jademermaid | Entries tagged with workouts

So today I moved from stage one of the Sparkpeople program to stage two. I was a little worried over whether or not I should do it, because I wasn't really sure what the changes would be, but basically the program just gives you new goals to work on every once in a while. My first one is portion control, and I'm putting this here because I thought it was helpful:

* Use smaller plates and bowls. There's a proven link between the perceived size of food and appetite.
* Order an appetizer as an entree. Remember to stay away from fried foods though.
* Order from the lunch menu at dinnertime.
* Leftovers are okay. Ask the server to wrap up half your meal before bringing it out.
* Order smaller sizes such as a half-order of pasta or a "petite" cut of meat. Even so, portions may still be hefty. It's not unusual for a "smaller" portion of meat to be an 8-ounce serving. A good portion size of meat is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.
* Pay attention to what you're eating. You'll eat more if you're mindlessly grazing or staring at the TV.
* Learn to read food labels, but be careful. Serving sizes can be misleading (for example, a can of cola is technically two servings.)

I've already been using smaller plates, and drinking only half of a soda on the rare occasions that I want one. I've also tried to eat slower. That's hard. Eating quickly was just how I grew up, Dad always ate quickly, so I did too. Then when I was working in clubs, I only had a short time to eat between sets, so I'd wolf it down and have just enough time to fix my makeup and change. That was a long time ago, but I still carry the habit with me. So, eating slower is going to be a hard one, but I'm going to really try and work on this, I am sure it will help to eat slower.

By the way, I guess I've inspired a few people to head on over to Spark and sign up, which is great! If you make a Spark page, I can add you as a friend, so make sure to do that when you sign up!

Hey, you guys remember the Yourself! Fitness game I was doing? Well I dusted it off, because I remembered it had a cardio option, and I've been using it the past two days. I've started substituting some of her moves that bother my knee with bellydance shimmies or Leslie Sansone steps and I really enjoy it again. The good thing about Yourself! is that you can see the exercise changes coming, and it keeps your time for you. It even logs your progress, so I updated the weight and ability info there too. I'm one pound heavier now than I was when I stopped doing it last time, and if I remember right, that took me a long time! It's only been a week and a half with Spark, so that speaks with results. I think the fact that I'm doing cardio every day is a huge difference, not to mention keeping track of the food I eat.

I've always been an emotional and boredom eater, but I'm not into junk food or snacks, really. I would just overeat food, so cutting my portions and tracking them is really teaching me just how much I am supposed to be eating. I've started using my smaller dishes for my meals, so I don't try to fill them up. The only thing I use my big bowls for right now is salad. I'm realizing that as long as I can still eat normal food, that a diet isn't the horrible thing it once was in my mind. There's only so far I'm willing to go, and I think I'd rather keep up the exercise than eliminate all bad foods, but we'll see how it goes.

There may be some people who don't know this, but I live with a real fear of becoming immobile because of my weight, especially after my dad died in 2001. He was getting gastric bypass surgery and he got a blood clot and died before he came out of the hospital. He was 350 pounds or so, and I know he didn't want to be. He spent his whole life going back and forth with his weight, and trying every diet and exercise program, every self help new age babble, everything, but he ate because he was depressed, and no one could help him with that at the time. Anyway, that may have something to do with why I got into dancing, why I am such a stickler about not missing my classes, that sort of thing. I never want to be able to make an excuse as to why I can't keep active in some way. I'm overweight now, but I'm always working on it. I guess I always have been.

Here is my Spark food and exercise log. I wonder if I should just post this everyday instead of typing it up here?

Anyway, if you click that you should be able to see what I've done each day, as well as what I've eaten and my weight loss progress.

I'm doing well, and still excited about this program. I think the computer entry part makes it a lot of fun. :-)

I reweighed myself and now it's somewhere between 4 and 6 pounds lost. That's crazy, man!

30 minutes (2 miles)Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds. My knee was a bit clicky today, but no other problems. I think I need to stay on this 30 minute thing for at least another week, and then maybe I will see about adding a bit more distance. I know I need to get the routine down. i have to do at least 30 minutes every day until the 28th, though.

It is really working to do this before Corey gets home in the morning, because I don't make excuses, and there's a deadline. If I work out when he's home, I'm embarrassed that he will wake up and walk into the living room, and it's easy to say, "Oh, I'll do it after I do this...". I know it's stupid, but I'm self conscious of how I look when I'm huffing and puffing to a workout. I don't mind lifting weights with him though, I actually like that. Things are moving along.

I stepped on the scale and I *thought* I lost 4 pounds! I say think because my scale is one of those old fashioned dial types that isn't all that accurate. I think I'd like to go and buy a digital one this week. After stepping on and off a few times, I think it's more like 2 or 3 pounds, but it's certainly something! Yay!

Today is my heavy day on my period. But I said that I was going to do at least 30 minutes of cardio every day for a month, so I got my ass up and put in a walking DVD. I chose Denise Austin walk, because I thought it might be more motivating since I hadn't done it before.

Oh, that perky little chipper chipmunk bitch was getting on my nerves, let me tell you! I really prefer Leslie Sansone, her routines are always very low impact. Denise's walk was okay at first, but then she starts hopping, and skipping, and then on the fat burning section, JOGGING! I mean, most folks pick up walking programs because they aren't able to jump around. She pissed me off, and I cursed her a whole lot, substituted all the hoppy bullshit she was doing with different steps, but I got through the time. Then I realized it was Thursday!

So I'm cramping and bleeding and I had to do my weight training. Man, did that suck! I was going to skip the crunches, but thought that I'd gotten that far, why cop out now? But hey, I made it through, and Corey did the weight stuff too. He is having trouble gripping the ten pound dumbell with his finger, so we need to get something in between over the weekend. And he has to fix his bike tire, and we can go bike riding.

Anyway, I'm proud of myself. This is the day I would normally make excuses and fall out of exercising. I have to remember that I can get through a short workout even though I really don't want to.

This morning:

2 miles Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds Super Fat Burning.

I'm sore. I have committed to not taking off any days for a month, so I'm going to push on through.

I am noticing that while my belly doesn't stick out as much, it is starting to droop a little. Let's hope I can get things tightened up with some Pilates in a week or two.

Last night's visitor:

Imperial Moth:

This one did not like posing for pictures, until she got to look into the lens. I guess she wanted to show her pretty face!

But I did my walkaerobics anyway.

40 minutes, Leslie Sansone's Super fat burning. (2 miles)

I'm on a new program, told to me by

psiadoreyou, called Sparkpeople.com.

I wasn't going to say anything, because I wanted to scope it out for a while, but I'm doing pretty well now, it's been a few days, and I'm starting to figure things out. I can't believe all this is free. They have a place to input your foods, which then calculates your calories for you. They have lots of things listed, and you can input your own foods too. I have been keeping my calories under 1700 for the first week, and I committed to doing cardio five times a week and weight training twice a week. There's a place to input your exercises too, and it calculates your calorie burn and generates charts to see your progress.

So far it's working well, I'm trying to get into all the cool features, like the teams. They have mini forums, where people of like minds work out together. I'm on the a pagan group, an over 40 group, a bellydance group....there's lots of people doing this! Anyway, it's fun, there's a point system that makes it sort of like a game, so that's cool.

So hey, if you are interested, tell 'em I sent you (jademermaid), I get ten points (points are just for fun, but what the hell):

http://sparkpeople.com

I did my new weight training workout, which I will be doing on Mondays and Thursdays. Corey even did it with me! I still need to buy some 5 pound dumbelss, the tens are too heavy for lat extentions and flys for me.:

(2X 12-15 reps)
Standing:
Hip Flexor 2 12-15
Upright Dumbbell Rows 2 12-15
Calf Raises with Chair 2 12-15
Alternating Dumbbell Biceps Curls 2 12-15
Dumbbell Shrugs 2 12-15
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 2 12-15
Dumbbell Lateral Raises 2 12-15
Triceps Dips with Bent Knees 2 12-15

Seated:
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 12-15
Seated Dumbbell Concentration Curls 2 12-15
Seated Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 2 12-15
Seated Leg Extensions 2 12-15

Lying Down:
Back Extension 2 12-15
Dumbbell Chest Press 2 12-15
Dumbbell Flys 2 12-15
Dumbbell Pullovers 2 12-15
Crunches 2 12-15
Crunches with Twist 2 12-15
Reverse Crunch 2 12-15

No cardio yet ( I will do this five times a week), because I've been cooking, and then I have a private dance lesson, and then tanning. I hope to squeeze it in before bed!

It's sometimes amazing to me that the wagon hasn't left me in the dust, as many times as I've fallen from it.

My weight is actually doing okay, but my belly is poofy and I feel tired all the time, so it's time to get back to working out.

tribalesque says she is going to join me on the wagon, so at least I'll have some company. Of course if anyone else wants to start posting their workouts again, that is always a good thing.

New DVD, Walk Away the Pounds, Super Fat Burning. This one's going to be a regular, I think.

I like Leslie Sansone's stuff because anyone can do it, even if you feel tight or lethargic, the movements are easy, she just raises the intensity level to make your musles work hard. This is more intense than the others I have by her, and I really like it. It's a three mile aerobic walk, but I stopped at two miles because I am out of shape, and I know I have to do some grocery shopping today. Spending the spoons wisely.

So, two miles high intensity aerobic walking.

I will do my drills after shopping.

a body in motion will remain in the same state of motion unless chocolate forces act upon it!

Not surprisingly, I've been stress eating and not working out for a while, so I felt like a slug. Things picked up when Corey got out of the hosspital, I've done some cleaning, though I have a lot to catch up on.

I have scads of workout DVDs, but today I went back to fit TV and did their All Star Workout. It changes every day, and they usually have an option for folks with injuries or in my case, crappy knees. Today it was something called SlowRobics. I liked it, I feel like my muscles got a good workout but I didn't have to stop like I do with most cardio. For a while there, when I was doing Yourself Fitness every day, my stamina was much better. I'd like to get back to that again, we'll see. Anyway, the All Star Workouts are on twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, so since Corey's on thirds now I'll try and do the afternoon one. The schedule looks pretty good, lots of variety.

Schedule

I'm noticing that I'm having bad allergy attacks when I'm sitting in my back room at the computer. OMG! I can't be allergic to my computer, I'll just die, LOL. Actually, I think it's because I don't ever dust back here and it's pretty bad. I'm hoping that's what it is, so I'm going to try and work on that this week.

mezzanoterose and I are going to do a day by day swap, I go to her house and help her get motivated to clean, and she does the same for me. I always feel more motivated if there's someone helping me--even if they just hang out, I still get more done.

Corey and I don't really agree on much when it comes to video games, but one of the silly games we've always liked is Monster rancher. We love going through our Cds and DVDs to see what monsters might be on them--so lately we;ve been playing with Monster Rancher EVO and having fun. It's kind of nice to have him around in the mornings, when I'm awake. Maybe third shift won't be so bad. I'm also hoping to learn to drive a stick since the truck will be here all day anyway. Maybe when mom comes to visit she can help me with that.

...and because

cucumbereater brought it up, and it's the coolest thick chick video ever, here's 'Skinny" by Lo-Rider, one of my favorites. If you've never seen it, you simply must take a look:

(suggestive, but not dirty)

Yesterday I went for a mile walk at the park with Rose, and today I have done my drills but nothing else. I do have class tonight, so at least that's something. Tomorrow I plan to get back with the weight training DVD.

I suppose I could at least get 60 crunches in before class, let's see if I keep to that.

I have lost 3 or 4 pounds since the hafla according to my scale. That's not surprising, since I was a bloated whale at the time! I really feel the need to get back down at least 10 more pounds ASAP, and a few more wouldn't hurt. The weather is nicer now and that always helps. I've been eating better and less, and drinking more water. All of these are natural changes to me, I just don't feel like I want to eat as much when it's nice outside.

Today I had my protein shake, which I adapted from a TV show I watch quite often. It's:

an assortment of frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and peaches=2 cups total),
a scoop of soy protein powder,
a teaspoon of flaxseed oil,
a drizzle of dark local honey,
a banana and half a cup of warm water.

Blend it up and it's yummy stuff! It also fills me up in the morning, when I do my most intense eating for some reason. I've been having these shakes for breakfast most mornings for the past week or so. I really think they are helping. I'm thinking of adding more healthy stuff in a little at a time.

I made my apple pork chop recipe with pork loin instead, and it was pretty good--the meat was not as yummy because there is less fat, but the apple helped make up for it. For early dinner I had low fat cottage cheese and a yummy mango I bought down at Shubha's, and a handful of unsalted sunflower seeds. Tonight I'm planning on either a salad or a turkey wrap. I hope this pays off, because I really hate dieting. I think I'm going to go back to what used to work for me while I was on the road--I would eat light all week, and then have a guilt free lunch and dinner on Sundays. Of course I was dancing five sets a night back then, but it should still work, and it did keep me from cheating too much.

( Apple Pork Loin recipe--Click here. )

Yep, the weather is starting to clear up, so I'm able to work out again! Yay! More posts on your friend's lists, haha!

Today I did:

Bellydance drills:

16 up hips rt
16 up hips lft
16 down hips rt
16 down hips lft
16 pelvic locks front
16 pelvic locks back
16 chest lifts
16 chest drops
16 chest slides (back and forth)
16 horizontal chest circles
16 body rolls down
16 body rolls up
16 belly rolls up
16 belly rolls down
16 umi rt
16 umi lft
16 maya (alternating sides)
16 taxim (alternating sides)

Get Ripped! with Jari Love

(about 60 minutes, I used my light dumbells for the lunges and shoulder work, and the ten pound ones for the deadlifts and rows)

Leslie Sansone Power Walk (I did one mile, about 20 minutes)

Get ripped is great if you want a weight training DVD that is very adjustable for bad knees or shoulders, it offers lots of variations on the exercises. When I was done I felt immediately stronger and more solid in my limbs and abs. It covers the whole body, and is good for men or women. (yes

icbhod , she is hot!)

I really felt flabby and huge at the hafla, and I know I've gained weight and lost a lot of stamina. After my solo, I had to sit in the back for a couple of minutes to catch my breath, and I got a little dizzy too. My knee hurts like hell, but I pushed on through in the hopes it will pay off tomorrow and I'll feel ready to do some more work.

Right, so now I have to clean the house, because it is gross. :-o

Yeah, it's been a while. It starts with the weather, where Arthur starts whining and I have to ration out my days so I can just get through them. This of course depresses me, and then I eat! My belly is round as a pregnant lady at the moment, I was truly embarrassed when I was teaching my private session last night, because as I stretched upward, my belly would pop out from my yoga pants and dangle in a most unattractive way. What I hate about this cycle is that I always wait until it gets really bad before I start again. Though I think this time that the lovely turn of weather has helped me out.

So, 60 minutes with a new Netflix DVD-- Denise Austin's Personal Training System.

This is a good one, but the little blonde bitch (I say this with much love, Denise!) nearly killed me, even on low intensity. I've never been very good at catching on to quick stepping around aerobics, though I must admit that next time wil be much easier. It's just the first time, when you don't know what's coming! But the routines are short and high energy. Low impact too, which was nice. The only thing I had trouble with was the lunges, but that's normal for me.

I like the way this DVD is set up--you can customize a workout if you want to, add or subtract sections, and make it high or low intensity. There is also an option to turn Denise's crack-addled banter off and listen to music instead. I've worked out with Denise videos and her TV show off an on for years, but in this one, her eyes are like big saucers as she pushes you through the paces, it's a little funny at times.

I did:

low intensity cardio
upper body workout (weights--5 lb.)
lower body workout
ab workout
stretch

My shirt is all sweaty and I feel accomplished. I still have troupe practice and class tonight, let's hope I get through it okay!

30 minutes (2 miles) Leslie Sansone power walk with weights.

60 minutes bellydance (private lesson)

This was the first private lesson with Sara (who I hate to identify as the girl who is deaf. How about the amazingly quick to learn girl who happens to be deaf?), her sister and mom. It went very well, and I think that I was able to be much more helpful to them in an intimate setting. They seemed to enjoy it, and said they'd be back next week. They are really nice, and I'm glad none of the weird stuff in my house freaked them out--at least it didn't seem to!

I have had two people before come out for private lessons, a pair of women who came out a couple of times and then stopped coming because of family and finances, and one lady who said that bellydance seemed to aggravate her hip and back, so she didn't want to come back. So I'm somewhat prepared for the worst when people say they want to come out for privates. On the one hand, I don't have to pay out for use of the gym, but on the other, it does mean that I have to prepare for class three time a week instead of two. This is probably no big deal to other teachers, but for me it means that I have to budget my physical activity so that I don't end up hurt the next day. As it is, I may have overdone it anyway, but we will see.

45 minutes cardio focus, Yourself Fitness. I put in my Queer As Folk music and giggled during "Big Muscles". I used my 10 lb. weights during the rows and presses, so I got a good arm workout at the end.

30 minutes or so Fat Chance Bellydance volume 7, Creative Steps and Combinations. I didn't do the whole thing, just went over several of the moves I think we can use. It's a great DVD, the best one yet if you ask me. There's a little viewing window in the upper left with a shot of the footwork, and the sound seems much better than the others.

Tonight is class, and tomorrow at the butt crack of dawn I will be off to go to Artemis Mourat's workshop. I'm so excited, I love her, and I love Turkish style. Truth be told, if I ever went caberet, it would be Turkish for sure!

I hope she has her DVD for sale there, I've been wanting to buy it:

45 minutes, weight loss focus, Yourself Fitness. I burned a copy of the Covenant sountrack to exercise to, it's not bad! Parts of it are like death metal background music! it will never beat Rob Zombie's Music to Strip By, but it's good for a change. I also added in some bicep curls and shoulder presses in place of her lunges, since the knees are pretty crackly today. I did them with my new 10 pound weights, and it went pretty well.

Bellydance drills. Yeah, I've dusted them off again. They really were helping me stay toned up, so I'm hoping to slip them in at least four times a week.

16 up hips rt
16 up hips lft
16 down hips rt
16 down hips lft
16 pelvic locks front
16 pelvic locks back
16 chest lifts
16 chest drops
16 chest slides (back and forth)
16 horizontal chest circles
16 body rolls down
16 body rolls up
16 belly rolls up
16 belly rolls down
16 umi rt
16 umi lft
16 maya (alternating sides)
16 taxim (alternating sides)

The last picture got her in, apparently that was the ticket! She is Kitler number 701 at http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com

It may seem stupid but I'm really stoked about it, the ladies on that forum went through a lot to get her noticed, and I really think that was the fun part too. So go see her and leave a comment, it would make me happy. :-)

Fulmina says, I'm on yur friend's page, takin' yur ban'width!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, here's my workout. I felt uber-flabby, so I did some Pilates first. Sometimes that makes the walk easier, because I am tighter in my abs, so my back hurts less. The knee is a little crunchy, but not like it was over the weekend.

30 minutes Leslie Sansone Pilates, Mat Workout and Stretch band challenge section

60 minutes or so Leslie Sansone Power Walk, with 1.5 wrist weights--3 miles.

approx. 45 minutes, Leslie Sansone Power Walk (3 miles) with wrist weights.

Since this one is supposed to be done with weights, it didn't make me keel over. The one I did yesterday is also from the 80's (complete with an orange thong leotard over black tights and leg warmers!), so I wonder if I shouldn't do all the moves in it, some of them really strained my knees, they are still a bit unhappy today. Anyway, this DVD is much better.

I did it to Sara's music again, and it flew by. I need to get more music from her!

60 minutes Leslie Sansone Weight Loss Walk (4 miles), with wrist weights (1.5 lbs each). This is very aerobic, lots of stepping and leg lifts, along with arm work.

I nearly didn't make it, I think the weights and all the arm work took a toll on me! I turned the sound down and played

dement1a's techno/dance CD during it, and it synched up nearly perfectly! It made the DVD whiz by. If you have DVD's or VHS workouts that you'd like to do but you get bored with them, try playing some good music instead of listening to the instructor, it really helps me.

I also did 60 situps, and that's it for today!

Because I have to shop and dance in troupe practice as well as teach class (if anyone shows up), I figured I'd save my knees, so I did:

60 situps, 20 to each side and 20 center

2 sets of 20 reps with 4 lbs. in each hand:

overhead presses
flys
bicep curls
tricep presses
bent over tricep presses
bent over rows
chest presses

I really felt it in my arms today, and just barely made the reps the second round. My abs are still sore from yesterday, but I got through it and I feel good about it!

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Ramblings of a Tainted Mind

or-- The Day the Mirth Stood Still

Entries tagged with workouts

Stage two.

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Hanging in there!

Muscles are sore from weight training!

Today.

Back on the wagon.

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Exercise Post.

Exercise Post! OMG!

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Kitlerfied! ...and Exercise Post.

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October 2011

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