Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Ugh - The Eating Continues

Honestly, I don’t know what the heck is wrong with me.  I’ve been eating like a pig… just 2 weeks ago I was rejoicing in dropping 12 pounds almost and tonight I was laying on my couch eating an entire tub of spice drops - a TUB I say… you know the ones that have like 1000 spice drops in it?  Yep, ate it.  My neighbor gave it to me as a little token of appreciation for helping her out with her computer.  Some token :( I haven’t eaten sugar and I can’t tell you how long and I figured I’d just have a few, but I didn’t stop till there was like only 20 left and THEN I put it away.  Not when there were like 200 left, nope, just 20.  This was after I ate doritos which I bought at the grocery store after a moment of weakness.  It is the classic case of deprivation.  I deprived myself for so long and then I just went nuts. 

I’ve been really stressed lately and food has certainly become my comfort.  You know, it’s funny.  I help write this blog along with Queenie and she is losing mondo weight and here I am struggling time after time after time.  I research this stuff - I KNOW what to do and what not to do, and yet I can’t seem to break free from my obesity.  Honestly, I’m ready to give up.  I’m ready to accept the fact that I’m fat and will always be fat.  It’s just so frustrating.  I guess as co-writer for this blog I shouldn’t be admiting this, but the fact is I’m not much different from you all that struggle.  I have my moments of complete and utter failure just like everyone else.  I just have to own up to the fact that I can’t give you guys advice if I can’t follow it on my own. 

I want you all to know how much I try - I really do!  I have good intentions every single morning but then they fall to the wayside every time food is involved.  I do good for a month and then I spend 3 months screwing up.  I wonder if that is why you are all deserting us… are you fed up with reading advice and tips from a person that can’t seem to follow her own advice?  I wonder if maybe you are all mocking me every time you click onto this site… or can you relate?  I really don’t know honestly.  I just don’t know.  I’m so sick of being sick and tired.  I’m so sick of being fat.  I just don’t know how much work I can do anymore to take off the weight.  I feel like I have been dieting my whole life - and it is never going to end, and tonight, maybe just for tonight, I can’t deal with it.  Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up and it’ll be another day and I’ll feel totally different and want to get back on the wagon again… I can only hope! 

Sorry for the venting - I just needed to get my frustrations out.  If you are having some of the same issues I would love to hear about it… sometimes I feel so alone in failure that it is hard to believe that I’m not the only obese person the world :(

Monday, June 30, 2008

Ready For The Beach Yet?

Say the word “bikini” and most of us will still cringe with fear. It’s okay, we’re all scared, and if you weren’t one of those people who faithfully stuck to their resolution of getting in shape this year, you can still survive the harsh conditions of those intimidating environments… the beach, or pool, or party. Following this workout plan will not only make you comfortable in that hot pink bikini, it will make you the hottest one on the already searing beach.

One of the most important parts of any workout is the cardio. Cardio can be anything that incorporates your whole body and keeps your heart pumping for a sustained period of time. Some great examples include running, swimming, cycling, and even walking. Make sure to do at least 30 minutes of cardio three to five times a week. Without this cardio, you could workout for months and still see no results because your new sleek and toned muscles are hiding under some fat.

These workouts weren’t numbered in an order that rated them from best to worst, they are all equally important when taking the full body into consideration. They are grouped according to areas of the body; the first three address the upper body, the second three address the abs, and the last four address every inch of the lower body. This workout schedule can be flexible - if you know exactly what needs work, just pick the exercises according to what area they effect. If you just know your whole body needs work, you can follow a plan like this sample: Monday, Wednesday, Friday follow the ab workouts, Tuesday and Thursday follow the upper and lower body workouts. Each workout can be done 12-15 times to complete one set, and three sets should be completed. Another example could be completing the entire workout two to three times a week on non-consecutive days, still doing 12-15 reps of each workout but only completing one to two sets. So good luck! After doing this workout for a month you’ll feel confident peeling off those winter sweats - you’ve already peeled off the winter pounds.

The exercises:

Reverse fly: upper and middle back - Sit on a chair facing the back of it, arms out in front of you at shoulder height holding dumbbells with palms facing inward. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, bring your arms out to your sides. To make sure you are doing it correctly make sure that your shoulder blades are getting closer together. Hold for a count of two, return and repeat.

Incline push-up: chest, arms, shoulders - Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a bench with legs out behind you. Lower your chest toward the bench keeping your body straight making the elbows bend to a 90° angle. Come up, straightening arms and repeat.

Tricep dip: triceps (back of arms), shoulders - This exercise can be done sitting at a bench, bed, couch, etc. Sitting at the edge of your bench place your hands directly next to your hips (your hands should be at the edge). Keeping your hands in place, lift your butt and walk out a bit from the bench. Bend down so both your knees and elbows are bent (your back should be close to the end of the bench but not touching). Your elbows should be about 90°. From this position push your body up straightening your arms and hold. Bend down again and repeat.

Full-Body crunch: upper and lower abs - Lie on the floor face up with legs together and extended and arms extended above your head (still on floor). Keeping arms and legs straight, bring hands toward feet making sure to squeeze your abs. Hold for a count of two and repeat.

Hanging leg lift: lower abs - Lying on your back on a bed or bench letting your legs hang off (your butt should be at the end of the bed) bring your legs up forming a 90° angle. Slowly lower your legs and bring them back up making sure to use your abs instead of your legs and keeping your legs in the angle. Repeat.Oblique side bends: obliques (love handles)? Stand up straight with legs shoulder width apart. Holding a dumbbell in your right hand, palm in, bend to the right as far as you can making sure to bend only at waist. Return to start, repeat, then switch sides.

Butt bridge: butt, back of thighs - Lie on the floor face up with knees bent pointing up and feet flat, arms at your sides. Raise your hips from the floor as high as you can without bending your back. At the top of the movement hold for a count of two, squeezing your butt. Lower and repeat.

Walking lunges: thighs, butt - This exercise calls for some space, so try a hallway, big room, outdoors, etc. Standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart slowly step forward with your right leg. Keeping your left foot where it was, bend down so both of your knees make a 90° angle (make sure to stay upright and your right knee doesn’t go out further than the toes on your right foot). Then pick up your left leg and walk forward bending the same way. Continue alternating.

Chair squats: butt, thighs - With a chair behind you stand with your feet hip-width apart. Slowly bend down until your butt grazes the chair then, pushing through your butt, bring yourself back up so your legs are straight. Repeat.

Straight-leg deadlifts: hamstrings (back of thighs), lower back, butt - Stand up straight with legs shoulder-width apart. Arms should be straight in front of body holding dumbbells with an overhand grip. Slowly lower the dumbbells towards the ground, making sure to keep the back straight. Legs should also be straight but a slight bend is okay. Lift the weight back up placing the focus on your butt and the back of your thighs.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Killer Tomatoes

My great state was put on the list of states that have been affected by the recent salmonella outbreak. We weren’t just put on the list once...but twice. They had Florida on the list, then took us off the list only to turn around a day later and put us right back on the list. I did not worry about this outbreak for my family though. Because the tomatoes that we use are vine ripes. They weren’t on the list of potentially damning fruits. This did make me think about my choices for fruits and veggies. And it also made me look into some options for being able to avoid worries like Salmonella in the future.

The most simple solution would be to grow your own. Now, I know that many of you probably just rolled your eyes and groaned really loud. Didn’t you? I am here to tell you that it’s not that hard. Several veggies and fruits can be grown in pots right on your patio or in a back corner of your yard. No matter where you live. All you need are some deep containers and really good organic soil. Both can be purchased from your local home improvement store. Most of those home improvement stores even have decent plant starts for you to pick up as well. Even if you have never gardened before in your life...you can do it successfully. Here are some hints:

• Patio tomatoes are great starter idea for a new gardener. Especially if you are using pots. The plants stay smaller and produce tons of fruit.
• If possible, use organic vegetable soil mixes. Many of these already have fertilizer in them that will keep you from burning up your plants. It costs a little more but worth it if you really have no clue what you are doing.
• The great thing with a container garden is that you can move things around. If your plants aren’t getting enough sun in one location, you can simply slide them over to another.
• Container gardens can be transported from one house to another and brought inside during bad weather or a change of season. They can also be started indoors during the colder months to give you a jump start on the growing season.
• It’s much less expensive to get a container garden started. You start out small and figure out what works for you. Maybe you are like me and can’t grow a pepper to save your life. I didn’t lose 10 feet of my yard to figure this out, only 2 pots.
• It’s a great way to try new things too. You may have an urge to try eggplant but just can’t fathom buying one. Try growing your own instead.
• Fresh veggies and fruits just taste better. When you actually grow them yourself, they taste even BETTER.
• If you do have yard space, try planting your veggies and other growing edibles within your landscape. Most plants will blend in very well and you will have things growing without having to “give up” any yard. (More on this idea in another post)

There you have it. Grab your garden gloves and hit the dirt. Not only will it burn calories and relax your mind, you will be able to avoid the worry of the killer tomatoes. Happy Gardening.