2 weeks to a slimmer body - Weigh-In and Measurements

Ok…D-Day is coming on Saturday…it’s Thursday and I’m getting measured and weighed….I hate this part! Ok..I’ll admit I’ve cheated on my diet… I know, I know…I really need to stick to it. I really beleive that you get what you give…so basically if you are going to cheat on your diet, you don’t get the right to compain that you haven’t lost the weight you wanted to lose! Watch this video and see what happens. I’m going to be trying on my dress for my friend’s wedding in 2 days so stay tuned to see if it fits! (P.S. Don’t worry I have a backup dress just in case!)

Updated Weight Tracker

 

2 Weeks to a Slimmer Body - week one update

Amazing Weight Loss Transformations

What Motivation!  These people have all tranformed their bodies and are now healthier and more energetic. 

YOU CAN DO IT TOO!  If they can…so can we!!!

Exercise Update

2 Weeks to a Slimmer Body

As promised, here are the activities that I am doing to try and slim down and tone up to fit into my dress in 2 weeks.  I’ll keep you posted!

Day 1 (Mon)

RUNNING - 9KM with child in stroller (approx. 65lbs total weight)

 Day 2 (Tue)

RUNNING - 13 KM with Running Room group

 Day 3 (Wed)

REST

 Day 4 (Thurs)

BOOT CAMP - 1 Hour (AM)

RUNNING - 6 KM (PM) with Running Room group

 Day 5 (Wed)

Weight Training - 2 Hours (PM) with trainer

Day 6 (Thurs)

BOOT CAMP - 1 Hour (AM)

Weight Training - 2 Hours (PM) with trainer

Day 7 (Fri)

RUNNING - 6 KM (PM) with a friend

 Day 8 (Sat)

Rest

Day 9 (Sun)

RUNNING - 6 KM (PM) with Running Room

 Day 10 (Mon)

Weight Training - 2 Hours (PM) with trainer

Day 11 (Tue)

Rest

 Day 12 (Wed)

Weight Training - 1 hour (PM)

Day 13 (Thurs)

Weight Training - 2 Hours (PM) with trainer

 Day 14 (Fri)

Rest

Day 15 (Sat) - DRESS DAY!!!

RUNNING - 6.5KM with 2 children in stroller (approx. 110lbs total weight)

2 Weeks to a Slimmer Body-Day 1

I purchased a dress for a wedding in 2 weeks.  The dress is a little tight so I need to do some work…well ok A LOT of work in the next 2 weeks for this dress to look HOT on me!  I hired a friend who is a personal trainer and she and I will be working on tightening up my bicepsts, tricepts, back and abs.  Follow me on my 2 week journey and find out how this dress will look on the wedding day…(Oh…and by the way, it’s not my wedding day…that already happened 8 years ago…ha ha…I’m going to a wedding!)

I’m attaching a pdf file with my weight and measurements so you can follow along with me.

weight-tracker-post-baby-2

My Running Journey

Running can be an intimidating sport for someone who is new to exercise or who is overweight and not used to this type of rigorous activity. I can say this because I was that person. I began running 3 years ago, about one year after the birth of my first child and a 50 pound weight gain. I remember running for something like 30 seconds and it seemed like I’d been running for 5 minutes. When I checked my watch I was dumbfounded by how little I was actually able to endure. Nonetheless, I kept going. I’d run for however long I could, usually between 30 seconds and one minute and then I’d walk for 5 to 10 minutes. Looking back it was actually quite amusing!

It’s funny because I remember thinking how embarrassed I was running outside for fear that someone would see me and laugh at my form or the overweight person doing this run/walk on the side of the road. Of course, the biggest fear was that they would see my fat that I could feel jiggling under my arms, my belly and my inner thighs. People used to tell me to keep with it because my running would improve. Even though I didn’t believe them, I kept going. I was determined to prove someone wrong; them or myself. Every time I ran, I’d check my watch and realize that I was able to run a little longer and walk a little less.

Someone once told me that if you want to lose weight, running is the best exercise. The only problem was that running was so hard on me because I had the extra weight to lose. It’s sort of a catch-22! I came to the conclusion that I had to run hard enough to get my heart rate up into my fat-burning zone and keep it there. I would run and then walk about the speed of a turtle to catch my breath but what I didn’t realize was that I was actually lowering my heart rate too much so I wasn’t really burning very much fat. Because I couldn’t physically run long enough to stay in my target fat-burning zone, I decided to run and then speed walk. I was exhausted and remember feeling like I was going to throw up so I knew I was definitely working hard! Once I figured out that I wasn’t going to die if I didn’t walk like a turtle, I actually started to lose weight and become a faster runner.

After about a year of running and weight lifting, I was smaller and fitter than I had ever been in my life. The best part was that I could run about 10 km in less than an hour. I couldn’t believe it! I could even run pushing my baby in a running stroller. For those of you out there who are in a similar situation, I know you can appreciate that as a major accomplishment.

Let’s fast-forward to the present. I had my second baby 9 months ago and gained 65 pounds this time. I stopped running and weight training during this pregnancy; need I say more! I started running again at about 5 months. This time around I purchased a treadmill and ran at home until it was warm enough to head back outside. This time, I needed a major goal to get back into running and in shape. If you’ve had a baby, you know how hard it is on our bodies and how long it could take to get back into the groove. In March, I joined the running room aspiring to run in a 10K race in May. That gave me 2 months to train. Now let’s remember that I gained 65 pounds and did not do much exercise for 9 months.

I was determined to do this race. The first night at the running room, I was so nervous because I had never run with anyone before, even when I was in great shape after my first child. I had no idea how long we would be running for or how many people there were going to be or if I would be able to keep up. As scared as I was, I went to my first clinic and when I got there I breathed much easier because low and behold, most of the people there were in the same predicament as me. I couldn’t believe it, I felt so reassured. Everyone ran at different speeds and in fact, the clinic days were “short run” days so we didn’t run more than 4 km. However, during the 10K clinic they teach you how to run what they call 10 and 1’s. This means you run for 10 minutes and then walk for 1 minute. (Now keep in mind that the running room does have other clinics like learn to run, just women, 5K, etc…) The reason that I decided to join the 10K was because I ran before as mentioned above. I really wanted to challenge myself. 5K would have probably been a great challenge in itself but I believe that we need to push ourselves to the limit.

As I was training for the race in May, I also started kickboxing and increased my weight training. When learning to run, it’s great to do other activities as well because then you get full body conditioning and you’re getting in even better shape. While I was training, I started to experience some serious pain in my knees; that’s not good! After going to see my doctor, he told me that I had a displaced patella. That means that my knee cap was sort of loose and basically would move when I ran and would hurt like hell! I iced it, taped it, and stretched it…it still hurt! But, I was determined to do this race. I went for physiotherapy and my physiotherapist showed me how to do some exercises to strengthen the inside of my knee. She also showed me how to properly tape my knee without a tensor band wrapped all the way around, cutting off my circulation.

Of course, when doing any type of activity, you really need to check with your doctor periodically, especially if you are experiencing pain. It is one thing to push yourself to the limit, it is another thing to hurt yourself and do permanent damage. That being said, I am stubborn and I continued to run and kickbox. (I did have permission from my physiotherapist to proceed with caution!) However, I did slow down with kickboxing and did more punching than kicking. This seemed to help a little.

The week before the race, I developed some kind of chest cold and could not stop coughing and actually could barely move. I thought that maybe this was a sign that I should give myself more time to train for the next race. Then I looked into my children’s eyes and found strength. For that entire week, I did nothing but rest to prepare for that race.

I am happy to report that after all the training, I did it! I’m not going to lie; I struggled with cramping and minor pain. I took cough drops, carried lots of Kleenex, put a ton of tiger balm on my knee before taping it and finished the 10K race in May in 1 hour and 8 minutes. This is not bad for my first time, with all the obstacles I faced that day and not to mention carrying this extra weight which is yet to come off.

The ultimate reward was seeing my family and friends at the end of the race, cheering me on and placing my medal on my 3 and a half year olds neck. He was so proud of me and even though he is still a little young to understand, I just taught him one the most important things in life: “don’t give up”! He knew that I was sick and had a sore knee and at the end of the race, the expression on his face was priceless.

When learning to run or learning to do any new sport, you need to find motivation somewhere. You need someone to encourage you, especially if you are facing an obstacle. My obstacles were very miniscule compared to others facing disease and illness but nonetheless they were obstacles to me. I found a way to overcome them and accomplish my goal just like others who ran with diabetes, cancer, etc… just being there and moving is motivating to others and though we seek motivation from others, we actually are motivators to others as well. Remember that when you strap on your shiny new white running shoes and head for the side walk your first time. Hold your head up high and reach for the stars, it may take a while, but with determination, you’ll get there. Promise! And the reward is satisfaction, there’s no better feeling in this world!

 

~RACE DAY~

I DID IT!

Ok everyone…I DID IT! I ran 10K today. I did it with a very sore knee and a cold! It hurt but I got through it. I persevered and damnit I was dertermined to get throught that finish line.  My kids were there waiting for me and my son hasn’t taken my medal off all day.  It’s amazing how proud you can be for yourself especially when you share it with your children.  They were so proud of me and that made it even more special! 

When you put your mind to it, you can do ANYTHING!  It’s amazing how powerful the mind really is.  I just kept telling myself to get to the finish line and I DID!

Getting There…

The old saying…slow and steady wins the race is a good way to explain weight loss.  However, in my case, I’m not happy with this progress.  After my pregnancy 7 months ago, I weighed about 190 pounds.  I now way around 171.  I say around 171 because as many of you know, weight fluctuates daily.  I do suggest only weighing yourself once per week or even per month.  I had my husband hide the scale because during weight loss you could become obsessed with the scale.  I measure myself monthly and take pictures just to make sure that I’m on track even though the scale doesn’t move as fast as I would like. 

I am finally into a size 12, which is great, however my goal is a siz 6.  My waist is now a 34 - at the smalles point — 36 around the belly.  I want to be 29 and 31 around the belly…I have a long way to go. 

I am currently training for a 10K race for diabetes in May and have joined the running room.  I ran my first 8K last week and that was really hard.  I am trying to weight train 4 days per week however, that has not really been happening which is the reason for my slow weight loss. 

My diet is good…well sort of!  I am eating clean, and should practice what I preach and eat more.  I have a hard time eating in the morning and that is the most important meal of the day.  I do eat every 3 hours and I am eating very clean.  Once I up my weight training…the weight will begin to come off and I will keep you posted. 

In order to complete my 10K race in 1 hour, which is my goal, I need to shed at least another 10 pounds.  The extra weight is no doubt slowing me down. 

I am in the process of finding a gym to train in with specialty full-body conditioning programs.  When I find one, I will update you often on my progress with that gym or trainer. 

In the meantime, here is a picture of my latest success.

Stay tuned for more great things happening at bodypower.ca

Tummy to Toned - Jan.29, 2009 - leg workout

In another post I wrote that this website is for real people facing real challenges and I also wrote that I was going to track my weight loss success with you. Well folks, it doesn’t get more real than this…talk about exposing yourself…ha! ha! In the following video, I will show you what I look like first thing in the morning doing a leg workout. I will give you some tips, which I will also write after the video. Let this be your inspiration to get started. Oh and in case you hear a baby in the background…don’t worry, I always take care of baby first…between sets of course!

During this workout:

I did 10 sets of 10 increasing the weight by 10 pounds every 2 sets.  The body likes repititon so that’s why I do so many small sets.  I ensure to take breaks between sets…about 45 seconds for the first 2, then 1 minute, then once the weight gets heavier, I take 2 minute breaks making sure to drink water in between.

TIPS:

1- Make sure to squeeze your abs and butt when doing the type of squat you’ll see in the video.  If you don’t, you may hurt your knees.

2-When working out, make sure your baby is in a safe place (i.e in playpen or car seat away from weights).  When the baby cries, finish your set and then tend to your baby…just make sure the baby is safe!

3-Make sure to warmup first …5-10 minutes is all you need.

4-To start do 2-3 sets of 12-15 squats…use a weight that is comfortable for you…Comfortable for you means that by 12 squats, it becomes very hard to lift but you are still able to do it without twisting. 

5-Work hard…don’t stop because you think you can’t…push yourself…use your MIND to push out your last 1-3 squats each set…YOU CAN DO IT!!!

6-ALWAYS STRETCH AFTER YOU WORK OUT!!!

Here I am today…working hard to get back to toned…

My Weight Loss Success: 2005-2007 - After my First Pregnancy

After having tried many diets, in 2003, I joined the gym and hired a trainer. I went from 170 lbs to 145 lbs then decided to have a baby (best decision I ever made, put on 50 lbs after having popped a rib at 3 months pregnant.

I suffered some post-partum depression.  Of course, a colic baby who did not sleep and my extra weight heightened this.  I began working out slowly after 8 weeks of recovering from the incision.  The weight did not come off easily.  As you’ll see in the pictures below, I began to slowly see progress a few months at a time.  It took about 2 years for me to look better than I ever have in my entire life.  I’ll talk more about this later.  I hope that my progress will inspire you to not give up and keep going towards your goal.