Checking back in

My last post was just over three months ago.  During this time a few things have happened.  Right at the height of my weight loss and overall physical improvement, I fell into some mild to moderate depression and found myself crashing back to the usual sources of comfort--junk food, tv, and a cozy bed.  I gained 6 pounds in three weeks, and was back up to 181.

Once I finally decided to get back on track, I found myself feeling much like I did in January, that everything I wanted to accomplish was impossible.  I was starting back at square one.  It took me weeks to move from eating well to going to the gym, and once I did, it seemed as though my body had forgotten what I had worked towards those few months ago.  I was wobbly, and awkward, and sore, and tired.  It didn't take long for me to realize that I wasn't really the same woman I was in January.  Those months of exercise were still in me, and after a few weeks, I was greatly improved.

This past week has been my best yet.  I worked out five times (as apposed to the Saturday/Sunday only routine).  I ate delicious salads every day for lunch.  And today when I stepped back on the scale, I found a body that was...exactly the same as it was last week.  In fact, between the scale, the measuring tape, and trying on clothes last night, my body hasn't changed at all during this period of success.  I've re-lost a total of 4 pounds, and as try as I might, I can't seem to push through the final two.

So today I ask, "What can I do to move forward?"  I think that somehow I've found myself feeling the opposite of what I was feeling a year or so ago.  It used to be that eating right was easy and exercising was hard.  Now I know that exercise is easy and eating right is hard.  I may think that I'm eating healthy, but there are other factors to consider--sodium levels, diet coke intake, hidden steps that go into processed, "healthy" food.  A few chips as I make dinner might be what I want right now, but won't do me any favors in the long run.

Today I've decided to start something new.  Before I prepare something to eat, I want to ask myself, "am I hungry, or am I just thirsty?" and, "am I making the right choice by eating this?"  If not, I want to know what is driving me towards this choice, and what I can do to either eliminate it, or reduce it's affect on my body.

Let's see if that works.  If this remains stagnant for a few weeks, I may need to consider checking in with a doctor to see what else might be at work here.  Isaac's convinced that it just takes time.  I'm tired of giving it time.  I'm creeping up to one year at this NYR, and I want to feel like a different person than I was last year.

If they're going to be fat, they might as well be strong

As you know, I am most self conscious about my arms.  You can see why in my first ever blog post.  The way they jiggle, smack against me as I run, and the way they take up most of my profile are all reasons why I hate them.  They are two oversize bags of vanilla pudding.  They are a skinny woman's thighs.  They are what I want to change the most.  The good news is that I've taken this hatred and turned it into something cool.  I am now becoming a master of lifting weights.  I started this under the false impression that lifting weights would lead to burning fat in my arms.  I now know that you cannot make the body burn fat in any specific location.  It simply burns fat where it wants, and sometimes it's in my arms.  Regardless, there are some amazing benefits to this new endeavor, and I want to share them with you today.

According to this Women's Health article, a mere 21% of women strength train two or more times a week.  It goes on to say, "Those two sessions can reduce overall body fat by about three percentage points in just 10 weeks, even if you don't cut a single calorie."  I think women avoid weights because they fear that it will cause them to bulk up and look manly.  The bottom line is that women's bodies are not designed to do this.  We don't have enough testosterone to support such a change.  Lifting weights builds muscle, which burns fat and boosts your metabolism.  Not only that, but lifting weights is fun and interesting; it makes me feel strong. 

When I started this process I purchased a pair of 5 lb weights from Target for $16.  I highly recommend the investment.  There are five key muscle groups to target when doing an upper body workout: chest, shoulders, back, biceps and triceps.  It's important to hit each one and try different techniques for each area.  Let me take a step back.  I want this to be accessible, so in this next session I'm actually going to get into the very basics of how to lift weights.

The basics
The standard thought on conceptualizing lifting weights involves sets and reps.  When I lifted weights in high school with my mom and sister, we'd typically do something like three sets for each muscle group, 5-7 repetitions (reps) of the motion.  In between sets, it's generally thought that you should rest for about 30 seconds.

According to (my favorite website) ivillage, it is actually bad to rest between sets.  The article I linked, 11 exercise myths, says, "Stopping to rest for a minute or so after every exercise can sabotage results. 'Too much rest lets lactic acid dissipate,' said Rubenstein. And muscle growth (and tone and definition) requires lactic acid. Instead, keep up the intensity by moving quickly from one exercise to the next. 'You should be somewhat recovered but not completely,' says Rubenstein. If you can do 15 reps the first set, and one or two fewer on the next, you're on the right track."

Because of this, I've been doing many more reps.  I think my 5 lb weights are getting a little light for me, so I find myself doing about 20 reps of each exercise.  As with most exercise, the key here is form and control.  It's better to use a lighter weight and do the motion correctly than it is to stress your body too quickly using something 5 lbs. too heavy.  For example, when doing a bicep curl, the idea is to keep your body still, lock your elbows at your side and only raise your forearm.  Never allow your arms to lock or you'll stress the muscle.  I also have to focus extra hard to keep my core in check. 


Suggested exercises
First of all, it just occurred to me that I no longer know the names of most of the workouts I do.  So I'm going to start by sending you to this really cool website with some tutorials and suggested workouts.

As for the ones I do remember or was able to describe well in the search bar, here are some suggestions.  First is the concentration curl.  I like to hold both weights in one hand when I do this one.  There is also the dumbbell lateral raise which, while I am suggesting you try it, is really hard.  My biggest accomplishment in life is that I'm finally able to do this exercise without making a stupid face.  This last one is another favorite.  It's the dumbbell triceps extension.  I also do this one with two weights.

Please feel free to ask questions or give any suggestions.  This is such a great and useful workout.  I hope you decide to try it out!

Point taken, body

It's amazing what you learn when you start something new. I've learned that changes in diet alone really do have positive impacts on your weight; I've learned that water can actually quench your "hunger;" and this weekend I learned the importance of warming up before exercise.

We've all read the dorky signs that suggest that we actually need to warm up before using exercise machines. We've seen the exercise videos that start with marching in place. And at the same time, we see calm, dry, individuals jump on the treadmill and go full blast. My two days at the gym have shown me what a different experience it can be to warm up first.

I learned this quite by accident. On Saturday I did a few stretches and made my way to the treadmill in the basement of my building, jumped on and took off. Sure, I started slow. Three minutes in, I was good to go and started a brisk jog. About 10 seconds later, my throat was hot, my stomach acid crawled up my esophagus, and the air in my lungs was gone. I desperately slowed down and gulped at the water that did nothing to calm my discomfort. Cursing my physique I continued on, much more slowly, for a pathetic a

nd tragically painful 20 minutes.

Sunday morning I got out of bed and knew that I would continue on in my quest to a better body. Excited that I would enter an empty (or mostly empty) gym I approached the door to find both treadmills filled, one by my new friend from Saturday. Knowing that my now nearly eight year old pelvic fractures prevented me from riding the normal bike, I hopped on to the recumbent bike and peddled (I hope I looked as cool as my f

riends here). Sure, I burned my legs up at high levels, but riding this bike just doesn't get the heart rate up like the treadmill does. 25 minutes later, as I pushed myself to go for 30 minutes, my friend from Saturday motioned to me that he wanted to trade machines with me.

As I hopped on, I worried that my legs were too weak to continue, but thought I'd give it a try. After a few minutes walking uphill, I kicked up the speed and an amazing thing happened: I was fine. Sure, I couldn't keep it up forever, but it was more of a choice than

a demand. For another twenty minutes I proudly jogged and ran uphill, without the same agony as the day before. When I got off, I felt better than ever--I was sweaty, red, and incredibly happy.