Fastest Workout (Introducing Tabata)

It is officially fall! Which pretty much means I am freezing 24/7. But it is so pretty outside! Perfect scenery for running (now if only I had gone).

No more excuses for me! I have to get back to working out and being the best version of me that I can be (hehe, that's so cute, it rhymes. . .oh the English Major still lives). I am 100% healthy again and missing my constant runs and ab workouts. . .with a few leg and arm days.

Honestly I haven't had a lot of time over the last week and a half to workout (I think I worked out a week ago last Wednesday) between work and school. And not running is driving me crazy! I was going to go to the gym tonight and run. . .but as I was looking for workout clothes, I remembered that the gym closed at 7pm on Saturdays and it was already 8:30pm. Darn!

So here you go, instead of running on my treadmill at almost 11pm at night (let's face it, the downstairs neighbors probably won't appreciate that), I am doing a Tabata workout! What is Tabata you ask? Well, Tabata is an intense interval workout, meant to be done at maximum effort because of its short, 4 minute duration. The intervals are 20 seconds of an exercise and 10 seconds of rest and you repeat this 8 times. Now you don't have to repeat the same exercise 8 times, in fact the best thing would be to choose 4 different exercises and turn in into a circuit that you repeat twice.

Tonight's Tabata Workout:
-Squat Thrusts (20 sec.)
-Rest (10 sec.)
-Mountain Climbers (20 sec.)
-Rest (10 sec.)
-High Knees (20 sec.)
-Rest (10 sec.)
-Jumping Jacks (20 sec.)
-Rest (10 sec.)
-REPEAT!

Remember, the point of this workout is to put everything you have into those 20 second intervals without holding back. The idea behind the Tabata method is that it starts a "fire" in your metabolism which lasts for several hours after your workout. In theory you are burning calories even after your workout in done.

So, no excuses! You have 4 minutes in your day to get your workout on! Let's do this!

Once a Day. . .or Once a Week

I really am trying to post much more than I do. It is incredibly hard to say that you blog if you're blogging 4 times a month. But school and work have been crazy and by the time I actually get to relax, I am usually chilling with Mike or Haley or catching up on Once Upon a Time or New Girl. 

Anyways, this is going to be a quick post today. I am getting SUPER excited about Halloween! It should be a lot of fun dressing up and going out with good friends and hopefully new friends (yes Meghan, I mean you)! Mike and I are dressing up as 20s Gangsters and after 3 costumes and a lot of research, I finally put together a costume that I am comfortable with that also looks good. After all of that searching and returning costumes and buying new ones, I finally remembered that I have the perfect dress in my own closet! It figures! Now I just need to find a white tie (anyone have a white tie I can borrow?).

I have been feeling a lot better over the past couple of weeks (after my kidney infection that landed me in the hospital). However, today I have started feeling lousy again. . .hopefully it's just the weather and not a relapse. Being sick has been awful, it has set me back a little mentally. I lost about 5 pounds in the first 6 days of being sick last month and really don't want to gain it back. I don't really need to worry about gaining it because I am actually still losing weight, but I am fairly certain it is muscle loss since I haven't been working out a lot. I am struggling again to make myself eat. You get kind of a weird "high" when you have been anorexic and don't have to eat because you don't have an appetite. Not to mention the feeling of people tell you that you have lost some weight and seeing the lower numbers on the scale is invigorating. But I am trying to get through it and focus on eating healthy again and getting back to running and working out.

Mike is currently making us a healthy dinner, can't wait to eat it!

(Salmon & Broccoli)

The Shocking Truth!

It is amazing how much you see when you open your eyes to the world around you and stop obsessing about something. One of the biggest things I have noticed recently is how much society has messed up our views of "normal". Granted, because I work in the fitness industry, I am exposed to a lot more of it than I was before, but it is still shocking to see how easy it is for people to fall prey to these lies.

There is always the occasional woman at the gym who is so obsessed with getting that perfect skinny body, that she spends two hours or more a day doing cardio. This is not necessarily always a bad thing, but when a woman is overexerting herself and not replenishing correctly, there is a certain look that their muscles and body take from this lifestyle. Not only are they hurting their bodies internally, they aren't progressing. When you do the same workout every single day, your body adapts to it and the benefits of the workout diminish.

The biggest shock to me so far is what people consider to be an acceptable amount of food. I lived for a couple years trying to stay under 600 calories a day and making sure that I ran every day. Granted I only probably stayed within that limit 50% of the time. But I was very "good" at planning my days out. If I knew I was going out to eat that night, I wouldn't eat anything during the day to save up for later and I would generally try to split meals with someone or order sides as a meal (broccoli, salad, corn).  When I did splurge I felt SO guilty that I would make sure to get some extra running in and eat as little as possible for the next few days. I literally lived by the scale.

As a personal trainer I am exposed a lot more to people that overeat than under eat. Occasionally there is the person that has restricted their diet too much for their activity level, but that is rare and its not as much of an eating disorder as a lack of understand the body. Today I was reading a blog about a woman's weight loss journey and her extreme success. Of course I was interested in reading about this plan I had never heard of before. But within the first paragraph I realized how dangerous this diet was. Not only was it an HGC diet, but it had a calorie restriction of 650 calories per day! This was not the shocking part, I've read and researched such diets, and of course as I said before, I lived off of this little myself. The shocking part was that this woman and so many other woman that were reading and commenting on her blog think that this is perfectly normal and all just really good self-discipline! After reading through a good dozen comments of people congratulating her or asking questions or commenting on how they had also been doing something similar, I finally came across a few comments make by some nurses who stated their concern and the damage that these women are unknowingly inflicting upon themselves.

This is a great example of women who have been tricked into an eating disorder. All of these women defended themselves saying that the plan had been "scientifically" proven and that they had been backed up by their chiropractors and such. These women are choosing to believe the crap that they are being fed and are unknowingly developing eating disorders. And unfortunately these types of diets are becoming more widespread which is causing the number of eating disorders to rise. Although the life expectancy of our generation is higher than the generations before us, that could change rapidly if the number of people with eating disorders continue to rise. If a change is not made in our generation, what is going to happen to the next generation, to our children and our grandchildren?

If you had the ability to make a difference now that could save someone you love, would you do it?

Back to the Grind

I definitely have fallen off the blogging bandwagon over the last few months. I generally remember to blog when I have a revelation, am struggling with something, or have an itch to write. But that is not good blogging. I want to be able to reach out to others, to educate people on the reality of an eating disorder, and encourage others towards the goal of recovery.

So my new goal is to blog every day. Its going to be rough, I am already struggling with time management between a full-time job, being in school full-time, and keeping up with daily tasks. But I am determined to do it. In order to make a difference in your own life and others, you have to put forth the effort.

My first order of business is completed. I downloaded the blogger app on my phone and am going to update my twitter.

As for the ED update:
I am eating normal meals without having anxiety about it! Huge hurdle to overcome! I am struggling right now to eat full meals, but that is due to the terrible kidney infection I had a few weeks ago. But I will write more on that tomorrow.

Goodnight world!

Before We Go Back to the Basics

It has been a little too long since I have blogged. But it was a crazy summer full of work, vacations, job searching, self-esteem highs and lows, studying, and training. I passed my certification exam in June and am officially and Certified Personal Trainer working at Charter Fitness with about 15-20 clients so far. I love it! I love training people and helping them achieve their goals, helping them workout and create plans, and making a difference in the lives of others. Its not easy though, I am constantly having to research different workouts, nutritional information, marketing techniques, etc. I also struggle working in a gym as someone who has been recovering from an eating disorder and has a terribly low self-esteem. I find myself constantly fighting an inner battle as hundreds of women walk by me every week. I compare myself to each and every one, finding it hard not to hate myself when I am around certain women that I feel have the bodies that I wish I had. If I don't catch myself in time, it turns into a vicious cycle of self-loathing, mentally beating myself up for the days of missed workouts, the junk food, the abundance of food, the lack of self-control and self-motivation, letting my exhaustion be an excuse, etc.

It isn't all bad, it has made me come out of my shell and work to be confident in what I do and how present myself at work. Regardless of the imperfections I see in myself, I find myself feeling stronger and better the more I do, the more I try new things and different workouts, and the more I learn to sit back and try to accept myself for who I am and how I was created. It's all a work in progress, just like me.

This semester I am taking the Principles of Nutrition. I am incredibly interested in the material we are studying in this class, not just because it is applicable to my life and habits, but because it is applicable to the lives and habits of my clients. Although I am far from being a health nut (in general I believe in moderation, 80% healthy, 20% enjoyable), I am really interested in clean eating. So much of the food we eat in our society is processed and lacking the nutritional values we need, it causes us not only to be missing vital nutrients, but causes us to become addicted to these types of food, making us want to buy and consume them over and over again. It is a mean cycle created by companies to essentially make money off of our ignorance. Clean eating takes us back to the basic foods that give our bodies the essential nutrients they need. This means eating lots of whole foods (not necessarily raw); natural fruits, vegetables, legumes, tree nuts, lean proteins, and whole grains (unprocessed, like brown rice, oats, quinoa).

Now I am not even close to "clean up" my eating habits. In fact, I may have just had a huge bowl of rainbow sherbet. But I am getting better. I am trying to focus on eating mostly chicken, fish, and turkey (because those are the meats I prefer), lots of veggies and fruit, beans and almonds, and brown rice. I am struggling though to eliminate cereal, pizza, and ice cream (or sherbet). The ice cream I can eliminate as long as I get frozen yogurt on occasion. But cereal is easy to make and one of my favorites, as it pizza (its easy to order). I am recognizing the addictions my body has too these foods, specifically to sugar. Last week I had a burst of self-control (must of the been from my lack of exercise, I hate pre-race week) and gave up sugar for most of the week. Although I did eat some Special K pastries that taste like Pop-Tarts. . .definitely way up processed food alley! Once I had decided to stop eating sugar for so many days, I didn't really crave it like I usually do. I also didn't get the crashes that I often get and actually had more energy than when I am eating foods full of sugar.

I am currently working on a post that talks about Back to the Basics: Eating Clean, Lean, and Green. It's going to include tips, benefits, resources, and a list of foods to eat and to avoid. It should be up by Wednesday.

Before I say goodnight, I wanted to share a recovery update with those of you actually reading this. These may not seem like huge accomplishments to most people, but for me, it is like climbing a mountain and finally reaching the halfway point without falling back down to the bottom.

2012 Personal Recovery Update

• I have been focusing on eating regularly for nearly 6 months
• I have not starved myself in 6 months
• I have not used laxatives in 8 months
• I have focused on a fitter and stronger body through resistance training for 7 months
• I have put on 5-6 pounds, but have been focusing on body fat %, which is down to 15%
• I have noticed the change in my metabolism over the last few weeks, I am actually noticeably hungry every few hours, especially when I am working out regularly. (Its a little scary, I haven't actually felt hunger pains on a semi-regular basis in at least 2 years).
• I have discovered that I LOVE working out! 
• I have learned that missing a day or two of working out is not the end of the world and does not automatically cause me to gain 5 pounds (or even 1 pound).
• I no longer have the "self-control" of someone with anorexia, I can't just not eat anymore, I get too sluggish and sleepy and grumpy. (I still have self-control, I don't pig out).

Que Sera Sera

"Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be"


Its so hard sometimes. . .okay, pretty much all of the time to stop worrying about life. Big and small, we are creatures of worry. We worry about work, money, bills, careers, children, spouses, future situations, etc. What we tend to forget is how to enjoy the moments we are experiencing now, we miss out on life. Worrying leads to stress and stress increases the levels of cortisol in your bloodstream, which can lead to heart risks and obesity. By constantly worrying and stressing about life, you are causing your body to think that it is under attack and therefore must store food as fat and glucose in case of starvation. 

How many of us can change our situation or the situation of others by worrying and stressing ourselves? Who benefits from worry? Many people are skeptic of many "every day" messages found within the Bible. I have been struggling a lot with worry recently. I was laid off of my nanny position because my boss decided to try being a stay-at-home Mom. In an effort to make a step towards a career and finding a new job, I signed up early to take the Personal Training Exam, and therefore was incredibly worried about passing and then finding a job afterwards. I have worried about bills, school, the future, my relationship with others. I found that as I worried about one thing, I would start to walk down the path of worry and find myself worry about more and more. After spending some time talking with a very close friend of mine, she shared with me what she had been reading in her devotions, encouraging me to give it all to the Lord and relax. 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

-Matthew 6:25-34

It is just incredible to me that Jesus told us thousands of years ago that we need to relax and stop worrying, that He has everything taken care of. He knows better than us how our bodies work (he created them), and he knows that not only does worry cause us to take our focus off of him and miss out on life, but that it is harmful to our bodies. 

God really does live up to his promises and take care of us. There is no other explanation to how incredible everything has worked out over the last month. I passed my Personal Training Exam, I was offered a position as a Personal Trainer at a gym, Mike also passed and got offered a job at the same gym, the two trainers currently there are both quitting, and the entire training program and current clients are pretty much being turned over to Mike and I. Oh, and I may have an opportunity to transfer to another online program in the Spring for a degree in Exercise Science! God is incredible and definitely exceeds expectations!

Eating and Performing Beautifully Strong

I love ToneItUp! The trainers are such an inspiration for me and have sparked my interest in becoming a personal trainer someday...possibly opening a gym somewhere down the road. This video makes me a little jealous right now...I am going through some serious running withdraw. I want to go for a run so badly, I miss just lacing up my running shoes, feeling my feet pounding the pavement, and just enjoying my run and clearing my head. No other workout compares to the feeling I get when I run (or the endorphin high I get afterwards), although kickboxing comes fairly close, but its a different type of workout.

Not running has really mentally set me back in my recovery from the eating disorder. I know that sometimes you have to take two steps back to take one step forward, but its incredibly difficult to see the big picture some days. It also doesn't help that the quality of food I have eaten in the last two weeks has gone downhill between my birthday and finals week. Needless to say I ate way too much pizza, breadsticks, ice cream, and restaurant food. My self-confidence and self-esteem has taken a hit and I am struggling with the weight that I have gain over the last two month and the fact that I will be in a swimsuit in 4 days and am incredibly uncomfortable with the idea. I am trying to focus on being proud of who and am and how my body is built. We are all created uniquely, nobody is alike, yet society tries to shape us and mold us into this unrealistic body. Personally, I struggle with the fact that I work so hard for this body, and don't feel like I am seeing a difference, or at least the promised results. The lies we are told through fashion and media about our bodies are a major factor in the amount of eating disorders in the United States.

So my goal right now is to learn to accept my body for the way it is. To not pay attention to the scale, the models, the actresses, but to take care of my body for my health and future. To learn to love me for me and to build a strong and healthy body so that I have the ability to accomplish things and achieve my goals and dreams instead of focusing on the perfect body and being super skinny.

How do you build a body that performs beautifully strong? Its starts with fueling your mind, whether or not you are willing to put aside your insecurities and limitations, whether you believe in yourself and can stay focused enough to push through anything. Next is fueling your body, not necessarily dieting (because this often leaves to tired and malnutritioned), but changing your eating habits to best fuel your body with food that is full of nutrition and substance to energize your body to the max. Finally its about keeping yourself active and working out to kick your metabolism into gear, whether you are walking everyday or competitively running, activity will increase your immune system and keep you more youthful and possibly even lengthen your life.

Stay tuned for some posts I am working on including healthy and amazing recipes (that I have personally tried!), a list of Super Foods, and the benefits of different types of workouts, including CrossFit and interval training.

On a side note, I need to find a swimsuit for this next week.