Saturday, April 30, 2011

A cold hit me with a vengeance Friday night. Nobody enjoys being sick but I absolutely HATE it. Makes me mad, it's annoying and gets in the way of my busy schedule. After writing my last blog post this morning I decided that I really needed to work out today... I used handy dandy Google to do a little research on working out while sick and various sources actually said that not only can exercising while sick shorten the duration of a cold but being sick also makes you have BETTER workouts. Top strength coach Bill Starr states that training while sick "…helps flush useful healing nutrients through the body and aids in expelling toxins." Starr also says that when sick, ones immune system releases loads and loads of antibodies "to combat the invading toxins and microorganisms. Those antibodies are strength enhancers. This is especially true in the early stages of any illness." Who woulda thought that?? SO with that said, I am about to go and put Mr. Starrs theories to the test...

Mid-Quarter Crisis.

About half way through each quarter at school I have what I call a mid-quarter crisis; a period of a few days in which I basically freak out about how much I have to do over the remainder of the term.  It never fails to happen. I am going through one right now. Not only am I having a panic attack about papers, exams, work and bills but this quarter I am also freaking out about my thighs. It just recently dawned on me that it is about to be the beginning of May and my body is still “not so bikini ready”. My tummy still jiggles and my thighs are still plagued by “orange peel syndrome”. Cellulite is my enemy and it is still winning the war I declared against it a few months ago. How do I get rid of the lumps and bumps of stored fat that 80-90% of women have? It seems impossible. Apparently cellulite is just stored fat, so in theory, if you had zero body fat, you would have zero cellulite. Having zero body fat is an unattainable goal though and even if it were possible would actually be bad for ones body. As I have learned, body fat is necessary for a number of things, for example, many vitamins are fat soluble, so without fat your body wouldn’t be able to receive such nutrients. Also, body fat acts as insulation for organs, amongst other things and prevents loss of necessary body heat. Anyway, where I am going with this is that I am struggling with getting my percent body fat down. Looking back at the goals I set myself in January, I was hoping to have 20-24% body fat by June 3rd and a weight of 120lbs. Currently my body fat is around 27% and my weight is fluctuating between 126lbs and 129lbs. What this means is that I have to try to lose 3-7% body fat and 9 more pounds in like one month. How am I going to pull this off? Can you see why I am freaking out? Nevertheless, I am still determined to make this happen. The major thing standing in the way of me and my goal is my diet. I’ve said this numerous times now. I know it is my diet because when I eat really well for a week (meaning no junk food at all, proper portions, frequent snacking instead of a couple big meals) I see results. When I eat badly, I don’t see them and my weight goes back up. I know it is okay to eat junk food every now and then, but my every now and then just recently has been like every other day. OR as I did yesterday, I will eat REALLY well during the day, and then at ten o’clock at night say screw it and kill a pizza and a bag of skittles. I REALLY need to get this under control STAT. I think first thing Monday morning I need to schedule my last dietitian session and see if they can help me get back on track. When June 3rd roles around I don’t want to be bummed out, regretting not working hard enough. Beating my goal would be so much more rewarding than the 15 minutes of gratification I get from downing a bag of candy.

Monday, April 25, 2011

My goal for this week is ten hours of cardio. I slacked on working out soooo bad last week.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I didn't have time to get a workout in at the rec this morning so I did squats and standing leg raises in the shower . This is probably hazardous, especially to me, and I probably shouldn't do it again haha :)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Weight Loss Improves Memory, Research Reveals

As a psychology & pharmacy student I am constantly reading research articles. I found one the other day that I thought was quite interesting... A recent study found that weight loss may improve concentration and actually make you smarter! I have to say that I have noticed a significant difference in my ability to stay focused in class since I've lost weight. This goes to show that there are many more benefits to working out than just a sexy bod.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/weight-loss-improves-memory-research-reveals/story?id=13383600

im stuck again...

For the past ten days my weight has been bouncing around between 126 and 129. Now I know what some of you are thinking (at least whats going through Ashlee my trainers head)... What Ashlee would tell me is to quit weighing myself so often. Its not so much the bouncing up and down thats bugging me because I know now that it is normal for body weight to slightly fluctuate, the thing that is annoying me is that my weight is not coming off the way I want it to. The thing is, I know why. It is because of my diet. When I finally broke the 130 lb mark it was because I was being extremely careful with my diet. I was eating exactly what I needed to be eating, at the right times, in the right portions. I was eating lots of fruits and vegetables and making sure I was drinking lots and lots of water throughout the day. For the past 10 days I've been eating like crap and have been eating out WAY too much, for example, over the past week and a half I have had:

  • Chipotle 
  • Maggianos 
  • Penn station
  • Chick Fil A
  • Jimmy Johns
  • Sobe, Gatorade, lemonade and even Starbucks.
Now that I see this list I am almost disgusted. 

Another problem: I am starting to see a trend in my eating habits. Ill eat really well for two weeks and lose some weight and then I go on an eating spree. Maybe its time to meet with my dietitian again. I need to learn to eat bad food in moderation. Eating out is okay every now and then, but not five times in ten days...

Ashlee, 

As my personal trainer I need you to yell at me when you see me today. I need a kick in the a**. Do not be nice to me, ask me what the heck I am doing and tell me that I need to get back on track.

Thanks,

Kirsty

 

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Wanna know what I just realized? I'm going to be able to fit into any Halloween costume I want this year =] =] =] lol

Friday, April 15, 2011

i would never work out past like 7 pm before, I used the excuse that it was too late . but no . it was exactly that, just an excuse . it's not too late . excuses won't get u results.
browsing profiles on bodyspace.com trying to get some motivation to go to the gym tonight . it's working . im determined to have a body like some of the girls on here . check out the website !

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

i was sooooo so soooo close to buying a white chocolate mocha from starbucks just now... but I didn't do itttttt.... only because i forgot all of my money at home today though haha it was a sign i was not meant to consume all those calories

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

"failing to plan is planning to fail"
"Preconceived notions about your routine can make it feel either less difficult or harder," says Shaun Goodsell, a sports performance coach . With that said, think positive thoughts like, "working out makes me feel healthier, accomplished and gives me energy for my day."
I just loveeeeeee waking up early to workout (not) . i . need . sleep .

Monday, April 4, 2011

i just prepared alllll of my food for tomorrow .. and for my dad too! spreading healthiness one packed lunch at a time . oh and I also put together little baggies full of celery sticks for the rest of the week . there's a first time for everything haha
I went to kroger tonight and was so proud of what I left with. I spent the entire time reading labels. I sooooo badly wanted to instruct people on what to buy haha
I know I had a good workout when it hurts to hold my hair dryer up for longer than like 20 seconds haha

Sunday, April 3, 2011

watching all these hot boys workout = def a plus of gym seshes haa ;)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

laying in bed reading a fitness magazine getting inspiration for today's workout . something about seeing peoples success stories and peoples super sexy bods makes me wanna go hit the gym hard

Friday, April 1, 2011

129, I am SO happy to see you !!!!

Sooo, I didn't totally fall off the face of the Earth but it was pretty close haha . Seriously for the past like two weeks my schedule has been as follows: wake up super early, go to the gym for a couple hours, head to work, babysit, go home and pass out .  repeat . repeat . repeat . I can't believe its already April 1st, time is just flyingggggg by, its crazy for me to think that I have been doing this thing for 3 months now!

Its also crazy for me to think about how far I have come over the past few months. Thus far, 2011 has proved to be a year of learning and has been filled with lots of great experiences. This morning I finally broke the 130lb mark and I can't tell you how great it feels to finally see 129 on the scale. I have officially gone from a size 12-14 to a size 6. I love this. I love that I can go into every store in the mall and find jeans that fit me. I went shopping the other day and caught myself purposely choosing size 12 jeans off the rack and trying them on just to get the satisfaction out of them being way too big for me now. I love that I am starting to see definition in my muscles. I love the shape my butt is finally starting to take...


I do have to say that I've been doing a much better job working out. I can't believe I'm about to say this but I am actually starting to enjoy it... I'm nowhere near head over heels in love with working out yet but my relationship is definitely blossoming haha.

My biggest struggle at the moment is definitely my diet. Surprisingly, my problem is not that I'm eating too much but the complete opposite. I'm actually having trouble eating enough. By no means am I starving myself, I am just having trouble eating enough of what I really need each day, such as vegetables. Let me tell you, it is really difficult to eat 5 servings of vegetables a day. Besides not consuming enough veggies I am still slacking in other areas. Ive come to learn that it is very important that your daily food intake is made up of a certain amount of each carbs, fat, and protein. I am having a bit of trouble balancing this each day. Some days I eat too many cabs and not enough protein, other days its too much fat... Although its unrealistic to measure exact nutritional intake every day for the rest of my life I think that it is going to be very important for me to do over the next two months to lose my last ten pounds... 

A big part of my diet struggle is due to my lack of preparing food in advance. Although I have been a lot better about packing lunches over the past two weeks it is still difficult for me to do. It shouldn't be. This is something that I definitely need to work on. Being on the go so much, I always would tend to grab snacks and meals from gas stations and convenience stores. This is bad because rarely do these places ever have unprocessed foods... I've also come to learn that its bad to wait until you're hungry to decide what you want to eat because often times, at least in my case, I will just eat the most convenient thing available which is usually something unhealthy. Eating healthy definitely takes a little extra effort but it is totally worth it.

Over the next two months I really have to crack down. I need to be more strict with my diet. No more Chinese take-outs. No more late night chocolate binges (they haven't been frequent occurrences but they have taken place and it has to stop) Like I said above, i'm not eating horribleeee, i'm eating pretty well to maintain a healthy diet. The problem is though that I need to be eating for weight loss, not maintenance. Over the next two months I need to be eating really, really, really, well.