Since I've started exercising three days ago, while still on the keto diet, my ketone levels have been in the high range. Even when I didn't workout for 2 days it still remained high. So, I'm wondering whether that's bad health wise?
We have been making bullet proof coffee with MCT oil, butter, and heavy cream which is supposed to help throw you into ketosis, but my husband continues to have low levels of ketones as measured in his urine. Although, he does snack a great deal. He's being very faithful to the keto diet but he continues to snack throughout the day, albeit on more healthy things with lots more vegetables in general.
I'm still doing my usual mix of high cardio hyper aerobics and alternating with kickboxing. But ever since it's been getting lighter earlier in the morning, I've been thinking about running before work. It's an interesting thought. I used to love running during the summer, sweating like crazy and just pounding it out. Hmmm. Maybe I'll wait until I lose a few more pounds so it won't be so hard on my joints.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Exercising on the Keto Diet
I've been on the keto diet for three weeks now and just recently started exercising again, just the beginners section in Jane Fonda's New Workout which is fairly hyper dance aerobics. Working out is easier when you're in ketosis. It felt pretty good and I didn't have to stop in the middle of it.
It had been three months since I had exercised last, do to being ill. But with a kid in school and daycare I'm probably going to keep getting sick for years, and I can't keep using the excuse of being ill to stop me from exercising. Yes, I'm actually ill right now with a sinus thing. You just have to keep doing what you're doing no matter what.
We've been checking our ketone levels using urine strips so my husband and I know we're in ketosis. Normal ketone levels are negative, so any amount in your urine usually means you're in ketosis. I've also had lab work done which shows I'm in moderate ketosis, but my levels usually fluctuate between low and moderate.
Now, when I jumped up to the advanced workout on Jane Fonda's New Workout, that was a bear. They do a lot of double hops so you're jumping all the time and I was breathing hard throughout the aerobic section. But maybe some of that is due to the respiratory sinus thing I've been fighting off. The next day I was tired but felt pretty good illness wise, like maybe it had cleared me out some.
It had been three months since I had exercised last, do to being ill. But with a kid in school and daycare I'm probably going to keep getting sick for years, and I can't keep using the excuse of being ill to stop me from exercising. Yes, I'm actually ill right now with a sinus thing. You just have to keep doing what you're doing no matter what.
We've been checking our ketone levels using urine strips so my husband and I know we're in ketosis. Normal ketone levels are negative, so any amount in your urine usually means you're in ketosis. I've also had lab work done which shows I'm in moderate ketosis, but my levels usually fluctuate between low and moderate.
Now, when I jumped up to the advanced workout on Jane Fonda's New Workout, that was a bear. They do a lot of double hops so you're jumping all the time and I was breathing hard throughout the aerobic section. But maybe some of that is due to the respiratory sinus thing I've been fighting off. The next day I was tired but felt pretty good illness wise, like maybe it had cleared me out some.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Progress on the Keto Diet
We've been on the keto diet for 9 days, so far I've lost 10 pounds and my husband has lost 15. His weight loss has actually stalled a bit, he was down fifteen pounds 7 days ago, whereas I was at seven pounds at a week into the diet.
People's bodies are different and the second week is notorious for the weight loss halting as the body freaks out about the sudden changes going on. Most people get back on track by the third week.
This diet is very difficult since it requires so much home cooking to ensure a person doesn't eat too many carbs. I've made asparagus, mushroom, and leek quiches with a coconut flour crust. I made a chicken enchilada casserole with cauliflower, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and salsa. And then there's the bacon cooking and the boiling of the eggs, and the nightly spinach salads with a light low carb dressing. I also make a desert dish with chia seeds, plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, vanilla extract, strawberries, pecans, and a little honey. My husband has made deviled eggs.
It's so time consuming cooking all the time, but I do think we're eating plenty of vegetables even though the fat levels are off the charts. This high fat diet is making our faces so oily, we have to wash our faces 4 times a day or risk terrible breakouts.
The thing I worry about the most is whether we're getting enough fiber, but the chia seeds are helping as well as the small avocado I eat daily. My husband doesn't like avocado so he eats a lot of celery with pimento cheese or spinach artichoke dip.
We bought some urine strips to test our ketone levels. We both seem to be producing ketones consistently. On this diet the problem areas seem to go first. We can immediately see our bellies flattening and pants becoming looser around the waist. Just over a week into the diet and we're seeing clothing fitting different, which is exciting.
I'm going to start working out tomorrow. I'll start with my usual routine with dance aerobics, kickboxing, and step aerobics. I already do so much heavy lifting in the garden carrying around six gallons of water everyday, so I'm not interested in weight lifting at this point. I'll probably switch later when I get bored with aerobics, I tend to change my exercise routine every couple of months.
People's bodies are different and the second week is notorious for the weight loss halting as the body freaks out about the sudden changes going on. Most people get back on track by the third week.
This diet is very difficult since it requires so much home cooking to ensure a person doesn't eat too many carbs. I've made asparagus, mushroom, and leek quiches with a coconut flour crust. I made a chicken enchilada casserole with cauliflower, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and salsa. And then there's the bacon cooking and the boiling of the eggs, and the nightly spinach salads with a light low carb dressing. I also make a desert dish with chia seeds, plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, vanilla extract, strawberries, pecans, and a little honey. My husband has made deviled eggs.
It's so time consuming cooking all the time, but I do think we're eating plenty of vegetables even though the fat levels are off the charts. This high fat diet is making our faces so oily, we have to wash our faces 4 times a day or risk terrible breakouts.
The thing I worry about the most is whether we're getting enough fiber, but the chia seeds are helping as well as the small avocado I eat daily. My husband doesn't like avocado so he eats a lot of celery with pimento cheese or spinach artichoke dip.
We bought some urine strips to test our ketone levels. We both seem to be producing ketones consistently. On this diet the problem areas seem to go first. We can immediately see our bellies flattening and pants becoming looser around the waist. Just over a week into the diet and we're seeing clothing fitting different, which is exciting.
I'm going to start working out tomorrow. I'll start with my usual routine with dance aerobics, kickboxing, and step aerobics. I already do so much heavy lifting in the garden carrying around six gallons of water everyday, so I'm not interested in weight lifting at this point. I'll probably switch later when I get bored with aerobics, I tend to change my exercise routine every couple of months.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Being Sick and the Keto Diet
I've been ill for most of the last two months, so ridiculous. I don't like to exercise when ill because I tend to get worse, especially if the illness is upper respiratory. But I'm starting to feel like a normal person again and I'm no longer coughing so hard it feels like my insides are going to burst out of me.
As a kick start to getting back into a normal exercise and diet routine I'm doing a low-carb keto diet. I even got my husband to participate in solidarity. We have a sugar and carb addiction so the keto diet will be a good way to break those terrible, oh so terrible habits.
Yesterday on my day off, instead of planting a garden since it was raining, I spent six hours cooking and making snacks so we don't stray and start to mindlessly consume carbs. The main dish is a chicken vegetable soup with bacon, onion, garlic, chicken stock, cauliflower, green beans, spinach and yellow squash which we'll eat for lunch and dinner for a couple days. Breakfast is two hardboiled eggs and two slices of bacon. The afternoon snack will be egg salad with a plain lettuce salad.
And I've been making a chia seed pudding for an after dinner desert which is just 1 c plain yogurt, 1 c unsweetened almond milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp honey, and 1/4 c chia seeds. Leave on the counter for 30 minutes so the chia seeds can swell, and then refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. This should make 4 small servings or 2 normal servings. Then I top the pudding with a couple of sliced strawberries and pecans mixed with a tiny bit of honey right before serving.
I'm one of those people who ordered a giant bag of chia seeds, like 5 pounds, which I've been putting in overnight oats but the bag of seeds seems never ending. I'll probably start adding unsweetened cocoa powder or green vegetable vitamin powder to the chia seed puddings soon, and I'll replace the sweetener with something low carb. One of the miraculous things about chia seeds is the amount of fiber, there's 11 grams of fiber in 2 tbsp or 1 ounce.
Avocado is another thing I eat fairly often when I can afford it, mainly because one avocado has 13 grams of fiber. It's like eating two bowls of raisin bran. Not that I need help in that department, but I really like the idea of consuming that much fiber in a piece of fruit. Plus the omega threes. It seems like a few brain cells have died since having a kid and omega 3s are supposed to help with that.
Tomorrow I need to make more food that'll last us for a couple more days. Maybe deviled eggs, tuna salad, more chicken vegetable soup, celery with pimento cheese for snacks, and spinach salad for lunches.
As a kick start to getting back into a normal exercise and diet routine I'm doing a low-carb keto diet. I even got my husband to participate in solidarity. We have a sugar and carb addiction so the keto diet will be a good way to break those terrible, oh so terrible habits.
Yesterday on my day off, instead of planting a garden since it was raining, I spent six hours cooking and making snacks so we don't stray and start to mindlessly consume carbs. The main dish is a chicken vegetable soup with bacon, onion, garlic, chicken stock, cauliflower, green beans, spinach and yellow squash which we'll eat for lunch and dinner for a couple days. Breakfast is two hardboiled eggs and two slices of bacon. The afternoon snack will be egg salad with a plain lettuce salad.
And I've been making a chia seed pudding for an after dinner desert which is just 1 c plain yogurt, 1 c unsweetened almond milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp honey, and 1/4 c chia seeds. Leave on the counter for 30 minutes so the chia seeds can swell, and then refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. This should make 4 small servings or 2 normal servings. Then I top the pudding with a couple of sliced strawberries and pecans mixed with a tiny bit of honey right before serving.
I'm one of those people who ordered a giant bag of chia seeds, like 5 pounds, which I've been putting in overnight oats but the bag of seeds seems never ending. I'll probably start adding unsweetened cocoa powder or green vegetable vitamin powder to the chia seed puddings soon, and I'll replace the sweetener with something low carb. One of the miraculous things about chia seeds is the amount of fiber, there's 11 grams of fiber in 2 tbsp or 1 ounce.
Avocado is another thing I eat fairly often when I can afford it, mainly because one avocado has 13 grams of fiber. It's like eating two bowls of raisin bran. Not that I need help in that department, but I really like the idea of consuming that much fiber in a piece of fruit. Plus the omega threes. It seems like a few brain cells have died since having a kid and omega 3s are supposed to help with that.
Tomorrow I need to make more food that'll last us for a couple more days. Maybe deviled eggs, tuna salad, more chicken vegetable soup, celery with pimento cheese for snacks, and spinach salad for lunches.
Monday, March 5, 2018
A Review: 10 Minute Solution Kickbox Bootcamp
This is a great fat burning low impact workout, since there's five individual 10 minute workouts they can be easily fit into anyone's schedule.
I've been exercising regularly for close to a month now. One of the things I did beforehand was browse for workout videos since it's too cold and gross outside to do any outdoor activities. Kelli Roberts instructs this "10 Minute Solution: Kickbox Bootcamp" workout video, you might know her from way back when she led Cher's (yes, the singer) A New Attitude step aerobic video.
I haven't done any kind of kickboxing for more than two decades and still the moves weren't too difficult to pick up. The instructor moves fast, these are short workouts and she definitely wants you to get the most out of it. Even though the exercises are low impacting (except for burpees), meaning one foot stays on the ground at all times, they're intense, focused, and you do feel your muscles working.
The Basic Training section gets you familiar with her cuing style and she builds you up to the usual kickboxing moves. It's still a good workout, but a person unfamiliar with kickboxing will probably have to watch it through before trying it out.
Burpees are new to me and they can be found in the Fat Burning Blast section along with other exercises. They mainly consist of squatting with hands on the ground, jumping back into a plank position, jumping back into a squat, and then standing up. Definitely a muscle building kind of exercise that works all the major muscle groups.
She also incorporates a couple exercises in the Washboard Abs section I've only seen in men's fitness magazines, a pretty hardcore workout for being only ten minutes. It's a nice change of pace compared to doing 300 of the usual variations of crunches.
The Arm and Shoulder Sculptor section is great. I didn't have any free weights, but still found the exercises effective. There are a few variations of the pushup/plank type of exercises which are also great. Who doesn't like pushups?
Ultimate Buns and Thighs is also excellent. There's a few good kickboxing moves here, and she also includes squats and side lunges in some interesting combos that still remain low impact while being highly effective.
Normally I prefer long high impact workouts involving lots of cardio, but these little workouts are great for those days you don't have much time. I usually do 20 minutes of this video twice a week.
The only downside to this video are the short warmups and stretching. The instructor does try to incorporate stretching as part of the warmup and cool down for each section, but for the most part she usually just jumps into the exercises. I definitely do more stretching of the neck and arms after the Arm and Shoulder Sculptor section.
I'll be doing different reviews of workout videos from time to time. Most I purchase, but a couple are available online.
I've been exercising regularly for close to a month now. One of the things I did beforehand was browse for workout videos since it's too cold and gross outside to do any outdoor activities. Kelli Roberts instructs this "10 Minute Solution: Kickbox Bootcamp" workout video, you might know her from way back when she led Cher's (yes, the singer) A New Attitude step aerobic video.
I haven't done any kind of kickboxing for more than two decades and still the moves weren't too difficult to pick up. The instructor moves fast, these are short workouts and she definitely wants you to get the most out of it. Even though the exercises are low impacting (except for burpees), meaning one foot stays on the ground at all times, they're intense, focused, and you do feel your muscles working.
The Basic Training section gets you familiar with her cuing style and she builds you up to the usual kickboxing moves. It's still a good workout, but a person unfamiliar with kickboxing will probably have to watch it through before trying it out.
Burpees are new to me and they can be found in the Fat Burning Blast section along with other exercises. They mainly consist of squatting with hands on the ground, jumping back into a plank position, jumping back into a squat, and then standing up. Definitely a muscle building kind of exercise that works all the major muscle groups.
She also incorporates a couple exercises in the Washboard Abs section I've only seen in men's fitness magazines, a pretty hardcore workout for being only ten minutes. It's a nice change of pace compared to doing 300 of the usual variations of crunches.
The Arm and Shoulder Sculptor section is great. I didn't have any free weights, but still found the exercises effective. There are a few variations of the pushup/plank type of exercises which are also great. Who doesn't like pushups?
Ultimate Buns and Thighs is also excellent. There's a few good kickboxing moves here, and she also includes squats and side lunges in some interesting combos that still remain low impact while being highly effective.
Normally I prefer long high impact workouts involving lots of cardio, but these little workouts are great for those days you don't have much time. I usually do 20 minutes of this video twice a week.
The only downside to this video are the short warmups and stretching. The instructor does try to incorporate stretching as part of the warmup and cool down for each section, but for the most part she usually just jumps into the exercises. I definitely do more stretching of the neck and arms after the Arm and Shoulder Sculptor section.
I'll be doing different reviews of workout videos from time to time. Most I purchase, but a couple are available online.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
When You Feel Like You're Starving All The Time
This is me usually. I don't get that full/sick feeling that most people get, I can keep eating until it's putting pressure on my diaphragm and I have problems breathing. So normally I gauge myself in relation to another person, I stop eating when they do, but that becomes a problem when the person I mainly share meals with is almost 10 inches taller than me. My stomach gets stretched out because I'm eating so much, and then I'm just hungry all the time.
The only way I combat this constant hunger is by shrinking my stomach. I eat much smaller meals and try to eat dinner around 5 or 6 pm. Eating a small dinner really early makes a huge difference towards shrinking my stomach, so I don't get that whole, my hunger is a living being devouring me from the inside out feeling during the day.
And if I start to get really hungry between meals, I try to eat an apple and cheese stick. A little protein and a little fiber is always a winning combination. Another good snack is celery with natural peanut butter. My husband's favorite snack lately has been yogurt with homemade granola (which is what I normally eat for breakfast), he says the granola makes it a desert.
The only way I combat this constant hunger is by shrinking my stomach. I eat much smaller meals and try to eat dinner around 5 or 6 pm. Eating a small dinner really early makes a huge difference towards shrinking my stomach, so I don't get that whole, my hunger is a living being devouring me from the inside out feeling during the day.
And if I start to get really hungry between meals, I try to eat an apple and cheese stick. A little protein and a little fiber is always a winning combination. Another good snack is celery with natural peanut butter. My husband's favorite snack lately has been yogurt with homemade granola (which is what I normally eat for breakfast), he says the granola makes it a desert.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Exercising When You Don't Want To
This is going to happen. You've been really good and working out regularly, maybe 5 maybe 3 days a week, but now you just don't feel like doing it today. If you've been exercising for a couple of weeks or more, you know how much easier it is right now compared to when you first started out. Don't sabotage the work you've put into building up your stamina. Just do some kind of workout.
Maybe you don't want to do a crazy intense 50 minute workout. That's fine, just do 10-20 minutes of kickboxing or maybe do a light jog a couple times around the neighborhood. But in the beginning it is very important to keep going with your routine, change it up if you get bored and do a different physical activity, but don't stop.
You are doing this for you. Give yourself this time to focus on yourself. You want this for you now, and the future you to come.
Let's be honest, there are going to be legitimate times when you are unable to exercise, like when a cold lays you low for a couple of weeks or you've twisted your ankle running and have to be gentle with it for a few days. Give yourself that time to heal and get better, you don't want to make yourself worse and end up being sick longer. You might still be able to do things like crunches and maybe some floor work, but don't overtax your system and push too hard.
Eventually you'll be in great shape. It usually takes just a month or two for things to shift the other direction. No longer will you feel like every workout is a painful struggle, those weird twinges in your body will start to go away. Instead, you'll feel more energetic after a workout. And shockingly enough, exercising will end up being a stress reliever, you'll actually feel more relaxed afterwards.
The beginning is always the hardest, just get through it and it will be loads easier. And being that we are all physical beings, you might end up liking it as well. But just get pass that wall.
Maybe you don't want to do a crazy intense 50 minute workout. That's fine, just do 10-20 minutes of kickboxing or maybe do a light jog a couple times around the neighborhood. But in the beginning it is very important to keep going with your routine, change it up if you get bored and do a different physical activity, but don't stop.
You are doing this for you. Give yourself this time to focus on yourself. You want this for you now, and the future you to come.
Let's be honest, there are going to be legitimate times when you are unable to exercise, like when a cold lays you low for a couple of weeks or you've twisted your ankle running and have to be gentle with it for a few days. Give yourself that time to heal and get better, you don't want to make yourself worse and end up being sick longer. You might still be able to do things like crunches and maybe some floor work, but don't overtax your system and push too hard.
Eventually you'll be in great shape. It usually takes just a month or two for things to shift the other direction. No longer will you feel like every workout is a painful struggle, those weird twinges in your body will start to go away. Instead, you'll feel more energetic after a workout. And shockingly enough, exercising will end up being a stress reliever, you'll actually feel more relaxed afterwards.
The beginning is always the hardest, just get through it and it will be loads easier. And being that we are all physical beings, you might end up liking it as well. But just get pass that wall.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Weight Loss Competitions at Work
We tend to have weight loss competitions at my work every few years. And we take it pretty seriously. A couple people will resort to sabotaging and bringing things in like donuts in the morning, or maybe giant containers of pretzels, etc.
One of the competitors has completely stopped eating sweets and fried foods since January. I find that pretty hardcore, I keep eating chocolate but I do try to eat healthier. A few of my coworkers do Weight Watchers and their point system, actually I've seen whole departments use this system. There's a few of us who mainly focus on exercise, which is the camp I fall into.
The competition usually runs from January - June or July, so 5 to 6 months, and we calculate the weight-loss by percentage to make it more fair. (Weight lost in pounds divided by beginning weight.)
I've been thinking about doing a two week fast this spring, although my husband has done a 24 day fast before. Usually I continue to exercise and do my general routine during that time. But if you plan to do a long fast definitely ease back into eating solid foods, you don't want to cause your digestive tract any undue stress. :)
I'm hoping to lose 50 pounds by July, which would be awesome. Posting a before picture is something I really want to do, but I might wait until there's an after picture as well.
One of the competitors has completely stopped eating sweets and fried foods since January. I find that pretty hardcore, I keep eating chocolate but I do try to eat healthier. A few of my coworkers do Weight Watchers and their point system, actually I've seen whole departments use this system. There's a few of us who mainly focus on exercise, which is the camp I fall into.
The competition usually runs from January - June or July, so 5 to 6 months, and we calculate the weight-loss by percentage to make it more fair. (Weight lost in pounds divided by beginning weight.)
I've been thinking about doing a two week fast this spring, although my husband has done a 24 day fast before. Usually I continue to exercise and do my general routine during that time. But if you plan to do a long fast definitely ease back into eating solid foods, you don't want to cause your digestive tract any undue stress. :)
I'm hoping to lose 50 pounds by July, which would be awesome. Posting a before picture is something I really want to do, but I might wait until there's an after picture as well.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Candida Overgrowth
I have a friend who I think might be colonized by Candida, which will be verified by culture. I actually know a couple people who've had a yeast overgrowth problem. Both of them had horrible allergies to the point they got those allergy shiners, and they had the whole swollen belly, sick all the time, brain fog feeling. One of them, his eyes were so swollen and weird looking, I told him he looked like death.
Candida albicans is the most common yeast to cause disease in humans. It's able to survive through our digestive track and ends up colonizing our intestines. Yeast in general can be normal flora of the digestive track, it's in the environment and yeasty breads. But then something causes the yeast to take over, usually it's when a person is on antibiotics which kills off the normal bacterial flora, leaving Candida to become an opportunistic pathogen.
One person I know was able to get rid of his yeast overgrowth by doing a parasite cleanse, this was a couple months ago and now his allergies are totally gone and his belly is no longer swollen. The other one, he's in the midst of a Candida cleanse and he's completely quit sugar and carbs, hopefully that'll work for him otherwise he'll probably have to go on diflucan (antifungal).
Sometimes a person may think they have an ongoing stomach bug that just won't go away, but oftentimes it can be caused by Candida overgrowth. A culture could verify this, but the doctor would have to specify the lab to look for yeast because they might disregard it as normal flora.
I've started a parasite cleanse when I began my new workout regimen. I thought it was a good idea since we live in the south, and they have problems with the water around here from time to time, and I know a few people with issues like Candida.
Usually my tummy is the last place to trim up when I start working out again, but I noticed that it's diminished a lot in just a couple of weeks. Not that I've lost any weight or anything, maybe actually gained a couple of pounds. But it's hard to say what can be causing the sudden stomach shrinkage, maybe its the types of workouts, change in diet, or change in seasons. Who really knows?
Intestinal Guard by Healths Harmony is the cleanse I'm doing. Can't really tell if it's working or not for what it's intended, but I can say without a doubt it gives me the raunchiest garlic breath known to humanity. Shoulda known since garlic is the first ingredient listed. Aw well, I've been carrying around tick tacks and gum to counteract those affects.
Candida albicans is the most common yeast to cause disease in humans. It's able to survive through our digestive track and ends up colonizing our intestines. Yeast in general can be normal flora of the digestive track, it's in the environment and yeasty breads. But then something causes the yeast to take over, usually it's when a person is on antibiotics which kills off the normal bacterial flora, leaving Candida to become an opportunistic pathogen.
One person I know was able to get rid of his yeast overgrowth by doing a parasite cleanse, this was a couple months ago and now his allergies are totally gone and his belly is no longer swollen. The other one, he's in the midst of a Candida cleanse and he's completely quit sugar and carbs, hopefully that'll work for him otherwise he'll probably have to go on diflucan (antifungal).
Sometimes a person may think they have an ongoing stomach bug that just won't go away, but oftentimes it can be caused by Candida overgrowth. A culture could verify this, but the doctor would have to specify the lab to look for yeast because they might disregard it as normal flora.
I've started a parasite cleanse when I began my new workout regimen. I thought it was a good idea since we live in the south, and they have problems with the water around here from time to time, and I know a few people with issues like Candida.
Usually my tummy is the last place to trim up when I start working out again, but I noticed that it's diminished a lot in just a couple of weeks. Not that I've lost any weight or anything, maybe actually gained a couple of pounds. But it's hard to say what can be causing the sudden stomach shrinkage, maybe its the types of workouts, change in diet, or change in seasons. Who really knows?
Intestinal Guard by Healths Harmony is the cleanse I'm doing. Can't really tell if it's working or not for what it's intended, but I can say without a doubt it gives me the raunchiest garlic breath known to humanity. Shoulda known since garlic is the first ingredient listed. Aw well, I've been carrying around tick tacks and gum to counteract those affects.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Exercising with Your Children
It's hard, but there are things you can do to make it easier. Running with children in a stroller is a good choice, they have awesome running strollers now, those three wheelers that are easily steered with one hand. And if you have rough surfaces you like to run on, there are strollers with big wheels that help with that. I have loose/weak ankles that I'm always trying to build up by running on uneven surfaces.
We've been having a really wet almost spring, so I've been doing little 10 minute kickboxing stints with my kid indoors. The kiddo also loves doing yoga and step aerobics, we just share the step and from their perspective, that step must be the greatest invention ever created. The secret, I think, is to do short little workouts with them, so neither of you will have time to get frustrated.
Crunches are easy, I just have them sit on my feet while I do leg lifts with the crunches. Loads of fun, just don't go too high and tip them over.
So there are definitely little workouts you can do with your toddler. But I have to admit, my main workouts are done before we pickup the little one from preschool. It's important to have long workouts to build up your endurance, plus you'll see results faster that way.
We've been having a really wet almost spring, so I've been doing little 10 minute kickboxing stints with my kid indoors. The kiddo also loves doing yoga and step aerobics, we just share the step and from their perspective, that step must be the greatest invention ever created. The secret, I think, is to do short little workouts with them, so neither of you will have time to get frustrated.
Crunches are easy, I just have them sit on my feet while I do leg lifts with the crunches. Loads of fun, just don't go too high and tip them over.
So there are definitely little workouts you can do with your toddler. But I have to admit, my main workouts are done before we pickup the little one from preschool. It's important to have long workouts to build up your endurance, plus you'll see results faster that way.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Does Working Out Cause Pimple Break Outs?
Yes. Especially when you are just starting to workout. Hormones control your metabolism, the building up and breaking down of tissues, hydration, etc. Your body is going through a lot of changes as it tries to cope with this new activity that you are now participating in. Think of how your body is reshaping and remaking itself when you exercise, hopefully it's breaking down fatty tissues while building up muscle. These changes are controlled by hormones that your body has to produce, and with these shifts in hormones there may be some side affects.
So, I'm in the middle of bad a break out. (Gotta love it.) The kind I used to only get during my monthly menstrual cycle when I was younger. The breakout is actually close to the level I associate with puberty. Sure I have a couple monster pimples on my face but most of it is on the back of my shoulders, something that hasn't happened to me since I was a teenager. But to be fair, this is the heaviest I've ever been and I'm pretty out of shape on top of it.
I do shower immediately after exercising, but that doesn't seem to be helping. Hopefully everything will settle down once my body gets used to a regular exercise routine.
Toxins released due to the breakdown of fatty tissue is a whole separate thing. That unexplained persistent rash, depressed immune system, etc. we're all carrying background amounts of toxic organics in our bodies. (Organics in this instance is just the chemistry term for carbon containing compounds.)
People associate exercise and dietary changes with the breakdown of fatty tissues or adipose tissue and the release of toxins that your body has been sequestering away. Usually it's difficult for your body to excrete these organic toxins that in most of us stem from industrial manufacturing and farming. To assist your body in the removal of toxins it is important to first try not to ingest it, the whole clean food clean living mantra but sometimes these chemicals are just in our environment and it's difficult to control, so second it's important to consume lots of fiber. Once your body starts breaking down fatty tissues or adipose tissue during exercise, it's important to eat enough fiber to aid your body in the removal of these chemicals from your body.
Even if you weren't breaking down fatty tissues these persistent organic pollutants, for example dioxins, would still be released into your body from your fat stores. Dioxins are toxic and they're found in breast milk and human adipose tissue all over the world, they're everywhere. The highest concentrations are found in soil and in food, specifically meat and milk products. They're so toxic in humans, agencies all over the world monitor levels in our food supply, each industrial country has their own monitoring system and the WHO and UNEP compiles data worldwide, which is why you get those massive recalls on meat, etc., in America we have the Toxic Substance Control Act under which the EPA does studies.
So, I'm in the middle of bad a break out. (Gotta love it.) The kind I used to only get during my monthly menstrual cycle when I was younger. The breakout is actually close to the level I associate with puberty. Sure I have a couple monster pimples on my face but most of it is on the back of my shoulders, something that hasn't happened to me since I was a teenager. But to be fair, this is the heaviest I've ever been and I'm pretty out of shape on top of it.
I do shower immediately after exercising, but that doesn't seem to be helping. Hopefully everything will settle down once my body gets used to a regular exercise routine.
Toxins released due to the breakdown of fatty tissue is a whole separate thing. That unexplained persistent rash, depressed immune system, etc. we're all carrying background amounts of toxic organics in our bodies. (Organics in this instance is just the chemistry term for carbon containing compounds.)
People associate exercise and dietary changes with the breakdown of fatty tissues or adipose tissue and the release of toxins that your body has been sequestering away. Usually it's difficult for your body to excrete these organic toxins that in most of us stem from industrial manufacturing and farming. To assist your body in the removal of toxins it is important to first try not to ingest it, the whole clean food clean living mantra but sometimes these chemicals are just in our environment and it's difficult to control, so second it's important to consume lots of fiber. Once your body starts breaking down fatty tissues or adipose tissue during exercise, it's important to eat enough fiber to aid your body in the removal of these chemicals from your body.
Even if you weren't breaking down fatty tissues these persistent organic pollutants, for example dioxins, would still be released into your body from your fat stores. Dioxins are toxic and they're found in breast milk and human adipose tissue all over the world, they're everywhere. The highest concentrations are found in soil and in food, specifically meat and milk products. They're so toxic in humans, agencies all over the world monitor levels in our food supply, each industrial country has their own monitoring system and the WHO and UNEP compiles data worldwide, which is why you get those massive recalls on meat, etc., in America we have the Toxic Substance Control Act under which the EPA does studies.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Can You Lose Weight by Just Exercising and Not Changing Your Diet?
Yes. You can lose weight just by exercising and not changing your eating habits, it'll just take longer to lose the weight. You can also lose weight by improving your diet instead of exercising, but again it'll take longer.
I do both. The first thing I do on the road to better eating habits is to stop going out to eat. I make all my meals and take all my lunches to work.
For breakfast: I'll eat yogurt with homemade granola and frozen fruit like blueberries or sliced strawberries. If I'm eating plain nonfat yogurt, I'll add honey because I find it fairly unpalatable without it. I also eat things like oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar and I add milk if the oatmeal is heavy and too thick. When it starts getting warmer outside I'll probably switch to fruit smoothies for breakfast, which usually consists of frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, canned peaches or canned mixed fruit, blended with soy milk. Just a word of caution, blueberries blended with soymilk tends to gel together, so if you don't drink it right away you might have to eat it with a spoon.
Lunch: My husband or I try to cook something on the weekends for lunches during the week. Maybe spaghetti with ground turkey and tomato sauce, roasted chicken, omelets filled with mushrooms or tomato and cheese, etc. I just make sure to include two vegetables with my meals and no, mashed potatoes don't count if you're using milk and butter to make it, and if it doesn't include peels because that's where all the nutrition is. My omelets are usually filled with vegetables that I sauté separately, so I usually just eat them with rice or salsa.
Dinner: For the last meal of the day we try to eat light and early, at least 3 hours before we go to bed. Things like baked bean burritos that we make with nonfat refried beans which we eat with salsa, light soups, or ramen soup with shrimp or sliced hard boiled eggs and leafy green vegetables, etc.
Snacks: Dried fruit, apple with cheese, strawberries, orange, bowl of cereal, bowl of yogurt, etc.
I do both. The first thing I do on the road to better eating habits is to stop going out to eat. I make all my meals and take all my lunches to work.
For breakfast: I'll eat yogurt with homemade granola and frozen fruit like blueberries or sliced strawberries. If I'm eating plain nonfat yogurt, I'll add honey because I find it fairly unpalatable without it. I also eat things like oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar and I add milk if the oatmeal is heavy and too thick. When it starts getting warmer outside I'll probably switch to fruit smoothies for breakfast, which usually consists of frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, canned peaches or canned mixed fruit, blended with soy milk. Just a word of caution, blueberries blended with soymilk tends to gel together, so if you don't drink it right away you might have to eat it with a spoon.
Lunch: My husband or I try to cook something on the weekends for lunches during the week. Maybe spaghetti with ground turkey and tomato sauce, roasted chicken, omelets filled with mushrooms or tomato and cheese, etc. I just make sure to include two vegetables with my meals and no, mashed potatoes don't count if you're using milk and butter to make it, and if it doesn't include peels because that's where all the nutrition is. My omelets are usually filled with vegetables that I sauté separately, so I usually just eat them with rice or salsa.
Dinner: For the last meal of the day we try to eat light and early, at least 3 hours before we go to bed. Things like baked bean burritos that we make with nonfat refried beans which we eat with salsa, light soups, or ramen soup with shrimp or sliced hard boiled eggs and leafy green vegetables, etc.
Snacks: Dried fruit, apple with cheese, strawberries, orange, bowl of cereal, bowl of yogurt, etc.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Working Out Everyday versus Taking Breaks
I much prefer to workout everyday, in the beginning of trying to establish a regular exercise routine, rather than have "rest days".
Why you might ask? I'll give you a list:
Why you might ask? I'll give you a list:
- You'll be less sore. (Reason: Working out the next day will move the lactic acid out of your muscles, which was making you sore, and into your cardiovascular system to eventually be processed by your liver.)
- You're trying to teach yourself the habit of regular exercise, so not exercising is kind of doing the opposite of creating a habit. (You can do something different, so you don't get bored or hurt yourself with a repetitive strain injuries. Or just do a light form of exercise if you're tired. But my choice would be a different form of hard exercise.)
- You'll see results faster. (This is very important for me. I'm competitive with myself, and I want to see my body changing.)
- Your skin will look awesome. (There's something about exercise and how it changes your body chemistry, so you practically glow. Maybe it's the sweating and pushing out the oils and impurities. Or maybe sweating is forcing you to bathe on a daily basis. This might actually be me. Ewww. No way. Yes.)
- You can detail your workouts to your coworkers, whom you are competing with in a weight loss competition, as a way to demoralize them so you'll win. (Which is ok, because they've been sabotaging your diet by buying donuts "for everyone".)
Friday, February 16, 2018
Gaining Weight When You're Just Starting to Workout
This happens to me every time when I'm trying to get back into exercising again after a long hiatus. For the first couple weeks to a month, I either gain weight or my weight stays the same, even if I'm working out like a madman.
For me, it's due to gaining muscle mass, which weighs more than the fat I might be burning. As I gain more muscle mass, I'll reach a critical point where the amount of muscle I have and the aerobic exercises I'm performing will just start to melt the weight right off of me. This is because muscle uses a great deal more energy just to maintain itself, and when you have enough muscle it'll start using up your fat stores and excess tissues. Because to be honest, muscles aren't too picky about where they're getting their energy from, be it from your protein stores (muscle) or your fat stores.
Which brings me to another point, whether you're body burns fat or muscle depends on the amount of oxygen you're consuming, which depends on the exercises that you're doing. The fat burning stage requires you to reach a deficit in the amount of oxygen you have available to your muscles, you're muscles need to run out of oxygen before they'll switch to fat burning.
That's why they say there's a fat burning zone, it's when you're working hard but your heart rate isn't too high and you're not breathing too hard. When you're in that zone, you're not actually taking in enough oxygen because you're heart rate isn't fast enough to carry oxygenated blood to your muscles in the amount you need to maintain protein metabolism. So you're body switches to fat burning. You can tell when you reach that point because you'll have more energy, all of a sudden you feel like you can workout longer and harder.
It takes longer for runners to reach the fat burning stage, which they call their second wind. You're arms and legs are pumping, helping your heart get that blood loaded down with oxygen to your muscles, and you're feeling that good burn in your lungs as they're sucking in as much air as fast as possible. (Sprinters are different, the explosive amounts of force and energy involved in sprinting utilizes fast twitch muscles versus the slow twitch muscles that other runners use.)
That's why it's easier to get those pretty defined abs and deltoids when you mainly weight lift, your body's working hard but your heart and lungs aren't racing, so you burn fat and your muscles pop.
I prefer aerobics and running. The whole lungs burning and heart pumping hard, yeah that's my cake. But my body is naturally made up of more fast twitch muscles which work well anaerobically, which means I gain muscle mass easily (bulk up) and I'm a good sprinter. So instead I focus on building up my endurance/stamina aerobically because it's harder for me. Who doesn't like a challenge?
For me, it's due to gaining muscle mass, which weighs more than the fat I might be burning. As I gain more muscle mass, I'll reach a critical point where the amount of muscle I have and the aerobic exercises I'm performing will just start to melt the weight right off of me. This is because muscle uses a great deal more energy just to maintain itself, and when you have enough muscle it'll start using up your fat stores and excess tissues. Because to be honest, muscles aren't too picky about where they're getting their energy from, be it from your protein stores (muscle) or your fat stores.
Which brings me to another point, whether you're body burns fat or muscle depends on the amount of oxygen you're consuming, which depends on the exercises that you're doing. The fat burning stage requires you to reach a deficit in the amount of oxygen you have available to your muscles, you're muscles need to run out of oxygen before they'll switch to fat burning.
That's why they say there's a fat burning zone, it's when you're working hard but your heart rate isn't too high and you're not breathing too hard. When you're in that zone, you're not actually taking in enough oxygen because you're heart rate isn't fast enough to carry oxygenated blood to your muscles in the amount you need to maintain protein metabolism. So you're body switches to fat burning. You can tell when you reach that point because you'll have more energy, all of a sudden you feel like you can workout longer and harder.
It takes longer for runners to reach the fat burning stage, which they call their second wind. You're arms and legs are pumping, helping your heart get that blood loaded down with oxygen to your muscles, and you're feeling that good burn in your lungs as they're sucking in as much air as fast as possible. (Sprinters are different, the explosive amounts of force and energy involved in sprinting utilizes fast twitch muscles versus the slow twitch muscles that other runners use.)
That's why it's easier to get those pretty defined abs and deltoids when you mainly weight lift, your body's working hard but your heart and lungs aren't racing, so you burn fat and your muscles pop.
I prefer aerobics and running. The whole lungs burning and heart pumping hard, yeah that's my cake. But my body is naturally made up of more fast twitch muscles which work well anaerobically, which means I gain muscle mass easily (bulk up) and I'm a good sprinter. So instead I focus on building up my endurance/stamina aerobically because it's harder for me. Who doesn't like a challenge?
With aerobic exercise my body focuses on protein metabolism through the breakdown of muscle, so I stay trimmer while still keeping a nice fat layer.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Starting to Exercise Again
Now that my kid's older, I've actually started exercising again. Because for the first few years, kids really don't want you to have a life outside their existence, and they have to be involved in every little thing you do. But we're finally pass that point. Yay.
So on January 15th my workplace started a weight loss competition, and the person who loses the most weight by July 15th wins. I ended up getting a respiratory illness in January, so couldn't start exercising right away. But luckily the long extended illness curbed my appetite, and it was very easy to start eating healthier as well as less. Yay?
I already do a form of strenuous activity which is mainly comprised of me sprinting from the employee parking lot to the time clock. But in reality, I'm fairly sedentary, overweight, and out of shape.
So my first form of actual planned physical exertion was 10 minutes of kickboxing last Monday, February 12th. It's from a program called 10 Minute Solutions: Kickbox Bootcamp. Shocking, I know. There's 5 different routines with most working on different body parts, each in 10 minute increments, and when you combine them all together you get a full body workout. It's pretty intense for a 10 minute routine, I ended up using this workout for Monday and Tuesday. The only bad thing is the lack of stretching.
Yesterday and today, I did 55 minutes of aerobics, the advance section of Jane Fonda's "New Workout". I thought I was going to die. It's fun hyper dance aerobics involving lots of hopping and kicking during the cardio section. There's also lots of stretching, an abdominal section, floor work, and buttock tucks. I don't do the section of floor work that involves kneeling because I have hardwood floors and it's hard on my knees and lower back. The only thing that gets me through the abs and floor work is knowing that I get to do buttock tucks at the end.
So on January 15th my workplace started a weight loss competition, and the person who loses the most weight by July 15th wins. I ended up getting a respiratory illness in January, so couldn't start exercising right away. But luckily the long extended illness curbed my appetite, and it was very easy to start eating healthier as well as less. Yay?
I already do a form of strenuous activity which is mainly comprised of me sprinting from the employee parking lot to the time clock. But in reality, I'm fairly sedentary, overweight, and out of shape.
So my first form of actual planned physical exertion was 10 minutes of kickboxing last Monday, February 12th. It's from a program called 10 Minute Solutions: Kickbox Bootcamp. Shocking, I know. There's 5 different routines with most working on different body parts, each in 10 minute increments, and when you combine them all together you get a full body workout. It's pretty intense for a 10 minute routine, I ended up using this workout for Monday and Tuesday. The only bad thing is the lack of stretching.
Yesterday and today, I did 55 minutes of aerobics, the advance section of Jane Fonda's "New Workout". I thought I was going to die. It's fun hyper dance aerobics involving lots of hopping and kicking during the cardio section. There's also lots of stretching, an abdominal section, floor work, and buttock tucks. I don't do the section of floor work that involves kneeling because I have hardwood floors and it's hard on my knees and lower back. The only thing that gets me through the abs and floor work is knowing that I get to do buttock tucks at the end.
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