So as I mentioned before my life is currently in a state of transition. My job is moving at the end of October... I'm looking for a new place to live by the end of October...Oh and I'm trying to make a lifestyle change that won't end when the challenge ends at the end of October (that's a mouthful). It's been tough to stay focused on each of these things as well as dealing with family issues, so at times I tend to get stressed or overwhelmed. Food has been a comfort and now that my safety blanket is gone...where do I go now? Last week I made it my business to do what I had to do to focus on being a better Davida! I may not be perfect but I'm working on taking care of this temple that I've been given!
Body: Last week wasn't too bad. I suffered with some Seasonal Allergies due to the changing season. I noticed that my endurance improved as well as my form. I'm still having some knee problems when I do the excercies that require me to jump. I hope that goes away as the pounds/inches dissolve into thin air. I still haven't figured out how to get enough rest, but I try my best to be in bed no later than 11pm on the week nights. I was surprised at myself for getting up on Saturday to go walking after being out late from the MEGAXE, which had me quite sore. I also have a hip injury that has made the sit-up moves tough, but I noticed that I improved in that area as well. Again, I'm not perfect but slowly working up to doing more and more.
Learning- Even though I was stressed I tried to find other ways to deal with it by going walking to clear my mind. I even found a mixed nut mix that says the combination of nuts and chocolate would help give you energy. My boss gave me a small thing of Skittles and because it was in my sight I slowly ate them over the course of a few days. However, whenever I got stressed I noticed that I would reach for them. NOT GOOD! I need to be more disciplined and not let what's going on affect my eating habits!
Goals- I'm still working on perfecting some of my goals, such as getting in a few more workouts in during my week, especially since I've been spending my down time apartment hunting. I also plan to push through my workouts and focus on my eating. I knew it wasn't easy when I signed up and I'm going to make a better use of the next few weeks to help kick off this lifestyle change!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
End of Week 3!
Body-Hmmm, not sure what was going on last week, but I was much more tired than usual. I took naps before class, but my body seemed to crave more rest. This week, I'm going to work on perfecting my form and maintaining a tighter core. Entering my fourth week, I've noticed that I tend to hold my stomach in more now that my core is getting tighter. Yeah, the skin is still flabby around it, but I can feel some improvement. I'm still working on ways to get more stretching in to help my calves out. I'm still struggling with pain from my butt injury but I still try to do a modified version of the sit-up moves. My push-up form has improved greatly. I think I was able to do at least 5 in each set during the workouts.
Learning- This week I learned how vital water is to my body! When I didn't get enough, I woke up feeling like my tongue felt like sandpaper or my pee was golden like the sun. I'm going to work on getting in a bottle each morning when I wake up. This will help flush out an impurities and refresh my body from my night's rest. Water is the ultimate hydrator. The funny thing is that I haven't really been drinking anything but water, yet a few occasions, I haven't been able to get my daily amount in. I'm going to follow Maia's tip of setting my alarm to go off every two hours to ensure I drink a bottom on the regular. I also learned how hard it is to plan my eating when I'm off on the weekends. My daily life during the work week is quite structured. However, on the weekends I'm somewhat of a flower child. I have to ensure I get my small meals and water in even though I may not be on my regular schedule.
Goals- This week, I aspire to try to get a few more workouts in during my week. Yes, this was last week's goals, but I am still pushing to get this accomplished. The change of the season is usually a change in my body as I prepare for hibernation, lol but I'm going to push through that. I'm going to live my life like I did in Detroit, where the weather didn't effect how I lived. I kept pushing in spite of the sun setting earlier!
Learning- This week I learned how vital water is to my body! When I didn't get enough, I woke up feeling like my tongue felt like sandpaper or my pee was golden like the sun. I'm going to work on getting in a bottle each morning when I wake up. This will help flush out an impurities and refresh my body from my night's rest. Water is the ultimate hydrator. The funny thing is that I haven't really been drinking anything but water, yet a few occasions, I haven't been able to get my daily amount in. I'm going to follow Maia's tip of setting my alarm to go off every two hours to ensure I drink a bottom on the regular. I also learned how hard it is to plan my eating when I'm off on the weekends. My daily life during the work week is quite structured. However, on the weekends I'm somewhat of a flower child. I have to ensure I get my small meals and water in even though I may not be on my regular schedule.
Goals- This week, I aspire to try to get a few more workouts in during my week. Yes, this was last week's goals, but I am still pushing to get this accomplished. The change of the season is usually a change in my body as I prepare for hibernation, lol but I'm going to push through that. I'm going to live my life like I did in Detroit, where the weather didn't effect how I lived. I kept pushing in spite of the sun setting earlier!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Blood, Sweat, & Tears!!!!
On Saturday, I posted my weekend workout picture with the caption of "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" and there was a good reason for that. When I did that workout, there were plenty of tears and sweat hidden under those sunglasses. 2011 has been an especially difficult time for my family. We have had 3 deaths so far this year; My Great Aunts' home in New York caught on fire and they were displaced; as well as a host of family in and out of the hospital or that had to go to the nursing home. I know my family is getting older, but it's hard dealing with everything that's going on and not having the power to do much to help those that you love.
Upon arriving home on Friday night, I learned that one of my aunts had been in Intensive Care since Tuesday due to Heart Failure as well as one of my Uncles had been rushed to the Emergency room on Friday. Granted my Aunt had not been taking her medicine properly which caused her to have a heart attack. My Uncle had severe pain in his knees and swelling in his foot, which had caused him to be immobile for 2-3 days. They also think that he may have kidney failure and may need to start having dialysis. Both of them are my parent's youngest siblings, so that was a tough pill to swallow. However upon returning home from dinner with my Dad, I found out that my Aunt Catherine was being taken to the Emergency Room because her blood pressure was up and she was quite disoriented. She's a diabetic and has been on dialysis for almost 10 years due to kidney failure. She's been in and out the hospital since January yet it seems they can't seem to figure out why she suddenly stopped walking. As I sat in the Emergency Room, it was a painful reminder that I need to do what I can to keep myself healthy. I don't want to put my children through seeing me suffer through different health issues that could have been prevented by me making healthier lifestyle choices. I want to prevent as much as I can for their sake and so I can be around for my grandchildren. Therefore, I commit to this challenge, not just for myself but for my family! Hopefully I can encourage them to take on healthier lifestyles by choice instead of being forced. So with that being said, here is this week's B-L-O-G:
Body-This week I really attempted to give it my all at Boot Camp. Even though I was physically drained due to my monthly friend, I strived to find ways to increase my energy level. I pushed to try to get in at least one more push-up or arm curl before Maia could countdown to 1! Every day after work, I took a nap to help get myself re-energized and to ensure my body had the proper rest before my workout. On Wednesday night, my friend gave me an all natural packet to add to my drink for energy. Needless to say, using only one third of the packet caused me to pull a muscle in my left lower calf. In spite of that, I still proceeded to give my all this week. I didn't let that stop me from staying focused on pushing it to the next limit, even if I had to do a modified version, but I kept moving in order to get my heart rate up. I survived the Kazaxe/Boot Camp Combo class, even though I never had a chance to catch my breath.
Learning- This week I learned that resting is vital to this mission. When I didn't get enough sleep then I felt sluggish through the day, so I am going to try to go back to my no later than 11pm bedtime. I also learned to focus on the wall. I know this sounds weird, but I used the wall in front of me as a focal point which allowed me to tune other distractions around me. It allowed me to reflect on what I was doing and why. I would picture myself being healthier and doing more reps some day in the future. I learned that I need to plan my meals in order to ensure I eat enough food during the day.
Observations-I have noticed small changes in my body but nothing to get too excited about yet. I have been improving my form more, instead of being overly concerned about the reps. The form is important to ensuring that I don't hurt myself and that I'm working the correct muscle groups. Since we get to wear the heart monitors for the Test Group, Thursday's combo class made me realize just how much more I could push myself. Granted I may not have been able to do every portion with the change ups, but I definitely committed to giving it my all. Each week, I feel myself growing more committed to making these changes, not just for these 60 days but for the rest of my life.
Goals- This week, I aspire to try to get a few more workouts in during my week. Initially I said I wanted to do Yoga in the am, but that has been difficult, but I'm not going to beat myself up over what I haven't done. Instead I'm going to push myself to go further in the future and continue to work towards my goals. I also want continue to keep making my healthy food choices and focus on a lifestyle change. As my College Chemistry teacher said "Food should only be use for fuel" and I'm trying to change my mindset to see it as this. Over the past few years, I've realized how comforting food can seem to be at times. I want to find positive ways to deal with stress instead of eating a carton of Hagen Daas Caramel Cone! Granted with all that I have going on outside of my Boot Camp Test Group, I want to use things like walking, Kazaxe, or meditation as ways to deal with my stress. I want to be a testimony to my family and friends so that we can all live healthy!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."-Mark Twain
Upon arriving home on Friday night, I learned that one of my aunts had been in Intensive Care since Tuesday due to Heart Failure as well as one of my Uncles had been rushed to the Emergency room on Friday. Granted my Aunt had not been taking her medicine properly which caused her to have a heart attack. My Uncle had severe pain in his knees and swelling in his foot, which had caused him to be immobile for 2-3 days. They also think that he may have kidney failure and may need to start having dialysis. Both of them are my parent's youngest siblings, so that was a tough pill to swallow. However upon returning home from dinner with my Dad, I found out that my Aunt Catherine was being taken to the Emergency Room because her blood pressure was up and she was quite disoriented. She's a diabetic and has been on dialysis for almost 10 years due to kidney failure. She's been in and out the hospital since January yet it seems they can't seem to figure out why she suddenly stopped walking. As I sat in the Emergency Room, it was a painful reminder that I need to do what I can to keep myself healthy. I don't want to put my children through seeing me suffer through different health issues that could have been prevented by me making healthier lifestyle choices. I want to prevent as much as I can for their sake and so I can be around for my grandchildren. Therefore, I commit to this challenge, not just for myself but for my family! Hopefully I can encourage them to take on healthier lifestyles by choice instead of being forced. So with that being said, here is this week's B-L-O-G:
Body-This week I really attempted to give it my all at Boot Camp. Even though I was physically drained due to my monthly friend, I strived to find ways to increase my energy level. I pushed to try to get in at least one more push-up or arm curl before Maia could countdown to 1! Every day after work, I took a nap to help get myself re-energized and to ensure my body had the proper rest before my workout. On Wednesday night, my friend gave me an all natural packet to add to my drink for energy. Needless to say, using only one third of the packet caused me to pull a muscle in my left lower calf. In spite of that, I still proceeded to give my all this week. I didn't let that stop me from staying focused on pushing it to the next limit, even if I had to do a modified version, but I kept moving in order to get my heart rate up. I survived the Kazaxe/Boot Camp Combo class, even though I never had a chance to catch my breath.
Learning- This week I learned that resting is vital to this mission. When I didn't get enough sleep then I felt sluggish through the day, so I am going to try to go back to my no later than 11pm bedtime. I also learned to focus on the wall. I know this sounds weird, but I used the wall in front of me as a focal point which allowed me to tune other distractions around me. It allowed me to reflect on what I was doing and why. I would picture myself being healthier and doing more reps some day in the future. I learned that I need to plan my meals in order to ensure I eat enough food during the day.
Observations-I have noticed small changes in my body but nothing to get too excited about yet. I have been improving my form more, instead of being overly concerned about the reps. The form is important to ensuring that I don't hurt myself and that I'm working the correct muscle groups. Since we get to wear the heart monitors for the Test Group, Thursday's combo class made me realize just how much more I could push myself. Granted I may not have been able to do every portion with the change ups, but I definitely committed to giving it my all. Each week, I feel myself growing more committed to making these changes, not just for these 60 days but for the rest of my life.
Goals- This week, I aspire to try to get a few more workouts in during my week. Initially I said I wanted to do Yoga in the am, but that has been difficult, but I'm not going to beat myself up over what I haven't done. Instead I'm going to push myself to go further in the future and continue to work towards my goals. I also want continue to keep making my healthy food choices and focus on a lifestyle change. As my College Chemistry teacher said "Food should only be use for fuel" and I'm trying to change my mindset to see it as this. Over the past few years, I've realized how comforting food can seem to be at times. I want to find positive ways to deal with stress instead of eating a carton of Hagen Daas Caramel Cone! Granted with all that I have going on outside of my Boot Camp Test Group, I want to use things like walking, Kazaxe, or meditation as ways to deal with my stress. I want to be a testimony to my family and friends so that we can all live healthy!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."-Mark Twain
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Baby Steps!!!!
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”Monday, August 29th marked a new beginning. My coach said something that stuck with me throughout the week..."You have have to prepare for change, then make changes!"
With that being said, I prepared for my journey by trying to prepare myself. There were moments where I had to ignore my thoughts because they were trying to get the best of me.
"Are you sure you want to dedicate this much time to this with all that you have going on within the next two months?" "Can your body handle this?"
"Are you ready for this type of challenge?"
"Hell, can you really do this?"
Each time, I looked in the mirror and gave myself the Nutty Professor pep talk: 
"YESSSSSS I CAN, YESSSSS I CAN!!!!!"
It's been a tough first week, but I made it! Changing 28 years of habits was tough but I took it one day at a time. I felt more refreshed and energetic however the workouts presented some challenges for me. My Body has a lot of weight on it, even though it's in a "nice neat package" as one of my friends says, it has been difficult on my knees. Also a few years ago when I lived in Michigan, I slipped on the ice and injured by butt, right down the middle. Yes a pain in the you know where, which causes problems when I tried to do some of the sit-up variations in class. I did notice that I have been able to do very high intensity moderations of the exercises so that's definitely a step in the right direction. I even walked almost 2 miles on Saturday based on my own determination to succeed! Woop! Woop! I've tried to force myself to be in bed by 10pm, no later than 11pm on week nights to help give my body the proper rest it needs to recuperate for the next day. I even changed my eating habits to fit in 6 small meals per day as well as increasing my water intake. It was funny because I could tell when it was time for my next meal/more water due to my body's reactions or my short temper. "FEED ME SEYMOUR!"
GOALS FOR WEEK 2:
So heading into week 2, I have made the same preparation as week one. I plan to push myself even further with my eating habits and nutrition habits. I may try a few new meals just to spice things up as well. I will not let my "Monthly Gift" from Mother Nature hold me back from achieving my goals. This would usually be the week I would skip working out and maybe have some chocolate. However, I refuse to lose and will keep up my determination as much as possible! I have to go to a baby shower back home on Saturday, so I hope to get my parents to workout with me while I'm home. *fingers crossed*
Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)