August 7th 2014

After being MIA from working out for a week and a half, I am finally back! I did a quick workout this morning and instantly felt great. My stomach is still weak and my energy is low, but I felt great to get the endorphins flowing.

I joined the Walgreens fitness rewards program. Still not sure what will come out of it, but hey, can't hurt right? Lol.

I am finally down one pant size. I can fit into my size 12s now and it feels great. I am slightly annoyed because I have to buy new jeans now. I didn't really get to wear my nice jeans I bought on my Texas jeans for long. This is when consignment shopping comes in handy. Trade in my name brand 14's and get "new" Jeans.  :)

Here's more food porn!  :

Ginger Chicken with Rice noodles and lightly cooked veggies

Homemade Jalapeño popcorn

Snazzy cookies that I didn't buy. They sounded delicious though! 

stomach virus? no big deal!

So I've been having an issue with a weak stomach/ stomach virus since last week. I haven't been able to exercise properly since then and it has a bit frustrating.  I have, how ever been able to eat good.

I slipped back into eating not as healthy but staying within my calorie limit.  I switched back to eating clean and smaller portions. I feel better, and hopefully soon I will be well enough to get back into working out. I miss running and lifting.

But I am super close to my first private goal and my first over all goal!

And here's some food porn:

3 month arm progress. (photos)

July 29th           June 29th

I've always kicked myself in the ass for not recording progress of my arms in the past. I have always had insecurities about my arms, and really never cared about wearing tank tops in public. But I've been working really hard and I am extremely proud of my progress so far. I know I have posted some pics but I am uploading them again and today's picture for comparison.

June 13th 2014

July 7 the 2014

August 1st 2013

73lbs gone

At this point of my weight loss journey, I have lost 73lbs. I am pretty happy! I am pretty close to the goal I set back in my 61lbs gone... blog. Feels pretty amazing.


I like to set small goals because I feel it isn’t as overwhelming. I never thought I would keep this up. When I first started to lose the lbs. I didn’t give myself credit. It’s hard work and I was very lazy. Never thought that I could push myself hard enough. That seems to be the theme with people when it comes to losing weight. They give up before they even try. If it seems a little tough, they already promise themselves that they could never do it. Weight loss isn’t just a physical change. It’s a mental change too.

If you never try, you never know what you are good at.

|| Workouts ||

I really haven’t posted a blog with workout routine yet. I am shocked that I actually never took the time out to type it out. I honestly feel like I could be here all day typing everything out, so I will post a few of my favorite work outs. The “easy” ones. Normally I tend to alternate upper body and lower body works outs every other day. My upper body work outs just tend to deal with dumbbells and doing curls. Lower body work outs tend to deal with squats and the “mule kicks”.


I always start every work out with pushups and end the work out with a few set of crunches.

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Stretching and “warming up”

Before you engage in any kind of work outs, it’s always good to stretch. Stretching can improve your flexibility and after awhile flexibility will help prevent any injuries from working out. Below is warm up tips and stretching tips..

Stretching:

Neck: Sit or stand with your arms hanging freely on your sides. Turn head side to side, hold for 3 to five seconds for each side. Repeat 3 times.

Shoulder and back of upper arm: Stand or sit and place right hand on left shoulder. With left hand, pull right elbow across chest toward left shoulder and hold 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat on each side 3 times.

Stretches triceps, top of shoulders, waist: Keep knees slightly flexed. Stand or sit with arms overhead. Hold elbow with hand of opposite arm. Pull elbow behind head gently as you slowly lean to side until mild stretch is felt. Hold 10 to 15 sec. Repeat on other side

Warm ups:

My favorite warm ups are :

Jumping jacks


Push ups

Crab walk: works your whole back side with emphasis on your triceps

Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent in front of you. Place both hands, palms down, on the floor at your side and lift your butt off the ground. Now start “crab walking” forwards or backwards.

I like to warm up by crab walking around the living room. It feels and seems utterly ridiculous but it really feels good to do these before I jump into the work outs below.

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Two of my favorite easy work outs are:

Mule kicks: works your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

Get down on your hands and knees with your hands shoulder-width apart, back strait and knees bent at 90 degree angle. Slowly kick your right leg straight back and up as high as possible. Keep your hips fixed squarely in place. Hold this peak position for about five seconds, then bring your leg back down to the starting position. Then do the same with your left leg.

Do 3 normal sets and then on the fourth set hold your leg out on the last kick for as long as you can hold it. I admit, it hurts like freaking hell. It’s damn well worth it.



Squats: works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back and hip flexors.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. With your head up and eyes forward, bend your knees until your butt is a couple of inches above the floor. Lean your upper body slowly forward as you go down, until your shoulders are out over your knees. But be sure that your knees do not protrude past your toes. Then, keeping your heels on the floor, slowly stand using only your legs to lift you.

At first, try practicing these facing a wall with your toes 4 to 6 inches from the wall. This is a great way of correcting technique by ensuring that your knees are not going too far forward. Also if you feel that a full squat is too difficult at first, lower your body only as far as you can, until you develop strength and flexibility needed to lower your body all the way down.

Monthly photo progress November

click to enlarge

I’m really excited with the results. I still can’t believe that I am doing so well with this diet, and I can’t believe that I lost 43 pounds! It’s insane, and seeing the progress inspires me to keep going. I still have roughly 57 pounds to lose before I meet my overall goal of 100 pounds. On my post yesterday I said I was really impressed with the weight loss on my back. If you seen me right before this weight loss you know that my problem areas were my lower stomach and my lower back. Well, I still have a little bit of a gut, but my back looks amazing. I’m still a little hesitant to show my pictures, but part of this blog is to grow into a different person and gain confidence. I never thought that losing weight could be this easy. It just shows that you can do anything you put your mind to.

Read more>>>

(via Cnn Health) Daily exercise helps keep the sniffles away

 

Daily exercise helps keep the sniffles away

Regular exercise can improve your mood, help you lose weight, and add years to your life. Still need another reason to hit the gym? A new study suggests that working out regularly helps ward off colds and flu.

In the study, researchers followed a group of about 1,000 adults of all ages for 12 weeks during the winter and fall of 2008. During that time, people who logged at least 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise—such as jogging, biking, or swimming—on five or more days per week were sick with cold or flu symptoms for just five days, on average, compared with about 8.5 days among people who exercised one day per week or less.

Health.com: 9 ways to stay sniffle-free

What's more, regular exercisers tended to have milder symptoms when they were ill. Compared with the people who barely exercised, those who worked out frequently rated their symptoms about 40percent less severe overall, according to the study, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. (Symptom severity was gauged with a standard questionnaire.)

Exercise is thought to boost the circulation of the virus-fighting white blood cells known as natural killer cells—the "Marine Corps and Army of the immune system," says the lead author of the study, David Nieman, a professor of health, leisure, and exercise science at Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina. "Exercise gets these cells out…to deal with the enemy."

The increased immune activity brought on by exercise only lasts for about three hours, but the cumulative effect seems to keep disciplined exercisers healthier than most. "As the days add up, it adds up to improved protection [from] the viruses that can make you sick," Nieman says.

Health.com: Cold or flu? How to know if you’re too sick to work out

Endorphins may also play a role, says Len Horovitz, M.D., a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City. These feel-good neurotransmitters—the source of the so-called runner's high—have "positive effects on the immune system, so it's not surprising there's a spike in immune cells," says Horovitz, who was not involved in the study.

It's also possible that people who exercise frequently tend to lead healthy lifestyles in general, and are therefore less likely than couch potatoes to get sick.

Nieman and his colleagues measured a host of factors besides exercise that could potentially affect a person's susceptibility to cold or flu, including age, gender, diet, stress levels, marital status, smoking, and educational attainment. Of all of these, physical activity was most closely linked to the number of days a person spent sick, although some characteristics, such as being married and eating a lot of fruit, seemed to help protect against colds and flu as well.

Health.com: 30-day cold and flu prevention calendar

"You can't do much about your age, and you can't do much about your gender. Here's something you can really do," Nieman says. "Exercise is the most powerful weapon that an individual has in their hand to reduce illness days."

(source )