Day #32

Day #32

Can you believe we only have 15 days to go? Two-thirds of the way done! Wahoo! Which really means I get to go on vacation very soon! Since I had a "Cheat" day on Sunday, I didn't weigh in on Monday. However...I did weigh in today. 8 POUNDS LOST in 4 weeks and 4 days! Hopefully the results of that last cheat day will be apparent on Monday when I weigh in again! I can't wait for the final tally of all my inches, body fat and pounds...you know the info that is on the sticky note under my keyboard! Is that where you put yours?

Today my calories totaled 1253 of deliciousness.  I did an hour of Zumba with my "peeps" today! That was fun. :) Then I did a 25-minute intense weight-lifting circuit and 10 minutes of HIIT. (Just for fun...NOT!)

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Cream, Heavy Whipping	Breakfast	2	Tablespoons	100
Cookies N Cream Atkins Bar	Breakfast	1	Serving	180
Baby Spring Mix	Lunch	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Lunch	0.333	Pound	195
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	90
Cabbage, Shredded, Cooked	Dinner	0.5	Cup	17
Onion, Yellow, Chopped	Dinner	0.25	Cup	16
Peas, Green, Cooked	Dinner	0.125	Cup	17
Soy Sauce, Low Sodium	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	10
Oil, Sesame	Dinner	0.25	Tablespoon	30
Oil, Olive, Extra Virgin	Dinner	0.5	Tablespoon	60
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Dinner	1	Tablespoon	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Dinner	4	Ounces	147
Egg Whites, Large, Ckd	Dinner	1	Each	25
Fit Frappe	Snacks	1	Scoop	60
Coconut, Unsweetened, Dried	Snacks	2	Tablespoons	61
Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy	Snacks	1	Tablespoon	95
Almonds, Coco Roast	Snacks	0.333	Ounce	50

How about some more exercises? This first one might be one you know of already! 

This is called a Bicycle. It's a great exercise for your entire abdomen! What you want to really focus on is actually touching your elbow to your opposite knee. It engages more of your obliques.
  I always say, "Hi Right Knee....I'm the Left Elbow--Nice to meet you."
True Story. Seriously. Ask my clients.

Continue to alternate (like you're pedaling a bicycle) for 30 seconds at a time.

 This next exercise is an upper/lower combination. You might select a light weight for this (like 5lbs) as we are going to use our shoulders and triceps.

Start standing with your feet a little more than should width apart.  (Dumbbells in hand!)

Squat down, keeping the majority of your weight through your heels. (Keep your chin up!)

Stand back up pressing your hands up and over your head (working your shoulders here).

Once your hands make it to the top-focus on keeping your elbows facing the front.

Slowly lower your hands back

Raise your hands back up (working your triceps--remember to keep you elbows stationary.)

Finally bring your hands back down beside your side! That was ONE. Repeat 15 times.
Try to make this all in one controlled fluid movement.

I hope you enjoy trying these exercises. I look forward to your feedback. How many new exercises have you learned in the last few days?

Day #31-Slide away!

Happy Wednesday!
Today was a stressful day. I tend to want to eat a lot when I get stressed. I say..."Self" (Remember, that's what I call myself)  "Mind over matter--Food does not control you." And then I assess the situation. Am I hungry? Am I bored? Am I thirsty? What is my reason for eating? Have you asked yourself these questions lately?
I was a little under on my calories today, just about 1150. But Stress can make you do funny things.

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Cream, Heavy Whipping	Breakfast	2	Tablespoons	100
Cookies N Cream Atkins Bar	Breakfast	1	Serving	180
Baby Spring Mix	Lunch	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Lunch	0.333	Pound	195
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	90
Beans, Green	Lunch	1	Cup	34
chicken salad	Dinner	1	Serving	123
Egg Whites, Large, Ckd	Dinner	1	Each	25
Egg, Hard Boiled, Whole, Large	Dinner	1	Each	78
Baby Spring Mix	Dinner	2	Cups	10
Cucumber, Fresh, Med	Dinner	1	Cup	16
Almonds, Coco Roast	Snacks	1	Ounce	150
Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy	Snacks	1	Tablespoon	95

How did the exercises from yesterday go? Did they go anywhere or just in one ear and out the other? So for today I have a fun little group of exercises using a simple household item! Many people have these and use them for the intended purpose--moving furniture...NOT US! We've created a whole slew of exercises revolving around this simple tool!

These have been called so many things- Magic Movers,  EZ Sliders, Mighty Movers, etc. We call them "The Sliders".
They are available at most stores, (only $1 for a pair at the Dollar Tree) and you only need 2!

 We are going to do just 3 today: an upper body, lower body and mid-section exercise. Let's get started!

Trisha's got a big ol' butt...oh yeah... (Did you just sing that in your head? If you did you were ALIVE in the 90's!)
OK-This exercise is for our abdomen. Your knees are on the ground and your elbows are on  "The Sliders".

Your knees stay stationary and you slide your elbows out as far as you can go.
Slowly slide your elbows back to the starting position.
Continue this back and forth movement for 30 seconds.

This second exercise is for our upper body/chest. Start with your hands on the sliders and your knees on the ground.

Slowly slide your hands apart and come down to a push-up position.
Then slowly slide your hand back together and straighten your arms into the beginning position.
Try to do 30 seconds if you can or 12 nice and slow!

This is an awesome exercise for the quads, buns and hamstrings.
Start with one foot on the ground and one foot on the slider.

 

Slowly slide the foot on the slider back, bending the front knee.
(Just be sure the front knee does not go past your toe)
Complete this exercise by sliding your foot back to the beginning position.
Continue for 30 seconds. Then switch the slider to the other foot and repeat!

Hopefully these are some you can do in the comfort of your own home! More variations to come this week! Let me know how these go!

Day #30-Exercises for you to try!

WOWZA, it's been 30 days! Except for that little sna-foo on Sunday, I've been here EVERY DAY! I had an awesome HIIT workout today. I should take a before/after HIIT workout picture. Before, I'm lookin' all cute and spunky...after, I look like a drowned rat! All it takes is 20 minutes--BUT, I know my body thanks me for it! 

My total calories for the day were 1260- not too bad. And guess what- No tacos tonight. weird....woa.

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Choc Chip Atkins Bar	Breakfast	1	Serving	200
Cream, Half & Half, Traditional	Breakfast	2	Tablespoons	40
Baby Spring Mix	Lunch	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Lunch	0.333	Pound	195
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	90
Bacon, Cooked	Lunch	1	Piece	43
Beans, Green	Lunch	1	Cup	34
Baby Spring Mix	Dinner	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Dinner	0.333	Pound	195
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Dinner	1	Tablespoon	45
Bacon, Cooked	Dinner	1	Piece	43
Beans, Green	Dinner	1	Cup	34
Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy	Snacks	1	Tablespoon	95
Coconut, Unsweetened, Dried	Snacks	2	Tablespoons	61
Almonds, Coco Roast	Snacks	0.5	Ounce	75

Hey, so for today I have finally gotten some exercises put together for you: One for your lower body, upper body and abdomen! As with all NEW things, please consult your physician before starting an exercise or dietary program! 

1.5 LBT's--(Little Bun Touches)

Name

Type

Quantity

Units

Calories

Choc Chip Atkins Bar

Breakfast

1

Serving

200

Cream, Half & Half, Traditional

Breakfast

2

Tablespoons

40

Baby Spring Mix

Lunch

2

Cups

10

Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light

Lunch

2

Tablespoons

45

Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)

Lunch

0.333

Pound

195

Nuts, Almonds, Slivered

Lunch

2

Tablespoons

90

Bacon, Cooked

Lunch

1

Piece

43

Beans, Green

Lunch

1

Cup

34

Baby Spring Mix

Dinner

2

Cups

10

Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light

Dinner

2

Tablespoons

45

Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)

Dinner

0.333

Pound

195

Nuts, Almonds, Slivered

Dinner

1

Tablespoon

45

Bacon, Cooked

Dinner

1

Piece

43

Beans, Green

Dinner

1

Cup

34

Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy

Snacks

1

Tablespoon

95

Coconut, Unsweetened, Dried

Snacks

2

Tablespoons

61

Almonds, Coco Roast

Snacks

0.5

Ounce

75

Starting Position for LBT's.
FYI: Not the technical name (Chair squats is the technical name...but it's NOT nearly as fun to say!)

Keep your weight through your heels, bringing your "little buns" down to "TOUCH" the chair. (We aren't sitting or taking the weight off our feet. Just a quick touch of the buns.) 

Come UP half way

Go back to the chair and TOUCH your Little Buns again.

Finally, Stand up!. That's it. Repeat as rapidly as you can for 30 seconds!

Tricep Dips

Try to keep your elbows from pointing out when you lower your body down.

To protect your shoulders, try not to go past a 90 degree angle.
If you can, repeat for 30 seconds...or just start off with three sets of 12.

Modified Tricep Dips

It is easier if you bend you knees.

Once again--Try not to go past a 90 degree angle.

THE PLANK

Elbows under your shoulders, tuck your belly button to your spine,  curl your toes under and lift your body off the floor in a nice straight line. Try to hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute. It's a difficult core exercise, but OH so beneficial. Hold it as long as you can, and then try to increase as you get stronger. (If you start to feel this in your low back, really focus on your belly button  being tied to your spine.
Weak abdominal muscles often trigger low back pain. Start off slow!)

This is my "Eh?" face I gave Chad when he told me to do a punching plank.
My answer...."Shah....right..." 

I hope these exercises help! We'll do a major muscle group each day this week. I tried to select exercises that required NO special tools or very inexpensive tools. Dumbbells are almost always necessary (or at least a band.) More to come tomorrow! Until then, try these and give me your feedback!

Blessings,
Trisha

OOPS! Day #29

No need to call the missing persons unit…I am BACK! I had to take yesterday off writing. Not that I don’t love you peeps…I DO! I just had 945,367 things to do this weekend and I couldn’t finish my blog. (Sometimes you’ve got to pick and choose, you know?) 

I got all my exercise pics taken, just waiting on the edit and then I can post them for y’all!

As far as my diet goes, I finished up my cheat day yesterday by cooking for over 35 people! I AM TIRED! Today I had about 1220 calories. I made a change to my typical Monday morning--I actually snagged a couple of those Egg "muffins" on my way to work! (Good thing about keeping a food log: When you write down your food, and review it, you realize you have a sneaky issue with forgetting breakfast on Monday mornings!) And for my exercise, I ended up only having one Zumba class, which was just fine for this tired body! 

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Cream, Half & Half, Traditional	Breakfast	4	Tablespoons	80
Egg Muffin bake	Breakfast	2	Each	156
Beef, Flank Steak, Lean, Cooked	Lunch	3	Ounces	165
Baby Spring Mix	Lunch	2	Cups	10
Beans, Green	Lunch	1	Cup	34
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Lunch	1	Tablespoon	23
Egg Whites, Large, Ckd	Dinner	2	Each	50
Egg, Hard Boiled, Whole, Large	Dinner	1	Each	78
Cheese, Cheddar, Shredded	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	57
Guacamole, Spicy	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	54
Bacon, Cooked	Dinner	4	Pieces	173
Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy	Snacks	2	Tablespoons	190
Almonds, Coco Roast	Snacks	1	Ounce	150

I also co-write our weekly fitness newsletter and it went out today—Let me share a portion of that with you right now! Some of these I know I’ve mentioned before, this is just a concise recap!

10 Quick Fitness Tips

1) Have a clear goal that anyone in the world can measure and understand.

2) Decrease/eliminate simple carbs. They do nothing for you outside of creating a favorable environment for gaining fat. 

3) Eat more veggies. They fill you up, without providing many calories. Just avoid the high fat/high calorie dressings. 

4) Lift weights. Build more muscle, burn more calories. 

5) Cut down rest time between sets. This will keep your heart rate elevated causing an increase in calories burned.

6) Do intervals. No more strolls through the park. Study after study after study continues to show intervals are more effective (and in less time). And physically just look at the body of a sprinter vs. the body of a marathoner.

7) Eat more protein. Replacing refined carbohydrates with lean protein will not only help satiate you, but will also increase your metabolism, through something called the thermic effect of food. 

8) Supplement with fish oil. A study published in Lipids fed mice diets enhanced EPA and DHA (fish oil). The researchers learned that the mice fed diets higher in omega-3 fats had significantly less accumulation of body fat. Other studies have shown similar results. 

9) Self monitor. Keep a journal. There's no better way to track what you're putting in your mouth. 

10) Weigh and measure foods. You won't know how much you're eating unless you pull out the food scale, measuring cups and spoons.

I'll be back tomorrow and I hope you will too! And remember...

Remind your children!

Day #27

Day #27

I know I’ve mentioned that I love to grocery shop. The absolute worst stop for me is the checkout lane. 

The immense amount of sugary delights is almost more than I can bear! But I did...I left it all in the lane!

Yes…I had more than 394 calories. It’s just been 2 weeks since my last cheat day! Wahoo!! I started a cheat day tonight for dinner! THANK GOODNESS I STASHED SOME JOLLY RANCHER JELLY BEANS!! I’m not saying that’s all I ate for dinner; it was just included in my meal!

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Cream, Heavy Whipping	Breakfast	1	Tablespoon	50
Fit Frappe	Breakfast	1	Scoop	60
Baby Spring Mix	Lunch	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Lunch	0.25	Pound	147
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Lunch	0.5	Tablespoon	23
Fit Frappe	Snacks	1	Scoop	60

We did a 30/20 cardio workout today in the living room! 30 Seconds of fast paced cardio: jumping jacks, boxing, burpees, mountain climbers, walkouts, etc. followed by 20 seconds of rest. Try 20 minutes of that and let me know what you think!!

Day #26 Time vs. Days

Sometimes, when you are new to working out; it’s easier to set a time goal instead of a day goal for your exercise week. Once you are already in the act of exercising it’s easier to stay just a bit longer, rather than coming back another time.  For example:  Instead of saying “I need to do three days of 30 minutes of exercise” you might say, “I would like to accomplish 90 minutes of exercise this week.”  That way, when you have just finished 30 minutes of weightlifting, it’s a lot easier to just stay and do 10-20 minutes of HIIT, rather than come back again tomorrow! Slowly increase your minutes until you can increase your days. Remember 90 minutes is 90 minutes—No matter how you split it!

My total calorie consumption for the day was 1248. Is anyone else bored with what I'm eating? Maybe I should hold a little drawing or competition with the prize being a cooking class with...yours truly! Any takers?

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Egg Muffin bake	Breakfast	2	Each	156
Cream, Heavy Whipping	Breakfast	2	Tablespoons	100
Cabbage, Shredded, Cooked	Lunch	1.5	Cups	52
Onion, Yellow, Chopped	Lunch	0.25	Cup	16
Peas, Green, Cooked	Lunch	0.125	Cup	17
Soy Sauce, Low Sodium	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	10
Oil, Sesame	Lunch	0.25	Tablespoon	30
Oil, Olive, Extra Virgin	Lunch	0.5	Tablespoon	60
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Lunch	3	Ounces	110
Broccoli, Stmd, Chopped	Lunch	1	Cup	55
Baby Spring Mix	Dinner	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	45
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Dinner	0.25	Pound	147
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	90
Cucumber, Fresh, Med	Dinner	0.5	Cup	8
Coconut, Unsweetened, Dried	Snacks	4	Tablespoons	122
Almonds, Coco Roast	Snacks	1	Ounce	150
Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy	Snacks	0.75	Tablespoon	71

Many times, when we see other people’s “success” we imagine it was a quick and easy road. The fact is, to achieve a goal or success it takes a lot more time, tries and toughness than we can picture. No goal was ever met without a little sweat!

My little sister—the awesome photographer—is going to be in town this weekend! I’m going to have her take a bunch of pics for my exercise tutorial! Stay tuned.

Oh…and GO SHOX!

Day #25- Short & Sweet

Day #25

Quick post tonight! I’m still working on pictures of exercises…I need an assistant. Does anyone out there have an assistant? Is it all it’s cracked up to be? I would imagine it is! J I struggle with just keeping my counters clean enough to set stuff on…let alone typing a blog every day!!

I did teach a 55-minute Zumba class today, so chalk that up to some good fun cardio! I had a total of 1226 calories. (All of which were delicious!)

Name	Type	Quantity	Units	Calories
Cream,	Breakfast	1	Tablespoon	50
Choc Chip Atkins Bar	Breakfast	1	Serving	200
Ground Beef, 90% Lean	Lunch	0.25	Pound	246
Guacamole, Spicy	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	54
Baby Spring Mix	Lunch	2	Cups	10
Balsamic Vinaigrette - Light	Lunch	2	Tablespoons	45
Cucumber, Fresh, Med	Lunch	0.5	Cup	8
Cabbage, Shredded, Cooked	Dinner	1.5	Cups	52
Onion, Yellow, Chopped	Dinner	0.25	Cup	16
Peas, Green, Cooked	Dinner	0.125	Cup	17
Soy Sauce, Low Sodium	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	10
Oil, Sesame	Dinner	0.25	Tablespoon	30
Oil, Olive, Extra Virgin	Dinner	0.5	Tablespoon	60
Nuts, Almonds, Slivered	Dinner	2	Tablespoons	90
Chicken Fillets (Mesquite Grilled)	Dinner	4	Ounces	147
Egg Whites, Large, Ckd	Dinner	2	Each	50
Peanut Butter, Natural, Creamy	Snacks	1.5	Tablespoons	143

Seriously… I’m not very motivating or motivated today. I keep telling myself to get my head in the game. It’s so easy to let busyness consume your every  second.

So with that, I say—Get your mind right and your body tight!