I need to come up with something that a. I will enjoy and b. is easy to do with my schedule.
When I did this thing eons ago, I did fitness videos and that worked great (all VHS). I threw in a bit of running toward the end of that too.
This last time 4 years ago, I started with walking video game, then I started hitting the gym for various cardio and weight training classes. I had a lot of free time and flexibility so it worked well. Now I don't have as much flexibility.
What I "think" I want to do fitness at home. I love step aerobics, so I want to get some step videos and maybe some zumba videos. For strength (I'm a bit hesitant with that yet as I'm still dealing with some injuries) I would like to try to do TRX mostly, but maybe my husband and I could fit in going 2 times a week to the gym for that. Once on Saturday and maybe once some other evening or early morning. That one is "iffy" as I have to be careful.
I can "say" I want to walk, but I freaking hate the humidity. Doing it midday at work would be icky as I would get so hot. Mornings are so rushed, that it would be tight and by nighttime, I'm tired.
To do workouts at home though, we have to fix up our basement. That initially will have to be the first workouts as we pull up carpet, pads and then lay cork flooring. Having a home gym would be great though! And for working out is about the only thing I would want to do in the basement. I hate dark, windowless rooms!
All of this "thought" is good though. Means I am getting back in the groove and wanting to move more!
Restart 5/18/15:
Down 11 pounds
Showing posts with label Zumba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zumba. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Friday, March 29, 2013
My mind caught up with my body and it's not satisfied
Now when I see myself in the mirrors in Zumba classes or the like, I see my chubbiness and I don't like it. On the way down at this weight, I thought I was looking svelte. As well, I was looking much better than at higher weights. But, this time I know what I look like at a lower weight and I prefer that!
It's mostly in my gut. That's where I put it in and it's where I need to take it off. It's exasperated by loose skin on the abdomen, but it's not just loose skin, but flab, true flab too.
Sigh...
I know what I need to do and most days I do it, but what happened to that total 100% gung-ho attitude I had in the first 8-9 months of this? Why can't I recapture that? I can do well for a few weeks now, but then get derailed and mess up for 2-3 days, undoing all the progress I just made in the 2-3 weeks prior.
There is a saying that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. And well, it's true most of the time, but sometimes... it's not true. Like last night at dinner. It was so good. I had seconds. I shouldn't have had seconds, but I did and it tasted so good and it felt nice to be truly full for a change.
Then today, I'm making pizza for my son. It's smells so good. I could eat the whole thing. Instead, I ate my apple and peanut butter and a pepperoni stick to keep the pizza urge at bay.
Doing the exercise has become habit. I do it and I enjoy it (mostly). I think I have won that battle. However, the food one I think will be with me forever and ever. I like food too much to not eat whole categories of food. I can do really well and stay on plan, but who doesn't want to eat a slice of homemade bread? or a cookie? or an ice cream cone? Yet, when I eat those things, I just lose control of eating so that it takes days to detox and settle back down.
I was hoping finding some low carb alternatives would help and it probably will, but they are more labor intensive to make, more expensive to make and just as caloric as traditional snacks. So, a slice of low carb pizza is still a gazillion calories as is a low carb cookie. They are yummy, but not very satiating. Eating a salad of 150 calories looks and feels like more food that a single cookie!
So, I like my food - real food. I also like seeing a thinner me in the mirror reflected back at me. I don't like seeing what eating too much food looks like in a mirror or how it feels on my body. Why can't I remember that when I get tempted by food? Like grabbing seconds at dinner last night, huh?
It's mostly in my gut. That's where I put it in and it's where I need to take it off. It's exasperated by loose skin on the abdomen, but it's not just loose skin, but flab, true flab too.
Sigh...
I know what I need to do and most days I do it, but what happened to that total 100% gung-ho attitude I had in the first 8-9 months of this? Why can't I recapture that? I can do well for a few weeks now, but then get derailed and mess up for 2-3 days, undoing all the progress I just made in the 2-3 weeks prior.
There is a saying that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. And well, it's true most of the time, but sometimes... it's not true. Like last night at dinner. It was so good. I had seconds. I shouldn't have had seconds, but I did and it tasted so good and it felt nice to be truly full for a change.
Then today, I'm making pizza for my son. It's smells so good. I could eat the whole thing. Instead, I ate my apple and peanut butter and a pepperoni stick to keep the pizza urge at bay.
Doing the exercise has become habit. I do it and I enjoy it (mostly). I think I have won that battle. However, the food one I think will be with me forever and ever. I like food too much to not eat whole categories of food. I can do really well and stay on plan, but who doesn't want to eat a slice of homemade bread? or a cookie? or an ice cream cone? Yet, when I eat those things, I just lose control of eating so that it takes days to detox and settle back down.
I was hoping finding some low carb alternatives would help and it probably will, but they are more labor intensive to make, more expensive to make and just as caloric as traditional snacks. So, a slice of low carb pizza is still a gazillion calories as is a low carb cookie. They are yummy, but not very satiating. Eating a salad of 150 calories looks and feels like more food that a single cookie!
So, I like my food - real food. I also like seeing a thinner me in the mirror reflected back at me. I don't like seeing what eating too much food looks like in a mirror or how it feels on my body. Why can't I remember that when I get tempted by food? Like grabbing seconds at dinner last night, huh?
Friday, March 22, 2013
That little voice in your head
You know what I'm talking about. That voice that tells you to turn off the alarm and just sleep in. The voice that tells you it's OK to eat a cookie. That voice that tells you that you can just exercise tomorrow. That voice is so strong and so convincing.
Have you ever had a whole conversation with that little voice? I have them all the time. Here is the internal dialogue from today. It kind of reminds of Gollum talking with Smeagol (the same creature talking - one is good, the other is bad from JRR Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy).
Edited to add: It's a smallllll world. I wrote this post around noon. At 5 pm-ish someone posted this photo on the weight loss forum I frequent. See, exactly.
Rational voice, "You should get ready for the gym to get there on time."
Little voice, "Why not just do Zumba today instead. Your two teammates from Biggest Winner are going to be there and you talked one of them into yesterday."
Rational voice, "Yes, but you also told them you weren't going to Zumba because of taking a strength class instead, remember?"
Little voice, "Yes, but your one teammate has been slacking a bit and could use that extra support. Go to Zumba."
Rational voice, "OK, maybe I'll go to Zumba, but only after I've done strength training. I need to get at least two days of strength training and you've only done one this week Melissa!"
Little voice, "Well, you are still sore from Wednesdays strength training. Take a break."
Rational voice, "You aren't that sore. Get ready to go. You need to go."
Little voice, "You know, you've been working hard this week. You could take today off and do it tomorrow with your husband."
Rational voice, "No, you know that your knee is still bothering you and BodyPump is what caused that injury."
Little voice, "Well, how do you know it won't be OK? You can try it and see."
Rational voice, "And then injure myself some more? And then what?"
Little voice, "You could stop if you start to feel pain."
Rational voice, "And then I would have skipped today and a good chance tomorrow. That's not a good plan. I need to get ready for the gym now."
Little voice, "Then just do Zumba, then you aren't skipping a day, right?"
Rational voice, "I am getting ready right now!"
So, the rational voice won. Or did it?
I started to get ready for the gym. My sports bra (a must), a wicking shirt, a pair of workout shorts/capris, longer pants over top, the zip up fitness shirt, socks, shoes. Huh... I need to go to the bathroom. OK, I still have time.
Now, while on the toilet, which as we all know, we can't control how fast or slow we will be on the toilet.
Little voice, "You aren't going to have time to get there. You might as well not go to the strength training class and just go to Zumba an hour later."
Rational voice, "I still have time."
Little voice, "I don't know. You've never been to that strength class before. You should get there a little early to talk to the instructor to find out what you need to know for class. You don't have time for that now."
Rational voice, "I have time."
Little voice, "Ok, just go to Zumba, and then, like the earlier plan, do BodyPump tomorrow."
Upon getting up and checking the clock, I see I have time.
Rational voice, "See, I have time. Let's go!"
So, I drive there, get there in time and had a great workout. The entire workout (which is from 9:35 to 10:35) I kept thinking, "If I get out of here quick enough, I'll be able to get to Zumba at the other gym too." I kind of wanted to get to that as my Biggest Winner teammate was going to be there and I think I had talked another into going as well. I wanted to be there to support her.
But, I was TIRED when I was done with the class. This is how the class went: We did 5 stations of strength, 3 times. We had pushups on the ball, planks elbows up to hands on the bosu balls, squats with kettle bells, triceps dips on the step and then biceps curls with the bands. Then we had 5 stations, 3 times of cardio: jumping jacks with bouncing the ball, alternating foot taps on the bosu ball, kettle bell swings, next was stepping fast while straddling the step, lastly jump rope. We ended with 5 stations, 2 times of core. Crunches on the ball, planks and stepping out on the bosu ball, on our tummies feet up in the air while holding the kettle bell, lifting up to reach to the feet, on our backs on the step, lifting and lowering our straightened legs, and finally on our backs doing bicycle crunches.
It was a LOT and I was tired. I looked at the clock when we were done: 10:35. Zumba started in 10 minutes at another gym.
Little voice, "OK, you are tired. You worked hard. This class wiped you out. Go home."
Rational voice, "I don't know."
Little voice, "The goal is an hour a day. You did an hour. Go home. You have errands to run today anyway."
Rational voice is silent.
I start to drive home. To get home I have to drive right past the other gym. I hit the lights well. I was passing it at 10:45, just as the class would start.
Rational voice, "You know, you've had time to recuperate a bit. You could total go. You would only miss the warm up and you're already warm."
Little voice, "You don't need to do more today."
Rational voice, "It would be really nice to support your teammates by being there today. Go."
So, I go to park. The lot is full. I will have to park far away, making me later.
Little voice, "See, you are late. Just go home."
Rational voice, "You will only be five minutes late. You are already warmed up. It's OK. Plus, in this class people join late all the time."
I park and go on in. The irony, the one teammate wasn't there. When I got home I see that her daughter needed her car, so she was car-less. My other teammate was there, but she was surprised to see me. She said, "Oh, what happened. You didn't make the other class?" I told her I made it but decided to come to this one too.
And I'm glad I went. It loosened up the tightening muscles. This instructor is so much fun and it was good for my head.
But was the little voice silent during class? Heck no.
Little voice, "You don't have to work so hard. Remember, you've already worked out an hour."
Rational voice, "If I can do it and it doesn't hurt, or feel too hard, I should do it."
Little voice, "You'll be more tired tomorrow because of it."
Rational voice, "Tomorrow is step. Sunday is a rest day. You can totally do this full out. Just do it!"
And I did it with full range of motion as always, not wimping out.
I'm looking at my gizmo and I've already taken 10,000 steps today. I've done 1 hour of vigorous exercise and 30 minutes of moderate exercise. And that's pretty good considering the gizmo doesn't count all strength very well.
Today the little voice didn't win. It didn't win because I had enough sleep, so it stayed a little voice. Sometimes it turns into a loud, bossy voice that totally smothers the rational voice. So, I try to keep it at a little voice as much as possible because even as a little voice, it's mighty convincing and hard to keep in check.
Have you ever had a whole conversation with that little voice? I have them all the time. Here is the internal dialogue from today. It kind of reminds of Gollum talking with Smeagol (the same creature talking - one is good, the other is bad from JRR Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy).
Edited to add: It's a smallllll world. I wrote this post around noon. At 5 pm-ish someone posted this photo on the weight loss forum I frequent. See, exactly.
Rational voice, "You should get ready for the gym to get there on time."
Little voice, "Why not just do Zumba today instead. Your two teammates from Biggest Winner are going to be there and you talked one of them into yesterday."
Rational voice, "Yes, but you also told them you weren't going to Zumba because of taking a strength class instead, remember?"
Little voice, "Yes, but your one teammate has been slacking a bit and could use that extra support. Go to Zumba."
Rational voice, "OK, maybe I'll go to Zumba, but only after I've done strength training. I need to get at least two days of strength training and you've only done one this week Melissa!"
Little voice, "Well, you are still sore from Wednesdays strength training. Take a break."
Rational voice, "You aren't that sore. Get ready to go. You need to go."
Little voice, "You know, you've been working hard this week. You could take today off and do it tomorrow with your husband."
Rational voice, "No, you know that your knee is still bothering you and BodyPump is what caused that injury."
Little voice, "Well, how do you know it won't be OK? You can try it and see."
Rational voice, "And then injure myself some more? And then what?"
Little voice, "You could stop if you start to feel pain."
Rational voice, "And then I would have skipped today and a good chance tomorrow. That's not a good plan. I need to get ready for the gym now."
Little voice, "Then just do Zumba, then you aren't skipping a day, right?"
Rational voice, "I am getting ready right now!"
So, the rational voice won. Or did it?
I started to get ready for the gym. My sports bra (a must), a wicking shirt, a pair of workout shorts/capris, longer pants over top, the zip up fitness shirt, socks, shoes. Huh... I need to go to the bathroom. OK, I still have time.
Now, while on the toilet, which as we all know, we can't control how fast or slow we will be on the toilet.
Little voice, "You aren't going to have time to get there. You might as well not go to the strength training class and just go to Zumba an hour later."
Rational voice, "I still have time."
Little voice, "I don't know. You've never been to that strength class before. You should get there a little early to talk to the instructor to find out what you need to know for class. You don't have time for that now."
Rational voice, "I have time."
Little voice, "Ok, just go to Zumba, and then, like the earlier plan, do BodyPump tomorrow."
Upon getting up and checking the clock, I see I have time.
Rational voice, "See, I have time. Let's go!"
So, I drive there, get there in time and had a great workout. The entire workout (which is from 9:35 to 10:35) I kept thinking, "If I get out of here quick enough, I'll be able to get to Zumba at the other gym too." I kind of wanted to get to that as my Biggest Winner teammate was going to be there and I think I had talked another into going as well. I wanted to be there to support her.
But, I was TIRED when I was done with the class. This is how the class went: We did 5 stations of strength, 3 times. We had pushups on the ball, planks elbows up to hands on the bosu balls, squats with kettle bells, triceps dips on the step and then biceps curls with the bands. Then we had 5 stations, 3 times of cardio: jumping jacks with bouncing the ball, alternating foot taps on the bosu ball, kettle bell swings, next was stepping fast while straddling the step, lastly jump rope. We ended with 5 stations, 2 times of core. Crunches on the ball, planks and stepping out on the bosu ball, on our tummies feet up in the air while holding the kettle bell, lifting up to reach to the feet, on our backs on the step, lifting and lowering our straightened legs, and finally on our backs doing bicycle crunches.
It was a LOT and I was tired. I looked at the clock when we were done: 10:35. Zumba started in 10 minutes at another gym.
Little voice, "OK, you are tired. You worked hard. This class wiped you out. Go home."
Rational voice, "I don't know."
Little voice, "The goal is an hour a day. You did an hour. Go home. You have errands to run today anyway."
Rational voice is silent.
I start to drive home. To get home I have to drive right past the other gym. I hit the lights well. I was passing it at 10:45, just as the class would start.
Rational voice, "You know, you've had time to recuperate a bit. You could total go. You would only miss the warm up and you're already warm."
Little voice, "You don't need to do more today."
Rational voice, "It would be really nice to support your teammates by being there today. Go."
So, I go to park. The lot is full. I will have to park far away, making me later.
Little voice, "See, you are late. Just go home."
Rational voice, "You will only be five minutes late. You are already warmed up. It's OK. Plus, in this class people join late all the time."
I park and go on in. The irony, the one teammate wasn't there. When I got home I see that her daughter needed her car, so she was car-less. My other teammate was there, but she was surprised to see me. She said, "Oh, what happened. You didn't make the other class?" I told her I made it but decided to come to this one too.
And I'm glad I went. It loosened up the tightening muscles. This instructor is so much fun and it was good for my head.
But was the little voice silent during class? Heck no.
Little voice, "You don't have to work so hard. Remember, you've already worked out an hour."
Rational voice, "If I can do it and it doesn't hurt, or feel too hard, I should do it."
Little voice, "You'll be more tired tomorrow because of it."
Rational voice, "Tomorrow is step. Sunday is a rest day. You can totally do this full out. Just do it!"
And I did it with full range of motion as always, not wimping out.
I'm looking at my gizmo and I've already taken 10,000 steps today. I've done 1 hour of vigorous exercise and 30 minutes of moderate exercise. And that's pretty good considering the gizmo doesn't count all strength very well.
Today the little voice didn't win. It didn't win because I had enough sleep, so it stayed a little voice. Sometimes it turns into a loud, bossy voice that totally smothers the rational voice. So, I try to keep it at a little voice as much as possible because even as a little voice, it's mighty convincing and hard to keep in check.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Sigh... having to change up my workouts again
I get into these workout ruts. I do something for awhile and then I get bored of them. Or, I outgrow them.
For some things, like step, you can increase the intensity by raising the step or doing propulsion. I haven't gotten to a fitness level yet where doing that gets to the point of being too easy. With spinning, you can spin faster or crank up the resistance.
But with straight up aerobics, it can get too easy. Starting in November, I started doing a cardio/toning class once a week. I did a lot more jumping around and bigger movements than the rest of the class or the instructor, but by doing that, I could get my heart rate up there. I still can for a couple of songs, but otherwise, I'm not getting in the zone for the bulk of the class any more.
Same with Zumba. There is only one instructor at our gyms that can really get my heart pumping, but again, I'm noticing that even with super big movements, I can't keep my heart rate up there for all the songs. It's just not intense enough.
Today after Zumba, I went to the elliptical machine and set it's resistance to 10 and then put in intervals for 30 minutes. My heart rate was 139-146 the bulk of the time and I was going about 5.1 miles per hour on average. It was boring though as I didn't have any music or radio with me and the TVs there are muted and it's hard to read the captions if you are bouncing up and down.
All the people who read while exercising... are you really getting a workout if you can read at the same time? I guess it's better than doing nothing, but it's not a hard effort either. Maybe that doesn't matter to them.
So, for classes (cardio) that leaves spinning (not my favorite) and bodystep of those that I know. I think I'm going to try a few other new classes next week. I'm going to try kickboxing and/or advanced aeroboxing. There's also Tae-Bo, but all of those are similar types of classes, so I don't think I want to do all three boxing like classes. That's it for harder cardio that aren't fee based. Sigh.
I thought about using the treadmill today instead of the elliptical, but that darn bladder issue I have is a nuisance! Grrrr!!!! On easier cardio class days, I'll hop on the elliptical for 30 minutes (or longer if I have music/radio) to lengthen the amount of time my heart rate is actually in the zone.
I still need to figure out what to do for strength training too. Starting next week I'll be back with the personal trainer once a week, but I need to do something else at least one other time a week if not two. Just not sure! I'm thinking of doing/getting FitnessBuilder and/or doing the New Rules for Lifting SuperCharged and if not that then TRX. Actually they all three can overlap, but which to do!?!?!? I just can't do bodypump any more. Too many repetitive movements and it's given me two injuries.
For some things, like step, you can increase the intensity by raising the step or doing propulsion. I haven't gotten to a fitness level yet where doing that gets to the point of being too easy. With spinning, you can spin faster or crank up the resistance.
But with straight up aerobics, it can get too easy. Starting in November, I started doing a cardio/toning class once a week. I did a lot more jumping around and bigger movements than the rest of the class or the instructor, but by doing that, I could get my heart rate up there. I still can for a couple of songs, but otherwise, I'm not getting in the zone for the bulk of the class any more.
Same with Zumba. There is only one instructor at our gyms that can really get my heart pumping, but again, I'm noticing that even with super big movements, I can't keep my heart rate up there for all the songs. It's just not intense enough.
Today after Zumba, I went to the elliptical machine and set it's resistance to 10 and then put in intervals for 30 minutes. My heart rate was 139-146 the bulk of the time and I was going about 5.1 miles per hour on average. It was boring though as I didn't have any music or radio with me and the TVs there are muted and it's hard to read the captions if you are bouncing up and down.
All the people who read while exercising... are you really getting a workout if you can read at the same time? I guess it's better than doing nothing, but it's not a hard effort either. Maybe that doesn't matter to them.
So, for classes (cardio) that leaves spinning (not my favorite) and bodystep of those that I know. I think I'm going to try a few other new classes next week. I'm going to try kickboxing and/or advanced aeroboxing. There's also Tae-Bo, but all of those are similar types of classes, so I don't think I want to do all three boxing like classes. That's it for harder cardio that aren't fee based. Sigh.
I thought about using the treadmill today instead of the elliptical, but that darn bladder issue I have is a nuisance! Grrrr!!!! On easier cardio class days, I'll hop on the elliptical for 30 minutes (or longer if I have music/radio) to lengthen the amount of time my heart rate is actually in the zone.
I still need to figure out what to do for strength training too. Starting next week I'll be back with the personal trainer once a week, but I need to do something else at least one other time a week if not two. Just not sure! I'm thinking of doing/getting FitnessBuilder and/or doing the New Rules for Lifting SuperCharged and if not that then TRX. Actually they all three can overlap, but which to do!?!?!? I just can't do bodypump any more. Too many repetitive movements and it's given me two injuries.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
How we abuse our bodies and it shows
Today I was at Zumba class again. It's a great place to people watch!
In that class, again, all ages, all ethnicities and even some men.
What I notice is this. Once we get flawed, few of us go back to the 'before' status.
Now, let me expand on this a bit. Let's go back to high school. And I'm not even talking about high school today where there are more obese teens, but let's go back to when I was a teen - so about 25 year ago! (EEEEK!)
Most every girl looked like this in the late 80s. Ah prom (of which I never went, maybe that's a good thing now that I see photos:
Most girls had flat tummies, nice arms, nice bodies, period. Age them 25 years and how many would wear sleeveless now? or form fitting tight? Probably not many.
I look around the gym and I see a lot of women around my age and nearly none of us have those same firm bodies. We have poochie stomaches or flabby arms or saggy butt or something and I'm not even talking about the ones that are overweight, but the average women in the room.
In all the time I've been going to the gym and taking classes. I think I've seen maybe 3-4 women out of a couple hundred that didn't have some trouble spot (some of us have more than one).
And those that don't have trouble spots seem to be the people who never got unfit or overweight. Or, they were super lucky and were able to get to their former body with lots and lots of serious work.
This got me to wondering. How do we develop these trouble spots if we didn't have them in our teens?
Is it pregnancy? Well, there are tons of stars/models who bounce right back from pregnancy. That can't be it, can it?
Something happens to us that I don't know what. As young women in the 40s and 50s they looked like this:
But now they probably look like this:
In that class, again, all ages, all ethnicities and even some men.
What I notice is this. Once we get flawed, few of us go back to the 'before' status.
Now, let me expand on this a bit. Let's go back to high school. And I'm not even talking about high school today where there are more obese teens, but let's go back to when I was a teen - so about 25 year ago! (EEEEK!)
Most every girl looked like this in the late 80s. Ah prom (of which I never went, maybe that's a good thing now that I see photos:
Most girls had flat tummies, nice arms, nice bodies, period. Age them 25 years and how many would wear sleeveless now? or form fitting tight? Probably not many.
I look around the gym and I see a lot of women around my age and nearly none of us have those same firm bodies. We have poochie stomaches or flabby arms or saggy butt or something and I'm not even talking about the ones that are overweight, but the average women in the room.
In all the time I've been going to the gym and taking classes. I think I've seen maybe 3-4 women out of a couple hundred that didn't have some trouble spot (some of us have more than one).
And those that don't have trouble spots seem to be the people who never got unfit or overweight. Or, they were super lucky and were able to get to their former body with lots and lots of serious work.
This got me to wondering. How do we develop these trouble spots if we didn't have them in our teens?
Is it pregnancy? Well, there are tons of stars/models who bounce right back from pregnancy. That can't be it, can it?
Something happens to us that I don't know what. As young women in the 40s and 50s they looked like this:
But now they probably look like this:
I remember seeing photos of when my grandmother was young and comparing that to the woman I knew. Could it be the same person? I see it with my mother in law too.
But some people never seem to get "that" way. Like these women:
This woman here is the same woman in the 40s and currently. She's over 80. A model then and a model again. Her secret? Pilates, Yoga and being fit - always.
This woman below? You have to watch the clip with her interview. A female body builder at 75 and DANG she looks good! Now, she didn't start working out until she was 56, but from the photos I see, she was never heavy either, but she also said she was very sedentary. That is so serious, serious muscle! You can read more about her here.
So why do some women get all flabby and saggy and become the old grandma type? While other stay trim and pretty. Dang, I would look to look at any age like Helen Mirren!
Mirren in her youth:
And her recently:
Now seriously. 67??? Dang... Though... angle does make a difference. This one isn't as flattering, but still much better than most 67 year olds I see:
And how does she explain her rocking body that won her Best Body of the year in 2011 in an LA Fitness poll when she was 66:
So just how is the Oscar winner rocking a healthy, fit body when the rest of us half her age are struggling to get similar results? Certainly, genetics play a role, but Mirren has also revealed that she keeps it simple. "I've never done anything to excess. I've never drunk or eaten too much. It helps to stay balanced," she told People magazine in 2008."I go through phases of exercising, if I start getting puffy when I go upstairs, I’ll force myself back into minimalist exercise," she said. "I’m a great believer in the Canadian Air Force exercises because they only take 15 minutes…I’ve gone through many diets that are also very boring. You stop eating, and that’s what makes you lose weight: not eating. But as you get older, losing weight doesn’t make your body look better, don’t you think?"She also has another weapon — Nintendo's Wii Fit."The Wii is fun, and it's infinitely varied. You can hula, jog, yoga, step, all in one session. You need never get bored as every day you can tailor a new workout. It challenges you, and you do it at home, so nobody need see you in those old yoga pants and torn T-shirt. It's my new best friend,"says Mirren.
I highlighted the part that I think is key, "I've never done anything to excess. I've never drunk or eaten too much. It helps to stay balanced."
Once you get out of balance, your body doesn't return to the way it was before. That's my thoughts on it anyway.
My husband's aunt is 67, same as Helen Mirren and her body looks as good (if not better) than Helen Mirren's body. She's never formally exercised, but she walks everywhere and walks briskly, purposefully. She watches what she eats. She never smoked or drank or gained weight. She also doesn't eat sweets because she doesn't like them. Her body shows it. She's taken care of it always. And she got lucky in the pregnancy department as she didn't get stretch marks.
Me on the other hand, I show all kinds of signs of former abuse of the body. I can get super fit (which I'm not yet) and drop all this weight, but the effects are there from the neglect and abuse. As they are for most of us. This one is not my body, but it looks a lot like mine (I just don't have the surgical scar on the tummy). How sad that my body doubles are usually found in photos for before a tummy tuck! Nice way to feel good about my body, "We can cut it all off and you can be in pain and pay us thousands and thousands of dollars!"
If only I would have always treated my body well. But, I see most of us haven't and don't. At least I've started to turn things around to prevent further damage (I hope), but I wish I would have learned the lesson at 18 and not 41.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Seeing imperfections in others helps with self-acceptance
This morning I did my first heavy duty/hard workout routine since getting all that dental work done. I had been walking and doing light stuff to keep moving, but had put off any strength training and hard cardio as per doctor's instructions (24 hours for cardio, 72 for strength).
So... there I was. It felt great. It got me out of the funk I was sliding into and it is was good for my self-esteem.
The class I decided to take was Zumba Circuit. It's taught by the Zumba instructor I really like and a personal trainer. You dance for 2 minutes, then go to a station for 2 minutes. All in all you dance 7 times and do 6 different strength stations. In the end, you do some core work (without crunches). This class is usually a fee based class, but was offered as a freebie today. I like the class and have taken it once before, but I don't like it enough to pay $20 every time I go.
Most of us in the class were there just for the freebie. I saw a few faces I know from some other classes. I saw some people from the BodyVive class, from spinning class, from Zumba classes and from BodyStep and BodyPump classes. The first thing I was super happy to see was that the very fit stepper I regularly see, was struggling a wee bit with some of the choreography of Zumba and a bit wobbly with some of the strength stuff. So, she had specialized in step (and spinning), but wasn't perfect in everything. Made me feel better.
Then, the gals I recognized from Zumba - the same. They could dance, but they struggled with some of the strength stuff. Reverse for some others, they were good at the strength, but struggled with some of the dance/aerobics stuff. It goes right to the message - cross training is good for the body. And mixing it up keeps the body guessing. What I see is that people tend to stick to one or two things and get really good at it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are as well-rounded in fitness as they might appear.
I felt good that despite being a very stiff Latin Dancer (yes, I would be one of those you would laugh at on Dancing with the Stars), I can do everything. I can jump around and keep to the beat and do all the strength and balance stuff. I may not be the fastest or most graceful or the strongest, or the most balanced, but I can also see that no one else in the room is either. We're all imperfect.
Then, I felt a WHOLE lot better after spying our instructor's physical imperfections.
I really, really, really enjoy taking this fitness instructor's classes. She always makes it fun. She's always smiling. She throws her whole body into it and sweats up a storm right along with us. I would LOVE to be able to throw my body around as well as she does. She also teaches other classes - lots of classes. She mostly does dance stuff, but she teaches some strength training too. She is strooooong and fit. No one would ever, ever in a million years say she is weak or unfit or overweight. She is a spitball of energy.
Today, she was wearing her compression fitness capris (like me and most of the class), a Tback bra and a flowy fitness top over that. It was really cute and fit her personality and what type of work she was doing. It did, however, shift up and swirl around a bit so that part of her belly was exposed while dancing. She, this spit ball of fire and energy, has a slightly poochy stomach. And, I can see part of it is loose skin. When she was demonstrating some of the fitness moves, I could also see that she has the SAME kind of all over stretch marks on her belly from being pregnant that I have.
As fit as she is, she has imperfections. Similar imperfections to mine. I don't know why that made me feel better about my imperfections, but it did. It made me feel less of a freak or oddity of nature or something. While my imperfections are more than hers AND I still have excess weight, I am beginning to realize that even those who didn't ever have weight issues, still have marks from life. This instructor is teeny tiny petite. I'm sure that her loose skin is from pregnancy, and the stretch marks were for sure. But she's still beautiful and radiant despite imperfections.
Even though I know no one is perfect, there are enough perfect specimens displayed all around us all the time that it makes it easy to forget that they are the odd ones for being so perfect. For the rest of us, life happens and it's OK!!!
So... there I was. It felt great. It got me out of the funk I was sliding into and it is was good for my self-esteem.
The class I decided to take was Zumba Circuit. It's taught by the Zumba instructor I really like and a personal trainer. You dance for 2 minutes, then go to a station for 2 minutes. All in all you dance 7 times and do 6 different strength stations. In the end, you do some core work (without crunches). This class is usually a fee based class, but was offered as a freebie today. I like the class and have taken it once before, but I don't like it enough to pay $20 every time I go.
Most of us in the class were there just for the freebie. I saw a few faces I know from some other classes. I saw some people from the BodyVive class, from spinning class, from Zumba classes and from BodyStep and BodyPump classes. The first thing I was super happy to see was that the very fit stepper I regularly see, was struggling a wee bit with some of the choreography of Zumba and a bit wobbly with some of the strength stuff. So, she had specialized in step (and spinning), but wasn't perfect in everything. Made me feel better.
Then, the gals I recognized from Zumba - the same. They could dance, but they struggled with some of the strength stuff. Reverse for some others, they were good at the strength, but struggled with some of the dance/aerobics stuff. It goes right to the message - cross training is good for the body. And mixing it up keeps the body guessing. What I see is that people tend to stick to one or two things and get really good at it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are as well-rounded in fitness as they might appear.
I felt good that despite being a very stiff Latin Dancer (yes, I would be one of those you would laugh at on Dancing with the Stars), I can do everything. I can jump around and keep to the beat and do all the strength and balance stuff. I may not be the fastest or most graceful or the strongest, or the most balanced, but I can also see that no one else in the room is either. We're all imperfect.
Then, I felt a WHOLE lot better after spying our instructor's physical imperfections.
I really, really, really enjoy taking this fitness instructor's classes. She always makes it fun. She's always smiling. She throws her whole body into it and sweats up a storm right along with us. I would LOVE to be able to throw my body around as well as she does. She also teaches other classes - lots of classes. She mostly does dance stuff, but she teaches some strength training too. She is strooooong and fit. No one would ever, ever in a million years say she is weak or unfit or overweight. She is a spitball of energy.
Today, she was wearing her compression fitness capris (like me and most of the class), a Tback bra and a flowy fitness top over that. It was really cute and fit her personality and what type of work she was doing. It did, however, shift up and swirl around a bit so that part of her belly was exposed while dancing. She, this spit ball of fire and energy, has a slightly poochy stomach. And, I can see part of it is loose skin. When she was demonstrating some of the fitness moves, I could also see that she has the SAME kind of all over stretch marks on her belly from being pregnant that I have.
As fit as she is, she has imperfections. Similar imperfections to mine. I don't know why that made me feel better about my imperfections, but it did. It made me feel less of a freak or oddity of nature or something. While my imperfections are more than hers AND I still have excess weight, I am beginning to realize that even those who didn't ever have weight issues, still have marks from life. This instructor is teeny tiny petite. I'm sure that her loose skin is from pregnancy, and the stretch marks were for sure. But she's still beautiful and radiant despite imperfections.
Even though I know no one is perfect, there are enough perfect specimens displayed all around us all the time that it makes it easy to forget that they are the odd ones for being so perfect. For the rest of us, life happens and it's OK!!!
Friday, February 15, 2013
I need to read up on refeeds
So, I was feeling super, duper lethargic on Wednesday. On Thursday, I ate quite a bit more - like at maintenance level. Nah, it was above maintenance and yesterday at maintenance level and now I feel great. I also didn't exercise yesterday (had an appt. with a dentist in another state and I'm resting that knee a bit). Today? I'm full of energy and I can't wait to jump into class today at 10:45 am.
I think I needed a refeed. I needed a mini break to just eat some more so that I can dive back in. It had been 2 full weeks since I had eaten above maintenance. All other days I eat between 1250-1400 and exercise for an hour 5 days a week. That is supposedly creating about a 800 caloric deficit every day, approximately.
My body just said, "I'm tired dude. You need to give us more than that!" So, I did and now I'm ready to go. I've noticed that at other times too - a mini break in the eating department can do wonders for boosting the energy level, but it's finding that balance so that I can still create enough of a deficit at other times so that I can still get a decent loss for the month. Eating at or slightly above maintenance for 2-3 days a month should be doable.
Another way to do it would be to just eat a bit more every day, but I'm not hungry. Or at least I don't feel hungry. It just kind of gangs up on me all at once of "enough... FUEL!!!" Plus, the way my body loses - all weight loss for the month in 10 days of the 28 day cycle, it's hard to know what kind of deficit I'm really creating until the WHOOSH has passed and happened.
But I need to study up on refeeds. My body seems to need them.
With that said, now I'm off to get ready to Zumba! This is the class with the spitball of energy for an instructor. She is AWESOME and my heart gets racing. Good cardio - strength tomorrow if my knee feels up to it. Otherwise I might do a cardio/strength/toning lighter class until I can be sure this knee is OK.
I think I needed a refeed. I needed a mini break to just eat some more so that I can dive back in. It had been 2 full weeks since I had eaten above maintenance. All other days I eat between 1250-1400 and exercise for an hour 5 days a week. That is supposedly creating about a 800 caloric deficit every day, approximately.
My body just said, "I'm tired dude. You need to give us more than that!" So, I did and now I'm ready to go. I've noticed that at other times too - a mini break in the eating department can do wonders for boosting the energy level, but it's finding that balance so that I can still create enough of a deficit at other times so that I can still get a decent loss for the month. Eating at or slightly above maintenance for 2-3 days a month should be doable.
Another way to do it would be to just eat a bit more every day, but I'm not hungry. Or at least I don't feel hungry. It just kind of gangs up on me all at once of "enough... FUEL!!!" Plus, the way my body loses - all weight loss for the month in 10 days of the 28 day cycle, it's hard to know what kind of deficit I'm really creating until the WHOOSH has passed and happened.
But I need to study up on refeeds. My body seems to need them.
With that said, now I'm off to get ready to Zumba! This is the class with the spitball of energy for an instructor. She is AWESOME and my heart gets racing. Good cardio - strength tomorrow if my knee feels up to it. Otherwise I might do a cardio/strength/toning lighter class until I can be sure this knee is OK.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)