Day 1 & 2

Things are going well so far.  Everyone knows their body well enough to notice changes and in day 2, I already can see a change in my face which is the first place all my fat goes to!  This is what I've done so far:

Eating Habits


I've gone back to my low Glycemic Index (low sugar, low carb) eating habits so I'm eating lots of veggies, protein and cutting back my sugar to diabetic levels.  A sample of my meals include:

Pre Breakfast - 2oz of organic grape juice
Breakfast - 2 egg whites with vegetables and 3 slices of turkey bacon or turkey slices and 2oz of fruit
Snack 1 - assorted nuts or trail mix
Lunch - simple salad, no dressing w/ 3oz diced grilled chicken
Snack  2 - Turkey Jerkey or Fruit
Dinner - 3 oz lean meat or chicken, salad, steamed jasmine rice or veggies
Late Snack - 1cup of cheerios with skim milk or 2 sugar free popsicles

If you are not used to eating this kind of food, your body might feel off for a day or two, but eating this often keeps your stomach full and you avoid over eating at core meals.

Workouts


As soon as I woke up, I did a 20 minute cardio workout such as what I posted yesterday from youtube.  Here is what I did the rest of the day:

Mid morning: Office pushups and tricep extensions on my chair
Lunch: 30 minute stationary bike
After work: Resistance Band full body
Late night: Dumbbell chest workout

Every day I intend to do a morning cardio session as well as a lunch time cardio session while training different body parts every day with home weights.  I'm also incorporating 3 gym sessions to the week where I'll focus on Circuit Training to get my body moving and my metabolism up.

So far, I feel great. I woke up this morning feeling lighter and was able to sleep better last night.  I know 2 days isn't a lot of time to shout victory, but as I mentioned, everyone knows their own body best.  You will know when things are working and as of today, this is working for me.  One of my biggest challenge was my work from home day today when I usually enjoy a happy hour with wings at the end of the work day.  Today, I was able to push through that and instead incorporate a solid workout and a nice wholesome meal.  Next two challenges will be a day off on Friday and of course, the dreaded weekend (see: Weekend Weakness)

I'll keep you all posted in a few days and let you know how things progress.

Until Then,

J

Wii Cardio

If you are anything like me, you absolutely hate Cardio.  When I hear people say how much they love running, I wonder how someone can love putting their feet and joints through that kind of torture?  However, I do know that cardio is an essential part of exercising and weight loss and is very much needed!  Some of us get bored with monotonous running or cycling and wonder if there is anything fun that can be substituted. 

When I was going through my weight loss, I encountered a few days where I just could not go to the gym and hop on a treadmill.  So one day I got up, and picked up my Wii controller!  I realized that I could complete a good half hour of cardio and at the same time have a lot of fun!  If you have a Wii at home, here is a sample of what you can do within 30 minutes and burn over 200 calories!

I used Wii Sports as my platform and completed all 5 sports during the 30 minutes.  Here is the rundown of what I played:

• 5 games of Tennis
• 1 game of Baseball
• 1 game of Bowling
• 1 game of Golf
• 5 rounds of Boxing

Depending on how long it takes you to get through this set, it should take you at least 30 minutes to complete.  The best workout that you will get will be the boxing rounds!  For best results, I use a stomach wrap and sweater (a leather sweat suit is another option).

And there you have it, a fun way to burn some calories in a short amount of time!

-J