Been absolutely loving this weather in Pennsylvania. I have taken most of my workouts outdoors and the dog has benefited greatly from this. I will get back in the gym late fall and start on a heavy lifting program again but for now other types of strength training and outdoor cardio is king for me. I love the outdoors and will continue to mix it in throughout the winter when I can but I just need a break from indoors gym monotony for a while. It’s all about the lifestyle and I’m having no problem maintaining besides keeping the house full of healthy foods.

This past weekend I failed to do so and needed to stay around the house for some other responsibilities so I dipped in quality of snacks but am back on track again for the week.

Mid-week we’re heading back down to ocean City, MD for the hot rod cruise again with our cars and I’m really excited to go running along the coast again! Makes my soul so happy. We did a lot of work to my Chevelle this year too which has me super excited to go cruise with all of the other motor heads and learn even more.

Keep it real.

I took it easy over the holiday weekend with simple dog walks/jogs, but despite two cheat meals I’ve been eating clean and still maintaining strong. Today I had a stinky but delicious lunch of salad that contained onions, homemade basil, olive oil and fresh garlic dressing in addition to salmon. My office mates probably hated it but oh well!

I also grabbed an issue of Oxygen Magazine over lunch and an Odwalla protein drink for late afternoon snack at the office since I forgot my newly purchased protein power for my shaker blender.

As the weather gets cooler, I’m considering running on a trail my company has outside over lunch. I bought some dry shampoo this weekend that I think could do just the trick with my hair as I change back into meeting-worthy clothing each afternoon. In the fall I tend to do a lot of outdoor activities and then gear back into heavier weight-room style when it’s too cold to  be outdoors. That indoor weather seems to last too long as it is.

This coming weekend will be wood chopping/stacking for my parents, which is a great workout. Next weekend I’ll be going up to my hubby’s hunting mountain and hiking with the pup (not in his hunting area though!). Feeling more trail running/hiking the next few weeks!

As of today I have officially accepted a new position as a full time design consultant at a global company for their web products. I will be eBusiness User Interface Designer in two weeks from today. 

Went shopping tonight for new work clothes and fought the urge in both Under Armour outlet store and Champion, but I know where I’m headed next round of activewear I need…

Happy and excited for a new opportunity that will take my career into the direction I’ve been desiring for a while. I’m not even worried about a commute or being away from my home office because I know I got this fitness and eating thing down. So thankful that the opportunity of working from home helped me get here, though!

Every stepping stone in life is worth a lot. Cheers! 

Bench: 85 lb x 5 reps 

Leg Extensions: 100 lb x 12 reps

Barbell Squat: 115 lb x 6 reps

Bicep Curl: 25 lb x 3 reps

Lying Leg Curls: 60 lb x 10 reps

Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift: 70 lb x 15 reps

• 8:48 mile 
• Running 3+ miles in one session 
• 20 lb dumbbell curls
• 9.0 MPH on my HIIT treadmill high intervals (fastest I’ve ever gone on a treadmill)
• 258 lb leg press
• 15lb kettlebell for 30 mins Shred It Jillian workout which is super tough for me
• Running on the beach - AKA lifestyle and workouts even on vacation
• Working out 6 days a week
• Clean eating permanently (7 months now)
• 15lb dumbbell lateral raises
• 25 lb dumbbell shoulder raise
• 40 (20 each side) jumping lunges
• 60lb cable ab crunches
• 85 incline bench
• Wore a belly top at the beach and rocked it

I’m going to use some of these for references for new goals.

I ran 3.39 miles in 30:00. My first mile was 8:48. I was surprised and happy! It’s the longest I ever ran.

At the beginning of yet another month, I just wanted to take a peek back at where my commitment started and where I’ve come so far. 

Mid November 2011 I weighted 147 lbs. I was flabby although I’ve always had decent muscle under there because I had been working out without the nutrition commitment (what a waste….). I got sick of putting in all that work with little results. Deep down I always knew if I wanted to be really toned I would have to eat better, but I always thought I could get “enough” results and keep eating a few junk meals a week. It’s not like I ate junk all day, but I had no control with portion sizes either.

At first I started to eat clean. No calorie counting or macro considerations, just started there. Switching my nutrition choices was a big step in self control and it felt good. I started eating based on nutrition facts only, clean and whole foods. I also kept everything within a portion size.

After a few weeks that became more normal to me and my initial results had me feeling like I wanted even more. That’s when I started to count calories. I used some online tracking and it really gave me a good perspective and held me accountable. I learned so much about nutrition, made my own decisions about what was right for me and what wasn’t, and learned a lot about real BMI, BMR and calorie intake. I did this for a few months straight and logged every workout. 

About two months ago, I started to tire of tracking calories. My ultimate goal was to make fitness a priority and lifestyle for myself, and I knew in that tracking calories might be something that would inhibit my excitement after a while. So, I decided that if I realized I needed to keep it up in order to meet my goals I would continue, but that I was going to try it without it first to make that decision. 

I had learned a lot about macros and nutritional needs with regard to how they help with certain goals. Armed with that knowledge and lots of pre-written meal plans that met my nutrition and caloric needs, I started to go by them and substitute items. That is how I live today. I’m still aware of caloric intake and its effect on fat loss or muscle gains, but I just choose a meal plan that I have on file or something new that matches my goals and I use it. I know now what my body needs daily to keep lean, healthy and energized and I just eat based on that. There are portion sizes and numbers (such as calories per meal/snack) in my head when I do it, but it’s still easier for me than writing down every calorie. It’s also made creativity in the kitchen more enjoyable so I know what types of food and nutrition goes into a dish, but I’m not agonizing over adding up every calorie. 

I’m happy with how healthy my progress has been, and although I’ve certain had my hungry days I never let myself feel starving. I eat a snack before bed every night. I work out almost every day and am active on rest days. I get up early most mornings and look forward to eating healthy and my workout. I have lost a total of 22 lbs of body fat and have definitely gained some muscle I’m proud of. 

I now live off of using Fitocracy for motivation and for new levels of fitness for myself and am always making up clean meals that my hubby will not find boring and it’s fun. I know this lifestyle and knowledge of clean eating will be great for our someday family as well.

Thankful for tumblr peeps, all the hot bodies I’ve stared at for motivation, workout gear motivation at every milestone, hubby and God for giving me strength and discipline.

Did some HIIT over lunch and finished up with 5 extra mins of steady cardio. Before I started I was curious about my upper body abilities as I have had a strange week of random but full-body workouts like plyometrics and cables. Makes it harder for me to judge strength than what I was used to with free weights. Did 6 pull ups without assistance! Felt awesome. 

Last night I did a killer plyo workout that I couldn’t even finish. It was sort of strange, I’m not sure if I wasn’t fueled enough nutritionally or because it was late, or just a workout I wasn’t used to. Lots of pop squatting and burpees and stuff. Instead of super sets I had to rest between every single exercise to keep from fainting, but I pushed myself as much as I could feasibly do and know it burned a lot of calories. Sweated a lot. 

Really cutting back my carbs today so I can enjoy my cheat meal of pizza tonight with my girlfriend, and probably some whiskey sipping too. 

Tomorrow I start the last pieces of the Chevelle project and I’m STOKED to get that on the road… especially in my bikini top this year at the beach ;)

Rock on, ya’ll! 

Coffee, loose ends at work, then lunch time workout! These circuit style workouts are much easier at lunch than after work when it’s so busy, and I want to leave straight after work to work on my car all weekend! Hoping to get the last large chunk done this weekend and finalize things before May.

Hope this helps anyone starting out with some things I could have used more clarity on! This is my personal experience and opinion.

1. When you hear people tell you that it takes a lot of patience and not to give up, realize it’s true but also realize what exactly that means. That means it could take weeks to see real results. It was hard for me to to learn what “waiting and keep going” actually meant. Is it a week before I adjust things? Do I wait 6 months to decide it isn’t working? Of course everyone is different, but there are still extremes either way. I got so used to seeing results up front that I would see that advice and think that I was already being patient but then realized that two weeks wasn’t enough to wait sometimes. Sometimes it took a month to see a change I was looking for. Yes, you need to be aware if you’re truly not being honest with yourself with diet or workout intensity but give it a chance if you really are kicking ass. Depending on your goals it could take 4+ weeks to really see or feel much. This doesn’t mean it isn’t working, either! Sometimes after that time period your body kicks into overdrive and almost seems to catch up with all of your work and shows even more results than you anticipated!
2. Kicking ass (intensity level) means something different to everyone. I personally really benefitted from following some sort of pre-written weekly routine by Muscle and Fitness Hers for most of the past 6 months of my journey. It helped push me, but it also helped me realize that 20-30 minutes of HIIT was enough and that kept me less overwhelmed.
3. Protein doesn’t make you lose fat. It helps to preserve muscle and keep you feeling full longer, which helps you keep your calorie intake in check and grow muscle, which helps to sizzle fat.
4. Lift heavy. What exactly does that mean? Heavy is also subjective. But, try to challenge yourself on the 3^rd set of all exercises. That worked for me to keep growing even if I can only do a few with the heavier weight I still finish my reps no matter what by going back to the weight I can handle to finish up. The only way you “bulk up” is if you aren’t being realistic with yourself on your fat loss. You need to keep cardio up and burn fat while building muscle to lean down at the same time. Either way you barely bulk, but I suppose that’s the excuse not to lift heavy as it’s said a lot of the time.
5. Eat clean, learn to love it, and be creative. Diet is really 80% of results. Diet is what you eat, diet to me isn’t being on a “diet”. Not only does a diet geared toward your goals help you create the deficit you may or may not be looking for, but it helps FUEL your activity. I personally eat meat, dairy, and complex carbs etc. but have stuck to clean eating with major portion control and it’s made me healthy and happy. I don’t feel deprived of anything besides a little hungry on days I’m cutting calories a lot which is just a fact of cutting. I eat 6 times a day.
6. Be realistic when setting dietary need goals. For me a very low calorie day is 1400 and I can barely handle that without feeling starving to the point where I can’t think or even sleep. Right now I’m 5’4” and 129 lbs on a good day. A high/cheat day is as much as 2000. If you’re really active with intensity and heavy weights, don’t try to cut calories any lower than 1400 (talking women here). Eat for intensity and energy and fat will burn from your workouts. If you can’t be intense during your workouts because you’re not fueled enough, why bother?
7. Planning ahead means lifestyle change. Know what workouts you are doing for the next 4 weeks. It flies by. Also get used to packing healthy foods for days away/traveling. I suggest having a rough plan for a few months or even the year ahead of high level goals (get lean, build muscle, lose 10 lbs of fat, etc.)
8. Get used to handling comments from other people without losing all of your friends. I have found it way less effective to “preach” my lifestyle than by just keeping my mouth shut and leading by example. I could care less if my family or friends don’t want this lifestyle or eating habits, it’s for me. I’m not pushing anything on them. They are getting used to me bringing food and understanding it’s not to offend them the more I’m showing how serious I am about it over time. It’s becoming more normal. I try to make my cheat meals occur when I’m with other people so they see I’m not obsessive and it helps soften that too. It shows the moderation side of this lifestyle (at least how I chose to live mine).
9. Don’t count every calorie. Life is too busy to keep that up and commit to eating healthy. Something that I do is find pre-written meal plans to stick to which already have calorie counts figured out (give or take). The more you pay attention the better you get at knowing how many calories things are over time. The fact is if you are trying to lose weight you DO need to know to make a deficit but this is, in my opinion, a healthier way to do it long term.
10. A calorie deficit is made by eating less AND working out. You can’t workout and decide to eat more because you made a little dent in deficit. Yes, this can happen and possible not effect your results by much, but it can’t be your plan. You can’t work off a bad diet. “Bad diet” would also include too many calories to create a significant enough deficit for your goals, even if it’s clean food.
11. Healthy means many things. It’s all about your goals. Know what your goals are and eat and train accordingly, it is different for everyone.
12. Be specific on goals. This one I struggled with at first. I thought I wanted to lose weight, period. I soon realized that really meant getting lean. After that I wanted to concentrate on muscle building, which also helped torch fat. Now, I’m back to leaning down again for summer. I still have weight goals in mind but am allowing a lot more time for them to come with my muscle gains and better physique and size. I feel healthy now and the rest is more vanity and personal preference at this point. 

Killed it at the gym tonight. Heavy on the legs, and HIIT on the bike. Had a lot of energy for the long work day I’m still working on. SUPER busy day tomorrow but time to gear up for it and relax a little tonight. 

Got my Century Club badge tonight on Foursquare for checking in at my gym 100 times! Of course, I’m the mayor. lol

Although I took my dog for a walk, drove my car and enjoyed some sunshine today, my day was filled with work. In fact, right now I am working on my project for my full time job into the night so that I can feel more caught up. SO busy working on our company’s new website right now!

As for my workout tonight, I kicked ass pushing myself for my chest workout and did my 3 sets of pushups to failure with my legs wide instead of close together. Definitely harder but my core is getting stronger and I love pushups so I enjoyed the challenge. Last week I did 30, 25 and 15 pushups. This week with the harder modification I did 27, 20 and 15.

Sick of people hogging the smith machine though. I’m at a point where I can bench a heavier bar than I can handle to carry over to myself and get up. Don’t feel as challenged as I could be but today I went a little higher and carried a 60 lb short bar to the bench for my second two sets of 8 and 6. The smith machine being hogged is also a problem for my barbell squats for the same reason. Maybe I’ll hit up my legs over lunch tomorrow to prevent me missing out when it’s so busy again.

Anyway, Did 20 mins on the stepper and 10 on 15% incline treadmill at 3.5-4 mph all before the dog walk. Also tanned a little bit. Really need some color on this body as I get more cut the paleness is really keeping me from looking my best.

Back to work. Rock on, everyone! 

At this point, 1 pound is a big feat since I’m gaining muscle and down toward a lower weight. It’s taking 1-2 weeks to lose 1 lb and I’m not obsessing over it. I barely weigh myself anymore but like to keep in check too.

131! One more lb. until my original goal weight. I will do it by this weekend, and then reward myself with all those fancy car parts that should be here!!!! :) Can’t wait to drive my ride at the beach muscle car cruise in my bikini top.

Have a great day everyone.

On this beautiful sunny Thursday, I’m working on what I need to get done for work today and even for the rest of the week. 

In the meantime I have fish and chicken baking for a few days ahead. 

Going to work out over lunch so my evening with my hubby is open, and we’re going to order some big parts for my car upgrade for this spring since we did our tax appointment yesterday.

SO STOKED!

I’ve officially hit my 15 lbs lost mark. I’m 132 this morning, even after the not-so-proud weekend I had nutritionally and sleep wise. Although I haven’t been losing very fast anymore I have not been focusing on the scale either. My focus has been on putting on muscle and fueling my body to get in intense workouts while still creating a deficit. I think my high calories Sunday helped fool my body into burning more fat so far this week and I’m going to take advantage by cutting as much as I can within reason (around 1600 cals a day).

This slower losing pace is ok with me because I’m really happy with the slow sculpting that’s going on with my muscles. However those darn inner thighs are just not budging. To me it’s like they barely lost any size since I started this. I think I’m going to have to go back to working my legs hard twice a week soon. Maybe that’s fitting in the kettlebell working in place of a cardio day since it has both…

Cheers to progress and not giving up!