We found a gym!!

After hitting what seemed like every gym in the area (which it probably was!) we FINALLY settled on Gym number 2. The body builder gym!!  Its not 24 hours and I hate the locker room, but its really the best gym for us. Are you surprised? 'Cause you shouldn't be!

In other news, RR has decide this will be a cardio week for both of us. (WOOHOO!!) I was actually really sick of lifting.  I'm pretty sure that means my workout needs some changes, or else I need to get back into aerials ASAP, but it JUST.KEEPS.SNOWING!!!! UGH!!  So no aerials just yet for me.   :(  But I intend to make the most of this cardio week, so that hopefully when its over, I'll be sick of cardio! (yea right!)

So in other news, I've finally decided, after pigging out yesterday because it was Superbowl Sunday, that I'm going to buckle down and get back on track with my diet.  I've started logging my food on Myfitnesspal.com, if you're on there feel free to add me, I'm (obviously) Candydiva04!  My meals are open so you can see what I'm eating, good or bad.  But hopefully all good from now on.  I'm also going to start wearing my fitbit again.

What the Fitbit Ultra should look like

What my Fitbit looks like

I've thoroughly beaten mine up, as you can see... (and clearly need to cut my nails, YIKES!)  I had previously said I was going to get another tracker for the winter, but since I didn't and Fitbit released a new device that I can sync to my phone,  I might upgrade to the new Fitbit One or Flex.  We'll see.

Fitbit Flex

   

Fitbit One

In other news, I made a pizza for Superbowl Sunday. We typically, use whole wheat tortillas or those flat sandwich bread thingees (who's name has clearly escaped me, as evidenced by the fact that I called it a thingee), to make pizza.  However, I've been CRAVING real doughy pizza.  So I dusted off my bread machine, used the following dough recipe, and made a whole wheat crust. We topped it with tomato paste, some leftover baked chicken, turkey pepperoni and fat free cheese. It was delicious!

Bread Machine Pizza Dough With Whole Wheat Flour
http://www.food.com/recipe/bread-machine-pizza-dough-with-whole-wheat-flour-137143

1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons yeast
Directions:

1.  Add ingredients in the order given into the bread machine pan. (my bread machine recommends that, I add the dry ingredients first, so I did that, however I did reserve the yeast for last)
2.  Start dough cycle. (On my machine this took 1.5 hours).
3.  Once the dough is done remove it from the pan onto a floured work surface.
4. Roll dough to fit the shape of your pan. This recipe makes two 14 inch round pizzas.
5. Brush lightly with olive oil and add toppings. You can hold this dough, with just the olive oil, for a couple of hours in the fridge covered in plastic wrap.
6. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.


Until next time, 

Candydiva04

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Fitness Alternatives part 1

I can't be the only one who gets bored in the gym? I can only do so many bicep curls or squats before I start thinking isn't there a better way to get fit without doing this!?!?!?  By now I know the answer, more or less, is not really.  At least not for the type of results I want.  


So to help combat that boredom, I've been exploring alternative workout options for the past year or so and listed below are some of my favorites. As this is a never ending pursit with me, I'll keep chronicaling them for you all.  I should probably point out that the goal here is to supplement my current workouts not replace them, although RR will tell you I occasionally get that backwards....  So the most recent supplemental exercise was a boot camp class that I found on Groupon.com.  

1. Fit Body Boot Camp  -     An hour-long, high intensity workout.  This particular boot camp was very much like doing an Insanity with a group of friends, in a gym.  Which I prefer to the actual Insanity workouts.  When I do workout videos, I generally get tired or fatigued and either sit down and watch them, or meander into the kitchen for a glass of water, and then stand in the doorway to kitchen watching the video.  In class, there's an actual person, who will get in my face (in a nice way) and motivate me to keep going.  Apparently, if done correctly, I can expect to burn about 1,000 calories during the hour, with a good amount of after burn.  The workout is mostly things like burpees, planks, sprints,squats, etc.  but done in short bursts, with even shorter breaks in between, which IMO made it a great cardio workout.  So far I don't feel sore, I feel really good, however  I did feel like I ran a marathon afterwards.  The next day my lats my were sore, but that was the only soreness I experienced. 

2. Circus Aerials - Hands down my favorite workout, its a AMAZING full body workout.  However, its also a *GREAT* and girlie way to develop upper body strength.  I took an 8 week session of classes last summer, thinking "I lift 5 days a week, this will be cake!"  I soon realized that my current workout had some serious holes in it, and knew that if I didn't start to address those holes, I'd not only continue being insanely sore, but also not be able to do all the cool tricks I wanted to do.  Unfortunately, the only place near Delaware that teaches Circus Aerials is about an hour and a half from me and that's not a commute I want to make during the winter, so this is currently a spring-fall workout for me... well obsession is probably a better word for it.  I am obsessed with Aerials, and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and unique workout that will actually help you to get stronger.

3. Ballet - inspired by my love of Circus Aerials.  The good Aerialists look like ballerinas who've learned to defy the laws of gravity.  So in the interest of being a better aerialist when I begin classes again, I've begun taking ballet classes.  So far ballet has never made me sore, or even feel like I'm getting a serious workout, but I'm pretty sure, my legs are starting to look better and more defined.  Either that or running around in tights and a leotard has made me more comfortable with my body, especially my legs.  Before ballet class, I was staunchly anti-tights and leggings unless I was going to Ballet or Aerials.  Then I started wearing leggings to workout, now I've started wearing them out in the world as part of an outfit.  I'm clearly  starting to enjoy the way I look in and out of clothes.   

I've found that now that I'm starting to like the way I look,  I  take more pride in how I look. During the "fat" years,  I found that I focused a lot on just my hair and shoes, everything in between kinda got left up to chance.  Now,  I've started painting my nails again, accessorizing, and putting more time and thought into wearing a COMPLETE (head to toe) look, which occasionally includes leggings, lol.  But I've noticed similar changes in some of the my colleagues at the gym.  Everyone starts off working out in baggy (sometimes ratty) sweats and t-shirts,  and as they lose weight their work out clothes become nicer, more fitted, and better coordinated.

Besides lifting and cardio what other activities do you do? Also, have you noticed that you pay more attention to your appearance as you begin (and hopefully continue)  to make progress, or is that just me?
Fighting the war on boredom, one activity at a time,

Candydiva04

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The Gym Search

So I am such a slacker. It took RR asking about the blog to make me remember that I haven't posted in ages. Basically, I fell off the wagon and stopped posting, and it took me such a long time to catch up with the wagon and get back on that I forgot I even had a blog! SMH

So I'm back, as is some of my weight. I buckled down on my diet before my birthday and dropped down to 135lbs then went on vacation to an all inclusive resort and lost my mind. I was 148 when I got back on my scale. I've been yo-yo-ing ever since, but I haven't had the will power to get my diet in order, either.

The fact that my gym is closing and RR and I have been shopping for a new gym doesn't help. Finding the right gym feels a little like being Goldie locks from Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears.  There are no franchise gyms like Golds or Bally's near by, not that I have any interest, but RR likes the idea. The Y(MCA) is popular here but overpriced and chock full of people in there for social reasons so that's out. We've narrowed down the search to about 5 gyms, RR made a spreadsheet, lol.

Gym#1 - we both hated. Its past our neighborhood so we'd have to fight the urge to just go home after work. But it was small and had a weird layout. Not mention the creepy guy who oogled me, and the crappy treadmills.  RR liked some of the equipment they had that our gym didn't, like the laying down ham curl machine, which left my hams SUPER sore for 4 days. I literally couldn't straighten my legs! RR liked the power squat machine. But one day of working out there was enough to rule it out.

Gym#2- My fave. The clientele is nothing but serious fitness folk, no annoying resolutioners. There are several competitive bodybuilders/fitness/figure athletes who train there, plus some of my fave ppl from my old gym are also transitioning there. Its semi close to the house and I like the vibe/atmosphere. RR's biggest complaint was a lack water fountain, and he had a bad dumb bell experience. And it had "less equipment" than our old gym. I disagree.. I think it just had different equipment but that's his opinion.

That's all we've checked out thus far, we have 2, maybe 3 more to go. The 3rd one might get skipped because they haven't returned a single call, email or fb message RR has sent...

We'll keep you posted!!!

Candydiva04

P.S- that last post about spiking my protein shakes made me literally laugh out loud and shake my head.  Oh the mistakes we make!

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Week One - September 9th, 2011

I weighed in at 146.6 lbs at 11:50 am this morning.

This is me shortly after my weigh in, post bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, 30 min on the treadmill and about 15 sit ups.

After this photo was taken I ate a handful of carrot and sticks drank a bottle of water. Later I had a bunch of cinna-bites (sweetened soft pretzel bites served with a sugary frosting) at the movie theater, and washed them down with Cherry coke. My boyfriend and workout buddy, RR, is currently frying up some cod fish and I have french fries baking in the oven.

I guess now is as good a time as any to point out, that I am not dieting. Ideally, I'm creating a lifestyle change, so that I can keep the weight off once I lose it. I work out every day Monday-through Friday and generally eat what I like. :-)

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