Committed......are you?

I am going to be committed this time and finish the 90 days in P90X. In the past I have only gotten through week 3. Something always seemed to come up to distract me. Not this time!! I am focused and I really want the results. My mind is made up and my heart is in it 110%. Yesterday was day 1 and I did chest and back, and ab ripper x. I am sore today. I have plyo still to do today. I am still going to be running because I have big plans for next summer so my running needs to be a priority also. I did my run today already, Whoo-Hoo! I am going to try and post my workouts and diet so I can be more accountable to my self. Since I am writing this in the middle of the day I am not going to post my meals for today but will start posting them tomorrow evenings. I am hoping that when I finish my 90 day's I will finally be at my goal weight which will make my marathon and ragnar training easier. So heres to getting fit and being the best you can be. Who's with me??

Want to RUN??

I have had a few people ask me lately how do you run? Why do you like it? What keeps you going? After some thought I decided to write it down, I will start from what first inspired me to run my first Marathon and what keeps me running. Also I will give you newbies to running some training advice. So where to start?? First of all I was a little over weight before I became pregnat with my son. I am 5'0" and weighed 150lbs, when I gave birth I weighed in at 182! That is a lot on such a small frame, to some it might not seem like a lot but on me I was huge. I decided after I got home from the hospital I was not going to be one of those moms who just lets herself go just because I had baby. That is just a copout excuse to be lazy and I knew I wasn't that kind of person. As soon as I got the o.k. from the doc to start exercising after 6 weeks, I had to have a c-section, I joined the gym and started running and lifting weights. It was really hard at first but I was so determined to lose the weight I had gained from pregnancy and more. I remember feeling my stomach, back, arms, butt and thighs jiggle while I ran on the treadmill at the gym. I had to get past my feeling of embarrassment and just do it. Hey at least I was doing something about it and not sitting at home sulking and making excuses. At first I could only run for short bursts and had to walk a lot, it was so hard to just get in 1 mile! When the weight started to melt off and I was becoming faster and was able to run longer I entered a 5k race and then I was hooked. The feeling you get from being there on race day and running and finishing is one of the best feelings you may ever experience. After that I decided I wanted to train for and run a marathon, and what better person to do it with than my dad. So when I asked him he was excited and we started running. I know I couldn't have done it without his support and encouragement along the way. So I ran my first marathon when my son was just 18 months old and I weighed in at 127! WOW! I was in the best shape of my life, and then I got pregnant again and again I packed on the pounds and gave birth weighing in at 185. YIKES! The second time around has been a lot harder, with 2 kids, then I went full time at work and finding the time to workout and eat healthy was hard. Then I came across the EAT CLEAN DIET and wow, talk about life changing. Eating clean is a way of life and it's one your family can do with you. I am not at the 127 marathon weight but I am close, I fluctuate between 130-135 and now I am ready to take it to the next level. I have 3 goals for myself in the next year. 1) to run my second marathon and beat my time of 4:35, 2) run the Ragnar Relay with members of my family, 3) reach my final fitness goal which is to look like an Oxygen mag cover girl! I know running paired with weight training and a good nutrition plan is the key to a happy, healthy, leaner you. It is not going to be easy, there is no magic pill and no quick fix. You need to be ready and willing to make the change for the better, because it is a lifestyle change and it is one only you can make. You will have set backs and downfalls but don't beat yourself up over them, get right back up and keep pushing forward. Don't try to over do it and go all out right off the bat, that will only set you up for failure. Take is slow and one day at a time. You need to set long term and short term goals to help keep you focused. Keeping a food and exercise journal are great ways to help keep you on track. Also put notes on your mirrors and your fridge to remind you what your goals are. So for all you beginners out there I hope I have inspired you in some way to get out there and run!

Training for beginners:

Start out with a walk/run interval mix. Start out with 3 minutes walking/two minutes jogging (not full out running) go for 20 minutes, it makes it out to be 4 intervals. Gradually ramp it up to a ratio of 4 minutes jogging and 1 minute walking until you are able to go for a full 20 minutes jogging. Then you can start increasing speed and time. Do this 3-4 times a week. Make sure to stretch after and drink plenty of fluid. This may take a couple of weeks to work up to but it is the best way so you don't over do it and you wont hate running if you start out slow. Be good to your self and listen to your body.

After you have done this and you think you are ready to try a 5k you can go to Salt Lake Running Co. for some free training programs like the couch to 5k, or a beginners training program for a marathon. If you have any questions for me feel free to write them in the comment section or message me on Facebook. I wish you all the best of luck in your training and clean eating.

Food for thought.........

I just wanted to share this with everyone, really makes you re-think your food choices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbuzsY_34Q

Now go workout!! :)

When is the best time for cardio???

I have read many different article on this and so I thought I would share what I have learned. If you are just wanting to gain endurance or if you are training for something then the time of day really doesn't matter all that much. You need to make sure though that if you are doing a lot of cardio you need to eat a few more good carbs to give you the energy you need to sustain you through your work out and also for the day. Sports drinks are good, also GU or gel blocks, cliff bars things like that are all good if you are going to be doing more than 30 minutes of cardio at a time. But beware if you are doing cardio for weight loss!! Sports drinks and all those other items I mentioned are not going to help you if you are trying to loose weight, they contain extra calories, sugar, carbs, and sodium you do not need for weight loss. The best time to maximize your efforts and make your time on the treadmill or what ever type of cardio you are going to be doing, is in the morning on an empty stomach. This way your body is using fat stored in your body as fuel instead of burning off the food, or coffee etc. you have already eaten. Replenish with lots and lots of water. Diet is also very important!! Make sure you are eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, try to keep your fruit and carbs to early in the day and make your dinner your smallest meal and breakfast your largest, and most importantly KEEP IT CLEAN! Portion control is also very important, meat is roughly the size of your palm, veggies are about a 1 cup serving and fruit a half a cup, carbs about the same size of your meat portion. I never calorie count, I think some people get caught up on calorie counting and therefore don't eat enough food during the day which can backfire on you. If you are not getting in enough calories your body will hold onto the fat in stead of using it for fuel and burn lean muscle instead. This is bad because you need muscle to help burn fat and if you are loosing muscle then you will soft and squishy-skinny fat. Also those diets that make you eat only 500 calories a day are horrible for your health and your body. You might as well be anorexic. Your body, even without doing any type of exercise, can NOT function properly on only 500 calories a day. That is just ridiculous! So make sure if you are doing cardio for endurance and are going for long periods of time you are getting in extra calories and carbs, and if you are going for weight loss you are being careful with your portions, keeping your meals clean, and getting you cardio done in the morning. A little weight training later in the day is good too, it will help to speed up the weight loss!! Happy training and clean eating everyone. :)

Still Here.......

I know I haven't written it a while, there was St. George, then it was the end of school and a lot going on with that, then the yard work, digging, planting etc. I also got sick. So I am still here and doing well. I have been doing the P90X at home instead of going to the gym to work out and I actually really like it! I did start out on the lean version but felt it wasn't just what i wanted so I have now started on the doubles this week. The difference is the lean has a little more cardio and not as much weight training but I like a fair balance of both. The doubles also has you do the ab video 3X's a week instead of 1, and some of the days you do the cardio in the morning and the weights later in the day. So you do more work with the doubles and I am hoping the results will be faster. I guess I just like pain! You do have to commit to it 110%, not just the workouts them selves but the diet is crucial. If you are doing the workout and pushing your self to your limits and then go a little farther but aren't focused on what you are fueling your body with all of the sweat, tear, and pain will have been for nothing. Sad but true, diet is 80% of your fatloss, 10% exercise, and the other 10% genes. SInce diet is a huge portion you really need to spot on and there is no room for error. Ideally you should be eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, each meal must consist of lean protein and complex carbohydrates. I like to try and eat all of my fruit early on in the day as well. Fruit does contain natural sugars so by eating them early you are more likely to burn them off easier. Here is a sample of what I would eat in a day.

Meal 1: 1/2 cup oats (dry measured) mix in 1 tablespoon each wheat germ and ground flax seed. Handful raspberries or blueberries. Protein shake mixed with water
Meal 2: 3 egg whites scrambled season with pepper and garlic powder, mix in 1/2 cup cooked edamame 1 apple
Meal 3: Protein smoothie made with light soy milk, and frozen berries, maybe a banana, or I might make one with a little coffee, banana, and almond butter
Meal 4: Albacore tuna mixed w/1 tea spoon olive oil mayo, pepper and a splash of lemon juice, sliced cucumber and roma tomato and melba toast
Meal 5: 3 stalks celery and 1 table spoon almond butter or all natural Adams peanut butter
Meal 6: Grilled chicken, steamed aspargus, green salad with a balsalmic vinegar dressing

Remember your diet needs to be perfect or your workouts won't mean a thing. It won't always be easy, and you will have bad days, the key is to just get right back on the clean eating path and it will all be worth it in the end.

Week 1 with P90X

As if I don't already push my self and train hard I have decided to give P90X a try. Monday was day 1 for me, I am going to do the lean version for my first 90 days. It is supposed to deliver the most fat loss, so here I go!! Yesterdays workout was a little challenging, but too hard. I am guessing it wasn't too hard because I have done a lot of push-ups, weight training, and cardio in the past. Some of the ab exercises were the ones that gave me the challenge. I am weakest in my core, that is my trouble area, but what do you expect when you have had 2 c-sections where they go in and cut through your muscles right there. I am hoping this P90X will help give me the abs I am craving and have been having a hard time getting to. I did wake up this morning with some sore muscles, my lats, abs, lower back, and glutes are all sore, but I like that sore feeling. I know I am a bit weird... I am continuing to eat as clean as possible while doing this I plan on keeping everyone posted in my progress. Joe is going to take my before pics tonight, and then after my first 90 days, so I will post them together after the 90 days so you can see the comparison. I still plan on running and swimming while doing the P90X, I have to run, I go insane if I can't, same with swimming. I guess I am addicted to them both, I crave the pavement and the pool and I am constantly thinking about it in the back of my mind....I guess there could be worse things to be addicted to right? If any of you out there are also doing P90X I would love to here your feedback, please post a comment!! :) And any one else working out I would love to here what you are doing and how your progress is too. Well good luck to you all, and happy training!

Running through the tears.......

As the week comes to an end and with it the Race for the Cure, I find my self getting very emotional. All this week as I have been running on my treadmill I keep thinking of how Saturday morning will be and the feeling of it, and I can't help but start to cry. I see my friend with her fashionably cute short hair, (Brought on by chemo) and her big beautiful smile that is so contagious. I can't even imagine what it must be like to have to go through such a difficult thing as cancer. Yes, I have had family who have suffered from other forms of this horrible disease, my dad and grandpa both had a form of melanoma on there face, nothing too serious I am happy to say. My mother-in-law also had a form of melanoma, a mouth cancer. She had under gone radiation treatments, had a piece of her tounge removed, and all of her lymph nodes removed. Now she has some bone loss in her jaw because of the radiation, but has been in remission for quite some time now. Thankfully these cases weren't as serious as some of those suffering with breast cancer. These women that will be at the race on saturday are some of the strongest, both physically and mentally, women we will ever meet. Sure running a marathon is a hard, it challenges your body and your mind. It takes months to train for, it's painful at times, and sometimes you just want to throw in the towel and give up, but you dig deeper and keep on going until you reach the finish line. But for those suffering with cancer, some will never see the finish line, no matter how hard they try. These women have to find strength from some place deeper to keep going, and not give up. They put on there game faces so they're loved ones don't see just how painful it is at times. They live each moment as if it's there last, who knows what tomorrow will bring. If you decide you would like to participate there will me registration in the morning on saturday at 7 am, or if you don't want to walk/run just come and support these fabulous women. I will be there running with tears I am sure. Remember these women are some ones Mother, Sister, Aunt, Daughter, Wife, Partner, Friend, HERO. Please support the cause.....