Thursday, June 26, 2008

Always do your research

I am so steamed right now!!! I did some research over the last two days about elliptical cross trainers, made a decision about a couple of manufactures and models, then drove into town today to a local fitness equipment store to look into what they carried. They're known for selling used and refurbished equipment, as well as new stuff. I was immediately met by a sales person who rapidly tossed out facts about ellipticals, what everyone else buys, how they were having a sale on some really great models from one manufacturer, and despite all my research, I was herded into a sale. At one point, the sales clerk even made a bald-faced lie to me, stating that the unit he was promoting carried 500 lbs. For me, at over 300 lbs, that sounded sturdy enough for me, so I bit.

I paid for everything on my credit card and left, chosing to go back tomorrow to pick up the equipment with a different car. I just got done looking into the elliptical trainer I bought and found out from the manufacturer's website that the unit is only good for users under 300 lbs., and the unit model is not the lateest model, but rather, a couple of years old. It's probably old stock that he's trying to move! I called the store to talk to this sales clerk about everything I had read online but he was already gone for the day. I also discovered he was actually the owner of the store.

Well, I'm going back in the morning and getting this taken care of! I was also going to buy a weight bench and a bar and set of weight from the store, but found the bench I was sold was not a good quality bench either. I don't mind buying used equipment, but I do mind buying inferior equipment. My sons will be using this equipment as well and I don't need them getting hurt in the process of trying to get fit.

I'm angry that I allowed myself to get caught up with a sales pitch. I'm going in armed with documentation next time!

PS) Well, I went back to the store the next day, ready to cancel my order, but upon further discussion with the store owner, I decided to stay with the elliptical trainer I originally bought. He told me that the manufacturer's website rated their equipment for a lower weight for personal liability, but the store was actually carrying the warranty, and the owner said they personally tested the equipment before setting the new higher weight rating. Normally, they have a 30-day no-questions-asked return policy, but the owner gave me an extended 60 days to test the trainer. Also, when I decided I didn't want the flimsy bench I had chosen before and found a better, sturdier weight bench, he gave me the upgrade at the lower price of original bench, along with the longer, required weight bar.

So, my son and I put the trainer together this morning (easy to do!), and got it set up in the living room. I've already been on it. It's comfortable to use, and got my heart rate up pretty quickly. I watched my son use it, and where ever there was a weld, the unit was solid and sturdy. At this time, the unit is on the livingroom carpet, so when he was screwing around a little, the unit was torquing left-to-right, but when I told him to stop messing around, again, the unit appeared solid. When we change our floors to bamboo planks next summer, it should be much more stable.

I'm not comfortable with publically naming the unit yet. If it performs well (and I'll be putting it through it's paces), then I'll share the make and model number.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Managing body fat distribution

Yesterday I was reading articles on the Burn the Fat Inner Circle website that I belong to and came across an interesting article regarding body fat shifting. This is something I had suspected of going on in my body, but I had no information on the subject nor ever heard of it before. What I have experienced is that during my weightloss, some parts of my body have been slimming down faster than others, and my clothes have been getting looser overall, but some areas of my body, namely my midsection and inner thighs, at times, seem to have fat redistributed into them. My jeans are appreciably looser in the seat and outer thighs, but the inner thighs and midsection just aren't as loose. I've gone from a size 32 to a 26 overall, but body measurements in some areas haven't reduced much at all.

So then I was reading this article yesterday and there's some new research out about this. Basically, the process of losing fat is a matter of fat cells being released into the bloodstream to be converted into energy in the pancreas to be used for fuel. Keeping your carb intake to under 30% facilitates this more. So all that energy is floating around, ready to be used. But your body doesn't necessarily anticipate all your needs, so lets say you don't use all that accessed energy. Your body's got to put it back into storage. And that's where the redistribution comes in. The fat that was accessed may have been where, genetically speaking, fat comes off the easiest for your body. For me, it's my face and forearms. And breasts (damn it!). When it get's re-stored, it doesn't get back to where it was before. It goes to where your body is genetically more predisposed to store it now at this stage of life. And for perimenopausal women like me, that's the mid-section and legs.

Well, that just sucks!!! But it's another arguement for me to ramp up that cardio effort. In Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, he states that if he were overweight, that he'd choose to do cardio workouts twice a day in order to burn it off. Combining that with the information I've read in Lyle McDondald's Rapid Fat Loss Handbook, to keep my carb intake 25% to 30% of my calories in order to convince fat cells more readily to be converted into energy, I need to use up that released energy as much as possible.

I think this is what my new routine while I'm in the US is going to have to look like in order to keep burning that fat:
  • Seven days of complete body stretching to improve my range of motion.
  • On six days during the week, in the mornings, alternate between upper body and lower body weight training, in a circuit training fashion, with five sets of three exercises that are comprised of weights and core exercises, starting with 10 minutes on the treadmill for warm up, three sets of five minutes on the elliptical cross trainer or bicycle/medicine ball combination, and end up with a ten minute cool down on the treadmill.
  • In the afternoons, work up to 45 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer. I know this will take some time to work up to, but it's a good goal.

I've been more than a little fearful of my body turning into the shape of a bottle of Drambuie, with excessively large hips and thighs in relation to my upper body. If I don't use up the released energy everyday, that's exactly what I'll look like! How's that for motivation?

Tomorrow I'm going into town to a shop with used and refurbished exercise equipment. I'm buying a commercial grade ellitical cross trainer, an adjustable weight bench, and I'm getting more dumbbells for my weight set - 8, 10 and 12 lbs. Perhaps a weight bar. And some medicine balls and an exercise ball. I'm turning my living room and back patio into a home gym. Jeez, I might need to get a job delivering newspapers for the summer! I wonder if I could be a mail carrier for a couple of months, just to walk all over town and deliver the mail.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Ramping up the efforts

I've taken a personal day today, to recover from travel and regroup. And do laundry. Lots and lots of laundry! I'm happy to report that my knees did beautifully while on our trip, so I'm thinking it's time to really start to push myself regarding exercise. I want to see some real results!

I want to be able to keep up with more people when I'm hiking or walking. I have this thing...it's all about being a big woman but not to feel penalized over it. I want to be able to keep up with others, even really fit people. In fact, I want to surprise them with how strong I really am, to blow their assumptions about fat people out of the water. I want to have just as much endurance as the next person, or more. It's a subtile, below-the-surface sort of competition on my part. Unrealistic, I'm sure, but it's still there. So I'm setting some new goals for myself regarding my cardio fitness.

I don't know how to quantify that goal just yet. Here's my problem...I HATE CARDIO!!! I enjoy walking, nice leisurely strolls through town, even up hills. I love a nice hike, not too strenuous, through the redwoods in the Pacific Northwest. I like a recreational bike ride on a bike with a really comfortable seat. I like the idea of canoeing. I love dancing.

However, I don't like doing anything that makes my lungs burn, even a little. I won't run or jog. I won't ride a bike for 20 miles. I won't hike for more than an hour, especially wearing a backpack. I loathe aerobic classes of any sort. Being on the treadmill for more than 15 minutes at a time...that's pushing it!

I am going to have to get over myself in order to increase that cardio effect. I managed to do it with weight training. After two weeks of weight training at Green Mountain, I really developed a love for it, and I rarely miss my workouts. I love how I feel after a good workout. I like taking my time, making sure I have really great form, and happily perform three sets of 15 repetitions with the most weight I can use. I don't mind feeling any soreness afterwards, and after several months of weight training, experience very little muscle soreness any more. I like how strong I'm becoming. I like feeling my muscles. My shoulders are beginning to show a little definition, even through the fat, and when I flex my triceps and I feel around for them through my floppy kimono arms, they are rock hard and amazing!

I am about to really set up my workouts to improve strength in my lats and throughout my core, and I'm so excited about it! I wish I could feel the same about cardio, because I know that a good cardio routine will ramp up the fat burning machine in me. And when that excess fat layer is gone, the beautiful muscles will already be there!

I'm just about down to the weight I need to be in order to use the elliptical cross trainer at my gym. It's an older machine, rated for a maximum of 300 lbs. I haven't used it yet because my knees haven't been up to it, but I think I'm over that now. If I want to get on one fast, I think I may need to invest in one. That way, the gym workouts can be more about weight training in circuit with the treadmill (5 to 10 minutes at a time, a total of six times), and I can use the elliptical cross trainer at home, while watching TV, for an afternoon workout. I found one that will hold me now, rated for 375 lbs., and it's got some good reviews. I think I'm going to get rid of my old sofa and replace it with the elliptical cross trainer.

If I cut back my days at the gym to three days a week and do my full body circuit training workouts on those days, and then follow up with a half an hour on the elliptical at home in the afternoons, I'll be happy with that. On the other three days per week, I can perform core exercises and the elliptical at home.

Developing a core routine is also something I want to work on. I don't do dedicated core exercises. I'll toss in some Supermans, crunches and other similar moves during my circuit, just so I can get the core engaged. I was using a cardio dance DVD for a little, but don't have the space for it in my townhouse. That's one reason the sofa has to go! But I don't believe the DVD is enough for me. I want to really work on my back muscles, glutes and abs all around. My midsection is just one huge floppy mess! I'm really hoping that the core work will help combat that.

So, there's a rough idea of where I'm going for the remainder of the summer. Later this week I'll write out a specific routine and post it here and let you know how I do with it.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Managing health on the road

Last week we decided it was time for some summer fun, and that usually means an extended roadtrip for us. We threw some clothes and toiletries in out bags and headed west and north, up California's and Oregon's coastline. Marvelous scenery! Cooler climate! No making beds or keeping house! After six days of sun, sand and surf, I miss my bed and my own cooking. But we sure had fun. We'll get home tonight...yeah!

Before leaving home, I touched base with Beth the Wellness Coach. We set some goals for me: walk for an hour every day, two days of complete body resistance exercise with the Spri Tube (I'm so glad I bought that thing!), keep my daily fat intake under 50 gms, and my daily fiber intake over 25 gms. The walking part was easy to accomplish. We hiked quite a bit, along the beaches, into the forests on trails, even walked the mall in Eureka one day. The resistance exercises were easy to accomplish as well. I'll even get a third workout in today. I'm happy to report that all my quad exercises are paying off and my knees are no longer giving me trouble. I climbed a lot of hills this last week and I haven't had a bit of pain. And the new shoes are still awesome! No shin splints either!

The dietary goals were much tougher to maintain. I tend to eat on the fatty side, so I try to track my fat intake throughout the day. I can then make wiser choices as the day goes along. But while on vacation I wasn't online at every meal, tracking my nutrients. And restaurants tend to cook with more fats than I normally do. I did make choices to skip dressings on vegetables and salads, but there were plenty of times when I just caved and made poorer choices, usually at the end of the day when I was more tired and my resolve was at an end. Still, I averaged only a 50 calorie increase per day over the whole trip. So, I ate a lower amount of food, but the calories were higher due to fats.

And even with eating as many veggies and fruits as I could get my hands on, my fiber intake was low an average of 5 gms per day. I tried to avoid breads, pasta, etc, but there weren't many whole grain choices on the road.

Well, I see that the car has been loaded up and the family is ready to go. So I'm signing off until after I get all the laundry done at home.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Skinny crusts?

Living outside the US means I don't usually have access to the same products/services that most of you all get to use. Last night we ordered pizza from Round Table and I was thrilled to find their Skinny Crust Pizza! I could eat my pizza and enjoy it without feeling like I overindulged. My portion was somewhat smaller than a personal pan pizza size, which was still around 400 calories, but coupled with a nice salad, I was really satisfied.

Since I did a full body workout yesterday, I just went for a 40 minute walk over hilly terrain this morning. I must be getting healthier, because the hills are easier to climb, and it's taking more effort to get my heart rate up. And my new walking shoes are totally awesome! No more shin splints, no matter how fast I walk! If you've got a high instep, the Asics Gel-Nimbus 9 is a great shoe. I get good support, and it's a running shoe, so it's built to put your foot in the correct toe-off position. It comes in larger sizes and wider widths as well.

I should be walking everyday, but when I get up in the morning, that's one of the last things I feel like doing. Motivation to walk doesn't come naturally to me, so I try to get others to get me engaged in the activity. My husband has been helping me here, but once he has to go back to Kazakhstan, I'm going to be struggling. I'm trying to get our sons to join us on our walks, but it takes A LOT of coersion to get them out the door, and there's always a lot of resistance and attitude that seems to join us on our walks. My ten-year-old plods along really slowly (because he's mad at me) and I'll never get my heart rate up at that pace. I may just have to be the tough one and not worry about his "feelings" on the subject.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Back on track

After a nearly two week break, this morning I went for a 40 minute walk with my husband (up some lovely hills, so I wasn't moving that fast), and then stopped at my gym for a full body weight training workout. I did some circuit training, working several sets of weights and then walking on the treadmill for 5 minutes in between sets.

Before I left the house, I made myself an energy shake with some almond milk, just so my body would have something to use while I was exercising. After I got home, I sauteed some mushrooms and spinach and then poached a couple of eggs for breakfast.

I still want to eat, but I'm not sure if I'm hungry. I want to be genuinely hungry for lunch, so I'm going to ignor this feeling. It's been an hour since I ate breakfast, and I ate nearly 400 calories over the course of the morning, so I don't believe I should be hungry. Maybe I'm just thirsty. However, since the weight training, I'm feeling very sleepy. From what I've read, if that's happening, then I didn't have enough protein since working out. So I'm going to have to find a source of really low fat protein.

I'm glad I'm back on track. I needed a break from the intense focus, and I'll make sure to give myself a rest from the training every three months, but I can make it for a shorter period of time, and I can allow for an occasional splurge with my family.

Ok, I've let some time lapse while I'm writing here (and watching
The Incredible Hulk on SciFi Channel) and the hunger has passed, finally. One more hour and I can have lunch!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Am I hungry?

I was chatting with my wellness coach Beth yesterday and she gave me a really great tip I just had to share with all of you. If you're not sure if you're hungry, ask yourself if you could really go for a crisp green apple. If the answer is yes, go eat something. If you're not really liking the idea, then you're not hungry. Because if you're genuinely hungry, you're not so picky.

The fruits of my slug week (no exercise, no accounting the food) were a whopping eight-pound gain! I freaked out yesterday morning. How could I gain that much in a week? Beth and I worked it out. I wasn't really overeating, but my food choices had changed. A few more sweets and higher fat food choices here and there, less fiber, a lot less water, eating later into the evening. It all added up. Beth pointed out that since I was feeling so bloated and a bit stopped-up that I should not think that all of the weight gain was fat. Once I get back to drinking all my water and get the fiber up again, then I should lose the extra pounds pretty quickly.

This was my first major back-sliding event. I had told myself that back-sliding was not allowed, but Beth thinks I'm being too rigid. I still want to break 300 lbs. before I have to go back to Kazakhstan. I'm not sure how I can find a way lighten-up on myself and still stay on track. I have to find a creative way to regularly reward myself that doesn't require just checking out on my weight loss efforts.

This last week was a very full week. Dealing with jet lag, remodeling our bathroom in a week, keeping the kids active, plus all the regular household duties. I let my husband's driven nature keep me from factoring in some fun. I also suspended taking all the vitamin supplements I had been taking (I left them in Kazakhstan and hadn't bought fresh ones yet). I just let the transitional week take control over my life. It ends here and now, and I'm back in the driver's seat.

So, I'm off to get my sweats and new walking shoes on. And while a Lemon Zest Luna Bar sounds really good right now, a green apple doesn't, so I'm not really hungry. I gotta get out of the house!