The Starting Line

My free time this week has been spent at The Starting Line of this journey.

Step One:  Determine the Plan – I am currently 4 days into the Jamie Eason Live Fit 12-WeekProgram.  If you know who Jamie Eason is, you may quickly understand why I chose this program.  However, for those of you who don’t, let me sum it up quickly with this…..

Hello!  Who Doesn’t want to Look like That?????

What I like about the plan so far is that the workouts only take about 30 - 45 minutes which works well for my busy schedule.  YES – I am at the gym at 5:15am which is early for many, however I find that when I start my day with my workout, I feel better, the gym is less crowded and it doesn’t interfere with my responsibilities as a wife and mother.

PLUS - this plan can be done by ANYONE - even if you wake up tomorrow and say I want to "live fit".

Step Two:  Take Measurements – you have to know where you are starting from in order to measure the progress of your efforts.

June 2010 / July 2012

Weight: 133.4 / 132.2
Right Arm: 9 / 9.5
Shoulders: 38.25 / 38.25
Chest: 33.75 / 32.00
Waist: 29.25 / 28.00
Hips: 36 / 35
Right Thigh: 17.75 / 18.5
Right Calf: 14.5 / 14

I never calculated Body Fat in 2010, but as of today it is at 22.2%.  I know that in order to reach the goal that I desire physically, I will reduce this number, however WILL increase my overall body weight, yet that increase will be "good" weight aka - muscle.

Step Three:  Nutrition & Supplements – this week I started to take baby steps in following the nutrition guide suggested in the Live Fit program.  Trying some of the small meals suggested, but really focusing on consuming the equivalent amount of carbs/protein etc. suggested every 2-3 hours.

Phase One Female Diet Guide

In addition, my Nutritional Supplement Cabinet does look like this….and YES I take these products every day and have used many of them for the last two years….just being more consistent with some of them today and using new products to obtain the carbs/protein during my day and following a workout.

You can find out more about the products Advocare offers here or wait for me to dive into some of these products in future posts.

Step Four:  Keep a Journal – I use the My Fitness Pal app. on my phone to track what I eat.  I use a notebook to track my daily workouts.  Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Program gives me the daily workout plan and I log how much weight I use.  As I mentioned in the previous post, I started this journey with a different plan 3 weeks ago and I can tell you that from week 1 to now I have already been able to increase the weights used on certain exercises.  Logging it allows you to see progress!

Once Upon a Time, A Girl Needed a New Challenge…..

THE HISTORY

To bring some of you up to speed, I need to rewind the clock to January 2010.  Mike and I decided to make it the year of CHANGE.  We made the commitment individually and as accountability partners to eat healthier, lose weight and to exercise.  Our journey began with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge after a friend said “exercise creates the shape, however nutrition is what allows that shape to be seen”.

Before you assume that we have deprived ourselves of certain foods or spent hours in the gym, let me tell you what we have done. FOOD - yes we eat healthier then we did previously but we also eat in 5-6 small meals rather then 3 meals per day which controls our portion size. We eat more fruits and vegetables too. Have we deprived ourselves of anything? NO - we just eat the "junk" in moderation. We don't keep the cabinets stocked with the "junk" either. EXERCISE - when we started our exercise routine was spending 30 minutes about 3 times per week on the treadmill or using our home weight system. In late January, I started the Couch-to-5k program as one of my 2010 bucket list items was to run a 5k. That program had me running/walking for approx. 30 minutes 3 times per week for a period of 8 weeks. It wasn't until March that my running time increased to about 45 minutes and I started alternating my running schedule with very light strength training...again though not spending more the 30-45 minutes 4 times per week.  By June 2010, I had lost 19 lbs and 18 inches (before/after pics).  By August, I had lost a total of 25 lbs, however decided that I wasn’t comfortable at that weight and bumped myself back up to my “comfortable” number of 132 lbs for a total of 20 lbs lost.

Over the past 2 years, my desire to run a 5k turned into several 5k’s, then a few ½ marathons and finally a full marathon in June 2011…..followed by 3 ½ marathons since then.  I did add a personal trainer to my regiment in 2011, however that was to prepare my legs for 26.2 miles….not to change my weight.  In fact, my weight has stayed the same, however my measurements changed.  Example:  a smaller waist results in bigger calves…at least for me.  J  I have kept off the 20 lbs lost 2 ½ years ago by continuing to use my nutritional supplements from Advocare and 45 min – an hour of exercise about 3 times a week on average.

Since completing the San Diego Marathon again in June 2012 (this time as a 1/2 Marathoner), I have found myself looking for a new challenge.  Because my changes have become "lifestyle", it is no longer a challenge to run a certain distance as the mental and physical battle have already been "won".  My battle with food and nutrition has been "won" given my initial goals.....do I have periods of "falling off the wagon"?  ABSOLUTELY!  But honestly as soon as that "blah" feeling starts to set in, I realize that I have to get back to it.

WHERE AM I HEADED?

I have spent the last 45 days setting new goals for myself and determining the who/what/when/where and how of getting there.  My goal is to "get fit - despite my crazy life" (and yes - I borrowed that phrase from someone).  "Get Fit" meaning a transformation of my body...to go from simply looking like a "skinny person" to a "strong person".  "Despite my crazy life" aka:  obtaining this goal while being a full-time working mother who spends much of her "free" time shuttling to/from soccer practices, dance lessons, and soccer games.

No, I have not hired a trainer as I feel that through the resources I have found, I can accomplish this on my own (with my cheer squad of course).  I actually started a 12-week strength training program three weeks ago, however have learned things in that three weeks that have me "starting over" so to speak with a different program.  I have spent three weeks making moderate changes to my diet too.

Stay tuned for more details....as I am expecting some of you to keep me accountable throughout this journey.  Who knows, you might decide to join me too!