hydrate: drink water.

Drinking water is extremely important to our health!

Water Fun Facts:
   -  about 2/3 of our bodies consist of water
   -  every cell in our bodies NEED water
   -  water helps to replenish & moisturize skin & increases skin elasticity
   -  drinking water raises your metabolism because it aids in digestion
   -  drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu

So each day, make a conscious effort to drink more water... your body with love you for it!

 *facts and info were obtained from: Top 11 Benefits of Drinking Water and How*

two miles.

Earlier in the week, I made plans with a friend to run at 6am this morning.

Before going to bed, I set 3 alarms. After the 2nd one went off, I reluctantly rolled out of bed.

I met my friend at the gym and we ran 2 miles and walked a half of a mile.

Those 2 miles were hard... I kept wanting to stop and I ran them at an 11 minute mile pace.

But I kept going... I kept going because I saw my friend easily running along beside me at a 9.5 minute mile pace... because I knew I could do it... because I have a 10k race in 45 days... because it's not about how fast you run, it's THAT you run!

I'm happy I finished my 2 mile run without stopping!

my numbers.

This weekend I met with a wellness coach & had a wellness profile done.

Here were my results: (Saturday, April 13 @ 11:00am)

Weight: 212.2 lbs.
BMI: 30.5
Body Fat Percentage: 37.0
Skeletal Muscle Percentage: 28.7
Resting Metabolism: 1813
Body Age: 38
Visceral Fat Level: 6

(I'm 25 years old and 5 feet 10 inches tall)

What my numbers mean....

Weight: I'm considered obese
BMI: I'm considered obese
Body Fat Percentage: I'm considered obese
Skeletal Muscle Percentage: I'm in the normal range (yay!)
Resting Metabolism: I'm in the normal range
Body Age: YIKES!
Visceral Fat Level: I'm considered low risk

 

Seeing my numbers and hearing the word obese over and over, was quite depressing (to say the least). It was just the rude awakening I needed! I know I've gained weight but I never thought I was obese. Being obese has a lot of health risks attached to it and that scares me.

 

But then I realized... I did this to myself (no one else). And I'm the only one that can change this (and take the weight off).

 

So instead of getting down (and reaching for some comfort food), I'm going to make this fuel that feeds the fire under me!

 

I'm hoping to have these same numbers checked monthly and hopefully they'll improve!

gotta put in the effort.

The past 3 weeks had been going good but then this last week... I took a break from eating right and trying to change my habits into healthy ones and it showed...

When I weighed myself this morning, I had gained 2.2 lbs since last week.

It made me so mad! I had been an track and so close to losing a total of 10 lbs since the new year and then this...

I was pretty bummed. I made a protein shake for breakfast and went online. One of the first things I saw was this picture...

 

It was exactly what I needed to see. I didn't see the results I wanted to see because I simply didn't put in the work or effort.

 

I don't want to dwell on this downfall, but I want it to remind me that each day is a new day and that I need to keep focused on my goals. I can't afford to take breaks from the healthy lifestyle I'm working towards!

no excuses.

Should I workout today?

I found this picture online and thought I'd share... no excuses, just get up and do it!

hot yoga.

On Friday, I went to my first hot yoga class and this morning (6am), I went to my second class.

I'm really starting to enjoy it!

Before going, I'd only done yoga once or twice, so I was a little unsure at first. We did yoga positions in a room that was heated to 85 or 95 degrees. I love the heat... creates a good sweat!

I plan on going back for the 6am Friday class!

benefits of hot yoga:

   -  your heart can work the same way doing yoga postures in a heated room as it does when running a mile, and you never even leave your mat (yoganonymous)
   -  the way you stretch and compress your internal organs and glands also stimulates metabolism so you are burning calories quicker outside the room as well (yoganonymous)
   -  the postures themselves are detoxifying for your muscles, organs, and glands and sweating furthers that (yoganonymous)
   -  as you sweat, your pores are opened and cleaned allowing natural lanolin to release through the pores, softening and preserving your skin’s elasticity (bikram yoga)
   -  warm muscles burn fat more easily as the heat flushes and detoxifies the body (bikram yoga)
   -  your cardiovascular system is worked and strengthened therefore, the more weight loss benefits you will receive (bikram yoga)

10 lbs reward.

One of my goals in 2013 is to lose 35 lbs but I have to start somewhere and 10 lbs is the first big milestone to reaching that goal.

Once I've lost 10 lbs. I'm going to reward myself!

I haven't quite decided what my prize will be but here are two ideas so far...

motivation monday.

Regardless of how your weekend was... let's start this week off on the right foot!

fit friday.

The weekends can be tough to stick to routines and healthy eating.... so here are some pictures to keep you motivated to stick to your goals this weekend!

Make it a great weekend!

food prep.

"The key to staying on track is planning and preparation."

This week I wanted to set myself up for success. Sunday night I went grocery shopping. Then I spent a little time in the kitchen preparing the food I would take to work each day.

I bought a big tub of yogurt (cheaper) and divided it up into smaller 1 cup serving containers. I cut up a bunch of celery and carrots and divided them up into smaller bags. I made my own veggie dip (plain Greek yogurt and an organic ranch packet).

Stonyfield Organic Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt
Simply Organic Ranch Dip mixed with Nostimo Plain Greek Nonfat Yogurt

 

In all, it didn't take very long to do BUT it made a huge difference. Each morning when I was getting ready for the day, all I had to do was make my sandwich and then grab a yogurt, some veggies and dip.

I'm hoping to continue learning more about food prep.

When I'm hungry, I want to eat now! So if I have to take the time to make something, I usually skip it and go to the 'quick fix foods.' And having healthy foods around, already prepared will help with this!

Here's to planning and preparation!

 

goals for april.

New month, new goals!

This month, I'm going to track my goals a little differently. I came up with 4 things I'd like to work on [squats, pushups, planks and exercise].

When setting new habits or trying new things, it's important to ease into them and to leave yourself a little wiggle room while still remaining challenging.

I have 4 goals each day....
   -   50 squats
   -   10 pushups (knee version for now)
   -   1 minute plank
   -   30 minutes of exercise

I'm a visual person so here's the tracker I created.

Each day, I will put an X on the picture if I've done it and the amount I've done underneath. My goal is to get 85% each week and overall 85% for the whole month.

I'm ready to get after it!

march overview.

March was a good month... from March 1st to April 1st, I lost 2.8 lbs [for a total of 6.2 lbs]!

These were my goals for March:
   1 - 45 squats a day (with 3 rest days in the month) this is on top of any workouts that I do!
   2 - go 5 days in a row without eating sugar (ice cream, chocolate, candy, etc.)
   3 - be active at least 4 days a week
   4 - do 5 miles of cardio a week

Did I reach my goals?
   1 - check!
   2 - check!
   3 - no
   4 - no

These were my work goals for March:
   1 - drink 4 bottles of water
   2 - sit on my Bosu ball for 30 minutes
   3 - drink 1 cup of green tea
   4 - go up & down stairs 8 times
   (do the following things 4 of the 5 days a week)

Did I reach my work goals?
   1 - check!
   2 - no
   3 - check!
   4 - check!

Although I only made 50% of my goals and 75% of my work goals, March was my best month so far!

In March, I tried to make healthier food choices little by little.

Eating right is the biggest challenge for me. I'm looking forward to April and what it brings!