I was clinically diagnosed with depression when I was 12 and have spent the last 13 years struggling with it every day. I've been off and on several different medications, and had horrible post-pardum after having my daughter, and some days it hits me harder than it does others, but I know I have to push through it because I have a husband and a 2 year old who depend on me, plus, I depend on me to get things done.
Exercise releases endorphins in your brain which, in layman's terms, make you happier. So whenever I feel like I just can't work out either because I feel like I can't get out of bed or because I'm just not in a good mood, I remind myself that I feel so much better not only physically but mentally after a I workout.
Depression also makes some people want to eat; for me, I get stomach aches and can't stand the thought of food, either way, it's not healthy. So making yourself eat or making yourself stop eating (especially if you're going for the junk drawer!) when you don't want to isn't easy. It all takes mental strength that exercise can help you with!
The harder I work, the more I accomplish and the better I feel.
It's not a bad motto to live by. This isn't a long or even an informative post, I just wanted to let others out there who's depression often gets in the way of them trying to keep themselves healthy and in shape know that you are definitely not alone.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Body Revolution: Phase 3
I just finished my first round of the workouts I'll be doing in weeks 9 and 10 of BR and like I said before...scary! I'm definitely glad I went and bought some 3 pound weights, because Phase 3 is beyond my Jillian fitness level! However, she swears by the end of weeks 9 and 10 that the workout will be easy...well, we will see about that!
Week 9 has a lot of moves from Extreme Shed and Shred so that one wasn't quite as bad as week 10 which was a lot of plyometrics with weights; just imagine this: jumping lunges with 5's, jump squats into up-right rows with 5's, rock star jumps with 3's and dumbbell swings with 8's jumping forwards and backwards ...just to name a few of my least favorites. :)
Today was cardio. My legs already felt ready to collapse when I crawled out of bed this morning, so I wasn't too excited going into Phase 3 cardio, especially when Jillian starts the introduction with "This is one of the hardest workouts I've ever created." Awesome. Let me just say that anyone who says BR is nothing compared to Insanity never made it to the third month.
This month's 30 minutes of cardio consists of twenty second intervals of metabolic/jump training with several plank moves thrown in the mix. There are no breathers and barely chances to take a sip of a water...26 minutes in (meaning I only had 5 minutes left), I had to stop the DVD for a few seconds to catch my breath. I laid on the floor for several minutes afterwards trying to find the strength to stand back up. (Thank goodness I have a seat in my shower!!!! haha)
So anyone just starting month 3 and already wishing it was over (like me), just know I'm right here with you trying to find the motivation to keep going, because the workouts are really pushing my limits. I know I can do it...but sometimes I just don't want to. However, I try to tell myself this is my LAST month, and this is the month that is going to make my body look like a ripped, workout machine! So I play those words on repeat in my mind as I look in the mirror and then press play on the DVD player...
Keep it up guys!! The fact you even show up each day, do your best to make it through, and try things you never thought you could do shows strength beyond words!
___________________________________________________
Anyone thinking they want to start Body Revolution, go through the official website to purchase the program. It includes a special resistance band as well as Extreme Shed and Shred (my favorite) and Killer Buns and Thighs (my next thing to do after BR) at a much better price than paying for all those things separately.
Week 9 has a lot of moves from Extreme Shed and Shred so that one wasn't quite as bad as week 10 which was a lot of plyometrics with weights; just imagine this: jumping lunges with 5's, jump squats into up-right rows with 5's, rock star jumps with 3's and dumbbell swings with 8's jumping forwards and backwards ...just to name a few of my least favorites. :)
Today was cardio. My legs already felt ready to collapse when I crawled out of bed this morning, so I wasn't too excited going into Phase 3 cardio, especially when Jillian starts the introduction with "This is one of the hardest workouts I've ever created." Awesome. Let me just say that anyone who says BR is nothing compared to Insanity never made it to the third month.
This month's 30 minutes of cardio consists of twenty second intervals of metabolic/jump training with several plank moves thrown in the mix. There are no breathers and barely chances to take a sip of a water...26 minutes in (meaning I only had 5 minutes left), I had to stop the DVD for a few seconds to catch my breath. I laid on the floor for several minutes afterwards trying to find the strength to stand back up. (Thank goodness I have a seat in my shower!!!! haha)
So anyone just starting month 3 and already wishing it was over (like me), just know I'm right here with you trying to find the motivation to keep going, because the workouts are really pushing my limits. I know I can do it...but sometimes I just don't want to. However, I try to tell myself this is my LAST month, and this is the month that is going to make my body look like a ripped, workout machine! So I play those words on repeat in my mind as I look in the mirror and then press play on the DVD player...
Keep it up guys!! The fact you even show up each day, do your best to make it through, and try things you never thought you could do shows strength beyond words!
___________________________________________________
Anyone thinking they want to start Body Revolution, go through the official website to purchase the program. It includes a special resistance band as well as Extreme Shed and Shred (my favorite) and Killer Buns and Thighs (my next thing to do after BR) at a much better price than paying for all those things separately.
Friday, August 23, 2013
The scale won't budge!
Reaching a "plateau" is a problem that EVERYONE faces on their weight loss journey.
You all know that I've been using FreezeAwayFat Cool Shape shorts (not intended for weight loss but for fat loss), and I've been doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution 6 days a week for the past two months. I just started Phase 3/week 9 so it was weigh-in time, but I stepped on the scale this morning only to discover that I have gained a pound in the last 2 weeks! I've said repeatedly that muscle weighs more than fat, and that as you lose weight and gain muscle, sometimes the number on the scale won't budge because you're weight lost and muscle gained is equalling out, but that doesn't make the fact that the number on the scale isn't going down any less frustrating.
In the first month of BR I lost about 5 pounds (which isn't a lot, but when a work out like Jillian's isn't your first rodeo, your results aren't going to be as dramatic as someone pushing themselves to their limits for the first time). In the last month, my weight has stayed between 135-137 (give and take half a pound), and I feel like I'm losing my mind because I'm working so hard (workouts 6 days a week, 1 cheat day every other week, 1200-1500 calories a day, and currently taking the all natural weight loss supplement Fenphedrine) and seeing no results...on the scale.
Here's where my two-cents for you comes in: your body knows at what weight it feels best and at what weight it wants to stay to keep you healthiest! I know this doesn't make looking at the number on the scale any easier, but I'm learning along with all of you to stop thinking about the scale and start thinking about how I feel. My size 4 shorts are baggy and my size 2 jeans are just right, again. I can't deny that my hard work is working on my body fat, but body feels just right at an average of 136 pounds and that's where it wants to stay despite my efforts to get my weight down to 128 (I thought 8 pounds would be easy to get rid of, but my body doesn't want to).
I was going to wait until the end of BR to share my inches lost, but I feel like now is a good time for me to help you (and help myself) by telling you all just how much my body has changed despite the lack of change in that always-on-my-mind number I see on the scale.
You already saw the pictures, but here are the numbers: (I measure every two weeks and there have been some fluctuation as I build muscle so I'm just going to do before and now measurements.)
Before BR Now
Right Bicep: 11 inches Right Bicep: 10.5 inches (-.5)
Left Bicep: 11 Left Bicep: 10.5 (-.5)
Right Thigh: 23 Right Thigh: 22.5 (-.5)
Left Thigh: 24 Left Thigh: 23.5 (-.5)
Waist: 28 Waist: 27 (-1)
At Bellybutton: 34 At Bellybutton: 32 (-2)
Hips: 36 Hips: 35 (-1)
Booty: 38.5 Booty: 37 (-1.5)
Weight: 137.5 pounds Weight: 136 pounds
As you can see, there was only a loss of 1.5 pounds in the last 2 months, but a total of 7.5 inches! So while I can complain about my weight all I want, every time I look in the mirror I see tighter thighs, definition in my upper and lower back, and those nice little curves between my obliques and abs that gives my flat stomach some definition of muscle.
I still have some stubborn fat to lose, so I'm not going to quit working out or stop wearing my frosty pants (as my husband likes to call them), but it's not just because I want to look good, it's because I enjoy working out and watching my body change and get stronger.
I'm only 25, but I want to live to be 100, and Jillian with her butt-kicking workouts are going to get me there in tip-top shape!!!! (I'm gonna be the hottest mom in kindergarten and the hottest grandma on the block! haha)
You all know that I've been using FreezeAwayFat Cool Shape shorts (not intended for weight loss but for fat loss), and I've been doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution 6 days a week for the past two months. I just started Phase 3/week 9 so it was weigh-in time, but I stepped on the scale this morning only to discover that I have gained a pound in the last 2 weeks! I've said repeatedly that muscle weighs more than fat, and that as you lose weight and gain muscle, sometimes the number on the scale won't budge because you're weight lost and muscle gained is equalling out, but that doesn't make the fact that the number on the scale isn't going down any less frustrating.
In the first month of BR I lost about 5 pounds (which isn't a lot, but when a work out like Jillian's isn't your first rodeo, your results aren't going to be as dramatic as someone pushing themselves to their limits for the first time). In the last month, my weight has stayed between 135-137 (give and take half a pound), and I feel like I'm losing my mind because I'm working so hard (workouts 6 days a week, 1 cheat day every other week, 1200-1500 calories a day, and currently taking the all natural weight loss supplement Fenphedrine) and seeing no results...on the scale.
Here's where my two-cents for you comes in: your body knows at what weight it feels best and at what weight it wants to stay to keep you healthiest! I know this doesn't make looking at the number on the scale any easier, but I'm learning along with all of you to stop thinking about the scale and start thinking about how I feel. My size 4 shorts are baggy and my size 2 jeans are just right, again. I can't deny that my hard work is working on my body fat, but body feels just right at an average of 136 pounds and that's where it wants to stay despite my efforts to get my weight down to 128 (I thought 8 pounds would be easy to get rid of, but my body doesn't want to).
I was going to wait until the end of BR to share my inches lost, but I feel like now is a good time for me to help you (and help myself) by telling you all just how much my body has changed despite the lack of change in that always-on-my-mind number I see on the scale.
You already saw the pictures, but here are the numbers: (I measure every two weeks and there have been some fluctuation as I build muscle so I'm just going to do before and now measurements.)
Before BR Now
Right Bicep: 11 inches Right Bicep: 10.5 inches (-.5)
Left Bicep: 11 Left Bicep: 10.5 (-.5)
Right Thigh: 23 Right Thigh: 22.5 (-.5)
Left Thigh: 24 Left Thigh: 23.5 (-.5)
Waist: 28 Waist: 27 (-1)
At Bellybutton: 34 At Bellybutton: 32 (-2)
Hips: 36 Hips: 35 (-1)
Booty: 38.5 Booty: 37 (-1.5)
Weight: 137.5 pounds Weight: 136 pounds
As you can see, there was only a loss of 1.5 pounds in the last 2 months, but a total of 7.5 inches! So while I can complain about my weight all I want, every time I look in the mirror I see tighter thighs, definition in my upper and lower back, and those nice little curves between my obliques and abs that gives my flat stomach some definition of muscle.
I still have some stubborn fat to lose, so I'm not going to quit working out or stop wearing my frosty pants (as my husband likes to call them), but it's not just because I want to look good, it's because I enjoy working out and watching my body change and get stronger.
I'm only 25, but I want to live to be 100, and Jillian with her butt-kicking workouts are going to get me there in tip-top shape!!!! (I'm gonna be the hottest mom in kindergarten and the hottest grandma on the block! haha)
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Body Revolution Weeks 7 & 8
So up until now, Body Revolution was making my feel strong with how much I could accomplish during the workouts: how I could do military style push-ups now, and use 5 pound weights when everyone in the video was using 3 pounds, etc. But then came weeks 7 & 8 and I'm dying!
I know that the point is to progress the work outs and progress your fitness level but crow push-ups into 5 minutes of plank work with only 30 seconds of rest in boat pose is NOT fun! And that's only circuit 1!
I've just finished my 3rd go around and so I only have 1 more time with each exercise before moving on to Phase 3...needless to say, I'm a little scared!
So for those of you trying BR, I'm right there with you pushing through! Don't give up and I won't either! You can always e-mail me with any questions or if you think you need some motivation: kristinam0530@gmail.com
I am here for you!
I know that the point is to progress the work outs and progress your fitness level but crow push-ups into 5 minutes of plank work with only 30 seconds of rest in boat pose is NOT fun! And that's only circuit 1!
I've just finished my 3rd go around and so I only have 1 more time with each exercise before moving on to Phase 3...needless to say, I'm a little scared!
So for those of you trying BR, I'm right there with you pushing through! Don't give up and I won't either! You can always e-mail me with any questions or if you think you need some motivation: kristinam0530@gmail.com
I am here for you!
Friday, August 9, 2013
First Set of Before and After Photos
(edited Monday, August 19, 2013)
I am halfway through Body Revolution and just finished my first 5 weeks of FreezeAwayFat Cool Shapes shorts, so I thought that I would post some before and after pictures for you. You'll notice that the photos of my back show how much I've built my upper back to make my waist look smaller--told you it works!
And the Cool Shapes shorts have REALLY shrunk the stubborn fat on my stomach. (I've lost 3 inches total from my hips to my waist!) I went from my stomach sticking out, to FLAT! Totally awesome! (I've still got some lower abdominal fat that needs an extra push, but that's what having babies does, right?) I really recommend combining the FreezeAwayFat Cool Shapes shorts to any diet or exercise program...I'm keeping a healthy weight, building muscle with BR, and watching the inches freeze off!
I am halfway through Body Revolution and just finished my first 5 weeks of FreezeAwayFat Cool Shapes shorts, so I thought that I would post some before and after pictures for you. You'll notice that the photos of my back show how much I've built my upper back to make my waist look smaller--told you it works!
And the Cool Shapes shorts have REALLY shrunk the stubborn fat on my stomach. (I've lost 3 inches total from my hips to my waist!) I went from my stomach sticking out, to FLAT! Totally awesome! (I've still got some lower abdominal fat that needs an extra push, but that's what having babies does, right?) I really recommend combining the FreezeAwayFat Cool Shapes shorts to any diet or exercise program...I'm keeping a healthy weight, building muscle with BR, and watching the inches freeze off!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
FreezeAwayFat Update
Yes, I cut out candy.
Yes, I'm doing Jillian Michael's Body Revolution.
Yes, I haven't even lost 10 lbs, yet.
BUT I've lost 1 inch around each thigh; 1.5 inches around my belly button; a quarter of an inch around my butt and half and inch around my hips and it hasn't even been the full 5 weeks!!! I can't wait to see what a few months of wearing these shorts will do (I can actually see me abs!! I've got a visible 2 pack and I'm proud of it!!)
It's worth every penny!
PS- I start weeks 7 & 8 of BR and it's really getting intense. I know that on the reviews of BR vs. Insanity, a lot of people think BR is slow and that they enjoy REALLY sweating like you do with Insanity. Try turning the air off and not using a fan (like hot Yoga), and have patience, because phase 2 of BR will have you sweating like a pig! I have it dripping off my legs and into my eyes after only 28 minutes of her cardio exercises and I still get a good, hard work out and nice sweat with her front and back of body exercises. I've always been her biggest fan and her biggest advocate after all she's done to push me to lose those 60 pounds, and the bonus of FreezeAwayFat has helped me start to actually see my abs and have a mention my legs, because MAN ARE THEY TIGHT!! Like Jillian says: "I want you to have sex with the lights on!"
SO KEEP ON PUSHING! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!
I've never offered this before, but decided it was time to really help, so if any of you have any questions or would like some advice, I will do my best to answer them and help in any way I know how, so feel free to e-mail me at krisitnam0530@gmail.com. Just give me you first name (or an alias if you aren't comfortable, and details about whatever problems your having...I will answer you HONESTLY and if I don't have an answer, I will consult a professional. Ask me about diet, proper ways to do exercise moves, why you've plateaued, and even about supplements (trust me, I've tried A LOT of them).
Yes, I'm doing Jillian Michael's Body Revolution.
Yes, I haven't even lost 10 lbs, yet.
BUT I've lost 1 inch around each thigh; 1.5 inches around my belly button; a quarter of an inch around my butt and half and inch around my hips and it hasn't even been the full 5 weeks!!! I can't wait to see what a few months of wearing these shorts will do (I can actually see me abs!! I've got a visible 2 pack and I'm proud of it!!)
It's worth every penny!
PS- I start weeks 7 & 8 of BR and it's really getting intense. I know that on the reviews of BR vs. Insanity, a lot of people think BR is slow and that they enjoy REALLY sweating like you do with Insanity. Try turning the air off and not using a fan (like hot Yoga), and have patience, because phase 2 of BR will have you sweating like a pig! I have it dripping off my legs and into my eyes after only 28 minutes of her cardio exercises and I still get a good, hard work out and nice sweat with her front and back of body exercises. I've always been her biggest fan and her biggest advocate after all she's done to push me to lose those 60 pounds, and the bonus of FreezeAwayFat has helped me start to actually see my abs and have a mention my legs, because MAN ARE THEY TIGHT!! Like Jillian says: "I want you to have sex with the lights on!"
SO KEEP ON PUSHING! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!
I've never offered this before, but decided it was time to really help, so if any of you have any questions or would like some advice, I will do my best to answer them and help in any way I know how, so feel free to e-mail me at krisitnam0530@gmail.com. Just give me you first name (or an alias if you aren't comfortable, and details about whatever problems your having...I will answer you HONESTLY and if I don't have an answer, I will consult a professional. Ask me about diet, proper ways to do exercise moves, why you've plateaued, and even about supplements (trust me, I've tried A LOT of them).
Friday, July 26, 2013
End of Body Revolution Month 1
Today, I officially moved on to Phase 2 (month 2) of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, and I wanted to share my end of Phase 1 Results. I've overall only lost a couple inches, but my shorts definitely feel looser around my waist and my thighs, and I've lost 9 pounds. I don't have much more weight to lose because I'm mostly looking to just tone up my problem areas. Hopefully the next couple months will get me to my toned body!
I've also been using the Cool Shapes shorts and I think those are working, even though sometimes it's so cold I can sit outside in 90 degree weather and I'm still a little chilly! LOL
I have been taking Relacore. Mostly, it's been great for suppressing my anxiety and depression; so whether or not it helps with weight loss, I don't know...I just take it to improve my mood.
I wanted to share a tip with you: If you're workout feels like it's getting easier for you (that's great!) but it also means you need to start using heavier weights. In order to see results, a good rule of thumb: make sure you're straining on your last couple of reps. As painful as it's been, I upped my weights to 8's (which is the heaviest Jillian goes in BR, but you can go heavier if you want), and that's when I started to really SEE the changes.
My second tip: Use heavier weights to work your back and lighter weights to work your biceps. You're biceps are still working during back moves so you don't want to wear them out with heavy weights. Heavy weights during back exercises will build up your back which gives the illusion of a small waist (and a sexy back!).
I've also been using the Cool Shapes shorts and I think those are working, even though sometimes it's so cold I can sit outside in 90 degree weather and I'm still a little chilly! LOL
I have been taking Relacore. Mostly, it's been great for suppressing my anxiety and depression; so whether or not it helps with weight loss, I don't know...I just take it to improve my mood.
I wanted to share a tip with you: If you're workout feels like it's getting easier for you (that's great!) but it also means you need to start using heavier weights. In order to see results, a good rule of thumb: make sure you're straining on your last couple of reps. As painful as it's been, I upped my weights to 8's (which is the heaviest Jillian goes in BR, but you can go heavier if you want), and that's when I started to really SEE the changes.
My second tip: Use heavier weights to work your back and lighter weights to work your biceps. You're biceps are still working during back moves so you don't want to wear them out with heavy weights. Heavy weights during back exercises will build up your back which gives the illusion of a small waist (and a sexy back!).
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