. (For an extra challenge while you’re holding the squat, hold hands out in front of you, palms together thumbs up.  Have a partner push left on your hands as you resist and push right, then switch as you push left and they push right.  Then rotate hands and have them push up/down as you push down/up.)

Do 3 sets.

Push-up followed by plank:  Fingers pointed forward, hands wider than shoulder width, lower all the way down until chest touches floor and raise back up. (You can do the push-ups on your knees to start, and then do push-ups on your toes once you’re stronger.)  10 push-ups followed by a 30 second plank (elbows bent, forearms on mat, body flat/straight).

3 sets

*Alternate the following two exercises do back to back.  1 complete set of bridges, and then 1 complete set of hydrants on left leg, 1 set of hydrants on right leg and then start over.  Do this rotation for 3 total sets.

A.      One leg Stability Ball bridges:  Roll out so shoulders are on ball keeping your body flat and knees bent at right angle.  Raise one leg to be parallel to floor, hold it up as you dip your butt down and bridge back up again.  It’s ok to touch your hands to the floor for extra balance, just don’t cheat by “aiding” your core and butt.  Dip 5-10 times (or as many as you can) on one leg.  That’s one set.  Take a breath and do 2 more sets on the same leg.  Once you’ve done 3 sets on the same leg, switch legs and do 3 sets.  It’s important to “burn out” one side at a time-it’s more effective that way.

3 sets left leg, then 3 sets right leg.

B.      Hydrants with hold: Get on hands and knees and with knee still bent, lift to the side and return 10 times.  After 10 reps, kick leg straight out to the side (like the picture on the right) and hold for 5 seconds.  This is 1 full set.  Do 3 sets on one side, and then 3 sets on the other.

3 sets left leg, then 3 sets right leg.

Triceps Push-up followed by side plank: Lay on right side, knees slightly bent.  Hug right arm around either your opposite shoulder or your waist so you aren’t encouraged to cheat, and plant your left palm firmly on the mat and push to raise your body off the mat while straightening your left arm.  Your hips or feet shouldn’t rise up.  You should feel the burn in your left triceps.  Do 10 reps on your right side and then follow each set with a right side plank and hold for at least 10 seconds… try for 30!

Once you’ve done 3 sets of each on your right side, flip over and do 3 sets on your left.

The reason he had me do one side of my body at a time is because he wants to burn out once side of muscles at a time with each exercise.  I guess it's more effective that way, I dunno, I'm not the expert... I just do what I'm told.  :)  One side gets totally exhausted before you move on to the next.  This makes sense, but it wasn't what I had always done.  I've always done left, right, left, right to give myself a slight break in between.  If you're truly trying to build up lean muscle tissue and rev up your metabolism you need to be taxing your muscles in order for them to start the repair and build process to give you more muscle.  

Rob's about to kick my butt.

I did something I never thought I would do.

I'm spending money on something I never thought I would spend money on.

I'm about to voluntarily cause myself pain regularly.

But most importantly, I made a decision that I think will change my life in the best way.

I hired a personal trainer.

WHAT!?!?

I joined a new Gym, LA Fitness, and I'm pretty psyched.  It's walking distance to my new house, it has a pool, sauna, and jacuzzi.  Also, not only does it have every piece of equipment you could as for, it has a ton of fitness classes! A bunch of my friends have been going together to Zumba, Kickboxing, Boot Camp, Etc.  It's awesome having a bunch of girls around me that are wanting to be healthy too!  

Anyway, when you sign up for a new gym a lot of times they try to sell you a personal training package and they have you do a "free fitness assessment."  I've always turned them down but this time I was intrigued.  I met this past Saturday with a Personal trainer to see what he had to say.  When I worked out in the past I didn't have to worry about limitations from an injury.  I really need help with  "how much pain is too much pain" and what exercises will help me achieve my goals.  I need variety.  I need to build up my right calf muscle.  I need to work on my balance.  But mostly, I need to lose weight.  My best friend's mom Mary told me something the other day that makes total sense and has been wringing in my brain since.  "Every 10 pounds you're overweight is 100 pounds on your joints."  Holy man, my poor ankle!  I can do so much good for myself, and my ankle, by dropping the weight, so that is my priority right now.

Anyway, this was such a great appointment for me.  Michael, the trainer I had my assessment with, was awesome.  He asked me so many questions in order to get to the bottom of what my goals are.  He wanted to understand me so he could help me figure out where to go from here.  He took my stats, measurements, and weight so we could track my progress throughout.  He told me that a realistic, healthy goal was 1-3 pounds a week, saying that this would fluctuate.  He worked me out (HOLY CRAP, OW!) for a short 15 minute preliminary training session and THEN he did TWO things that are awesome:

1.) Recommended and signed me up with a trainer who specializes in, get this, WEIGHTLOSS and REHABILITATION!!  That is just too perfect!  I am SO excited!!  Not only that, but Rob, my soon to be trainer, is a Packer fan! BONUS!  Instead of taking on a new client for himself, Michael cared enough to put me in the best possible hands for MY goals.  Or maybe my whining during the workout was just that annoying, I dunno.

2.)  Showed me how to calculate my daily calorie intake.  He explained that it takes a deficit of 3,500 calories for 1 pound of weight loss.  If I figure out my daily calorie need or "Basal Metabolic Rate" and subtract 500 from that, it'll give me a deficit of 3,500 calories a week (500 calories x's 7 days = 3,500 calories = 1 pound of weight loss).  I will then lose 1 pound of weight a week from diet, and then we can workout to lose 1-2 pounds a week in addition.  

Here's the Calorie per day formula you can use to figure out your own daily maintenance calories.  (Subtract 500 calories from the total number if you want to lose 1 pound per week like me).  This is from my "Personal Training Handbook" from LA Fitness and it's called the "Harris-Benedict Formula."

I lied, there's another thing I got from this appointment that I wanted to share.  Maybe it's common sense to you, but maybe not.  I'm going to share anyway, just in case.

There are 3 important ways through which to help your metabolism.

1.) Diet:  Eating nutrient rich foods, and small frequent meals.  Focusing on portion sizes, eating slower so you can recognize appetite signals, and eating your vegetables first so you fill up on those instead of the other items on your plate.  

2.) Cardio: for immediate calorie burning.  Some people think that Cardio is the most important factor in losing weight, but once you step off that treadmill, your calorie burning stops.  You might burn 300 calories during your workout, but when your workout is done, so is the calorie burning.  My trainer recommends that I do cardio 2 times a week minumum, 3 if I can.  This is important, but not as important as....

3.) Strength and Resistance training:  This is a calorie killer.  You not only are burning calories during your workout, but 72 hours later, while your muscles are still recovering, you're STILL burning calories.  You could be sitting on the couch and burning calories while your friend is at the gym on the treadmill.  Ha ha, sucka!  When you lift you're creating tiny tears in your muscle fibers and after your workout your body works to repair this muscle.  This muscle building process revs up your metabolism and burns calories even while resting.  The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you're naturally burning.  Michael said that this is absolutely going to be the key to my success.  If I think of these three bullet points as a pyramid, the smallest triangle will be food, then cardio in the middle, and then strength and resistance training in the bottom, largest section of the pyramid.  He told me that I should be S&R training 3-4 times a week.  

I knew that strength and resistance training was important, but it really drove it home for me to hear HOW important it was.

I meet this new trainer, Rob, on Tuesday for my first full session.  I'm terrified and excited.  

I will share the exercises we do, because he'll write them down for me in my "workout diary" as well as write down what my workouts throughout the week should be.

The Harris-Benedict Formula

Here is the formula from my Personal Training Handbook they gave me at LA Fitness to find your Daily Maintenance Calories.  This is called "The Harris-Benedict Formula."

Men and Women have different formulas, as they should, and I'll list them both below.
It seems complicated, and it might take a few minutes, but this is an awesome tool.  Hang in there for the 10 steps.

WOMEN:

Step 1:  Multiply your weight        (LBS) ______           X  4.36 =  ______

Step 2:  Multiply your Height        (IN) ______             X  4.32 =  ______

Step 3: Multiply your Age              (YRS) ______           X  4.70 =  ______

Step 4: Step 1 + Step 2 –Step 3                                               Total    =  ______

Step 5: Add 655 to total you got in Step 4.                                        =  ______

Now look at the Exercise Activity Section and select each of the exercise activities you engage in.  In the blank next to each activity, pencil in the average number of hours you spend each day on this particular activity.  Take into account your days off.  If your activity isn’t on the list, select an activity with similar stresses.

Step 6: Multiply your Activity level # by the Sum in Step 5.  (See Activity Chart Below)

                                       (Step 5 Sum) ______  X  (Activity Level)  ______ =  ______.

Step 7: Multiply the Calorie burning rate times total number hours.  Write this figure in the column labeled: Calories/Hours.

Step 8: Total the Figures in the Calorie X Hours column and enter this figure on the total blank. 

Step 9: Multiply:         (Step 8)  ______  X  (Your Body weight)  ______ = ______.

Step 10: Add this figure to the answer from step 6… This is the total number of Calories you need to maintain your current body weight.  If you want to lose weight, then subtract 500 Calories from this number.

                              (Step 9)  ____ +  (Step 6) ____ = ____ -500 calories = ____ (Weight loss).

MEN:

Step 1:  Multiply your weight        (LBS) ______            X  6.23 =  ______

Step 2:  Multiply your Height        (IN) ______              X  12.7  =  ______

Step 3: Multiply your Age              (YRS) ______            X  6.8   =  ______

Step 4: Step 1 + Step 2 –Step 3                                                Total    =  ______

Step 5: Add 66 to total you got in step 4.                                           =  ______

Now look at the Exercise Activity Section and select each of the exercise activities you engage in.  In the blank next to each activity, pencil in the average number of hours you spend each day on this particular activity.  Take into account your days off.  If your activity isn’t on the list, select an activity with similar stresses.

Step 6: Multiply your Activity level # by the Sum in Step 5.  (See Activity Chart Below)
                                          (Step 5 Sum) ______  X  (Activity Level)  ______ =  ______.

Step 7: Multiply the Calorie burning rate times total number hours.  Write this figure in the column labeled: Calories/Hours.

Step 8: Total the Figures in the Calorie X Hours column and enter this figure on the total blank. 

Step 9: Multiply:        (  Step 8)  ______  X  (Your Body weight)  ______ = ______.

Step 10: Add this figure to the answer from step 6… This is the total number of Calories you need to maintain your current body weight.  If you want to lose weight, then subtract 500 Calories from this number.

                              (Step 9)  ____ +  (Step 6) ____ = ____ -500 calories = ____ (Weight loss).

                        

Be Cool. Donate Stool.

Well, I know I talk about poop a lot, but get this.
There is a company who will way you up to $13,000 just to poop!  Read about it here!  Even better, you're helping a great cause!
Researchers are trying to develop medicines to help those with intestinal issues/diseases and YOUR poop could help them out!  Neat, huh?
The more people that participate = the more poop!  The more poop = the more people helped!
Be cool.  Donate Stool.

Can I have a re-do?

Well shoot, my diet "pause" button got stuck.
I'm hitting Play again and ready to get back at it.
Man, once you get out of your groove it really is hard to get back at it!  Life does get in the way sometimes and you have to try your best not to get thrown completely off track.  Sometimes life hands you a cheeseburger....and darn it, sometimes you pick that over a salad.  OH, and that burger tastes so good....  But instead of thinking, well yesterday I had a burger, why don't I have wings and french fries today?  Ooooooh, Fettuccine Alfredo!  PIZZA!?!?!  Why not?  And then you find yourself right back where you started.... ugh.
I need to learn that if I cheat, I can get back on track at the NEXT MEAL, not the next day, or week, or month, etc....  My entire week isn't ruined just because I had a Fish Fry instead of the baked fish.
THE WORST thing I did this week?  I went to Cardio Kickboxing at my new gym and THEN my friend and fellow workout buddy went to dinner.  At the Chinese buffet next door.  **face palm**  Those people who put that restaurant right next door to the gym knew what they were doing and there's a special place in HELL for them... right between to the tiny boobed girl who thought strapless bras were a good idea and the person who made those mirrors that make you look fat, not the fun house mirrors that make you funny fat, the mirrors that make you look just subtly fat.  Just enough for you to second guess that really cute dress you bought and loved.  But I digress.....
I know I'm not alone in falling off the wagon.  I just got a membership at that gym next to the China buffet and darnit, I'm going to have to park in the parking lot on the movie theatre side, not the China Buffet side.  It's just too hard to walk past that place!  Don't judge me.  If you smelled that tantalizing aroma, you'd get shaky and weak in the knees too!
I'm gonna get back at it, I promise!  Pinky Swear.  I'll even spit in my palm and shake your hand if you want.  It's gross though, so please don't make me.
Do you have a "falling off the wagon" story to share?  I'd love to hear it!