Today was Day 1 of my fitness journey and I survived...yes!!! Upon waking up at 5:45AM, I drank 8 ounces of Bragg Vinegar Health Drink. The drink does not taste that great, but hey, it helps with weight loss and it's healthy. On the way to work, I drank my wheatgrass smoothie. I really enjoyed that! While at work, I made sure to continue to drink my water. I did have a cup of coffee with cream and sugar. I'm going to have to work on my coffee consumption. I love coffee!!! I had planned on no coffee at all, but I had to have one cup. Around 9AM, I had a High Fiber Chewy Granola Bar which was pretty good. More water....more water...LOL. Around 10AM, I had another Bragg Vinegar Health Drink. Water...water...water!!! 12PM..lunchtime!!! For lunch, I had a Fit & Active Spaghetti meal (approx. 370 calories) and a cup of peach yogurt...and more water. On the way home from work, I drank my last Bragg Vinegar Health Drink for the day, along with 1/4 cup of natural trail mix (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, and pecans). More water!!! For dinner, I had a serving of shrimp stir fry (approx. 260 calories). I waited about 2 hours before working out. My workout for the day consisted of a Gentle Warm Up exercise, Walk Aerobics, and Cardio Cool Down exercise. Boy...was I sweating afterwards!!! To start, I will be working out 4 times a week. So, tomorrow will be a rest day...then it's back to sweating on Wednesday. All in all, I am very pleased and proud of myself for getting through my first day.
Monday, November 10, 2008
First Day Of My Fitness Journey!!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Types Of Exercise
Article By: The Weight Watchers Research Dept.
A comprehensive exercise plan includes aerobic, flexibility and resistance components.
DECEMBER, 2006 - Physical activity is defined as any movement using the body's large skeletal muscles that burns calories. When combined with a reduced-calorie and healthy eating plan, exercise provides health benefits, promotes weight loss and is a key factor for sustaining weight loss. A comprehensive exercise plan includes aerobic, flexibility and resistance components.
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic exercise uses large muscle groups in a continuous and rhythmic way. Examples include walking, bicycling, dancing and stair climbing. Aerobic activities can be done at differing levels of intensity. While all aerobic activity burns calories and contributes to health benefits, improvements in cardiovascular fitness are proportionally linked to increasing intensity levels.
Recommendations for the amount of aerobic exercise vary depending on the desired outcome. For body weight, it has been determined that most adults within the recommended weight range include 1 hour or more of moderate intensity aerobic activity each day.
In addition to burning calories and enhancing cardiovascular fitness, aerobic exercise reduces the risk for metabolic syndrome, improves feelings of happiness and enhances cognitive function.
Flexibility Exercise
This type of exercise includes range-of-motion activities that use the muscle/tendon groups. Examples include yoga and stretching. Current recommendations state that flexibility exercises should be done at least twice per week. Stretching before engaging in a high-intensity activity that requires jumping or bouncing can reduce the likelihood of an exercise-related injury. And flexibility exercises can help reduce stiffness from resistance training and improve performance.
Resistance Exercise
This type of exercise includes muscle-strengthening activities that build muscle and bone mass, such as lifting weights. Current recommendations include resistance training on two to three days a week with a focus on major muscle groups.
Resistance training is the most effective way to preserve lean body mass, improve muscular strength, and increase endurance. And there is increasing evidence that it may significantly reduce the risk of several chronic diseases. For example, even a short bout of resistance training has been shown to have a positive effect on bone health.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Mood And Weight
Article By: The Weight Watchers Research Dept.
The relationship between mood and weight is affected by a variety of components that include food choices, hormones and coping skills.
APRIL, 2005—"Calories in, calories out" summarizes the law of thermodynamics in weight gain and loss. But other factors also determine the outcome of a weight-loss plan, including mood.
The relationship between mood and weight is complicated – affected by a variety of components that include food choices, hormones and individual coping skills.
Food Choices Affect Mood
Individual foods and eating patterns can affect mood and weight in both positive and negative ways. Several studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee improves mood.1 On the other hand, a study done in Finland found that people who responded to stress by eating had the highest body weights. More specifically, the study's "stress eaters" consumed more sausages, hamburgers, pizza, chocolate and alcohol than those who did not respond to stress by eating.2
Hormones Affect Mood
There are several hormones and other biological factors that affect mood and, potentially, weight. Examples include cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, and estrogen, a primary female sex hormone.
While there has been a great deal written in the media about the role of mood-altering hormones and weight management, the science is far from conclusive. For example, in a study that evaluated 35-47-year-old women over four years, there was no connection between hormone levels and weight gain. However, the same study found depression and anxiety to be linked to weight gain.3 This topic is likely to be an area of intense research in the coming years.
Mental Skills Affect Mood
The coping skills needed to handle the ups and downs of daily life have been identified as an area with a significant impact on body weight. Studies show that unsuccessful dieting often follows a pattern of experiencing stress, eating in response, and then gaining (or regaining) weight4' 5
A study of 55-65-year-old women showed that those with high levels of disinhibition (lack of eating control) are more likely to gain weight as adults and to be overweight.6 On the other hand, the development of strong coping skills is a predictor of lasting weight loss.7
Active participation in a weight management program can quickly reduce the negative mood contributors to excess weight. In a study done in Canada, both men and women showed significant improvements in episodes of overeating, response to physical stress, feelings of depression and perfectionist behaviors after five weeks.
"D" Day - Decision Day...My Mind Is Made Up!!!
This is it!!! Today is THE day!!! I've decided to change my life for the better and live a healthier, more fit life. I've gained over 30 pounds in the course of a year due to stress and eating. My trying-to-conceive another child journey, along with stress at work, has gotten the best of me. Enough is enough!!! It's time to reclaim myself from this nonsense...and I've made that decision today.
I've tried different things to lose weight and live healthy but they would only end up as temporary fixes. I've made excuse after excuse, from "I don't have time to go to the gym" to "I don't have money to keep up a fitness regimen". There really isn't an excuse to living healthy and it actually doesn't have to break your pockets to do so.
For me, I've realized that what I really need to get me motivated and on to a healthier way of living is:
1. Exercise - the only way I can do this is in the comforts of my own home. I've tried the gym scene and it just doesn't work for me. I like feeling comfortable and less distracted...and I do so best at home. So, today, I signed up for an at-home workout fitness program with tons of exercise videos to get me going. Thanks to demandFITNESS I can workout any time of the day, in my home, while traveling...all I have to do is have my laptop handy. Ha ha...no excuse!!!
2. Educate Myself - My main problem with starting a fitness program is jumping into one at the spur of the moment without educating myself as to why it is important and what I need to do to be successful. And, what do you know...demandFITNESS helps with that also!!!
3. Eating Right - I need to work on portion size and the types of foods to eat. So, I've incorporated Weight Watchers Online to help me with recipes and choices of foods to eat for meals.
4. Fitness Journal/Log - If I write down everything in a journal, it helps to keep me on track.
Well...my mind is made up and I'm already feeling good about it. Why? Because I planned things out and educated myself before starting this fitness journey. Wish me luck...my journey begins on Monday, November 10, 2008!!!
