Burning More Calories With Sex

Over the past week I’ve read two very interesting blog posts about burning additional calories. The first one was from Cherrie of “I’m a Hot Mom”, in which she motivates us to be active because not only do we burn more calories during activity than at rest, but also because there is an after-burn affect, where we burn more calories at rest for a short period of time after being active. Makes sense because it takes calories to recover from exercise.

The second article was from Lisa Johnson Fitness in which she points out that not only is sex a great way to burn calories, but it’s also very healthy & good for you (sign me up folks – or maybe that’s why I’m in my current “condition”?). One of the comments on her site also leads to an article about how many calories you burn during sex.

Now, my mind being the way it operates has come to the conclusion that not only will you burn extra calories by having sex, but you’ll also burn more calories later on in the day after having sex… How’s that for a little motivation to set your alarm a little earlier and get a “jump start” on the day?

Cheers!

Related posts:

1. How Much do You Need to Eat to Lose Weight?
2. Listening to Your Body Is Important!

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

In case you missed the big announcement, Nike just released a fantastic new Nike + app to be used with the iPhone and the iPod Touch: The Nike + GPS. The best part? No longer having to replace a Nike + sensor ’cause the battery died (I’ve gone through 3 or 4 since I first began using the Nike + in 2008).

Am I speaking Greek to you?

The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is a device which measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run. The Nike+iPod consists of a small accelerometer (sensor) attached to or embedded in a shoe, which communicates with either the Nike+ Sportband, a receiver plugged into an iPod nano, or directly with a 2nd or 3rd Generation iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. If using the iPod or the iPhone 3GS, iTunes software can be used to view the walk or run history. (From Wikipedia)

I tried out the new app on a walk to the park with my kids today – it’s AWESOME! Totally does what Run Keeper is missing – allows me to sync my runs on DailyMile and adds to my Nike + profile and running history that I’ve been recording for the past few years! I’ve been dying for a Garmin ForeRunner but truthfully Nike + does everything I need it to do, without the need to wear a clunky watch (at 5′ 2 and normally 125lbs, a Fore Runner looks a little big for my slender wrist).

I LOVE Nike + (and now the new Nike + GPS app) and it’s gotten me thinking about my other favourite health/fitness apps such as:

Nike + iPod/iPhone Sport Kit

• Couch to 5K (5k Training Plan)
• Loseit
• Spark Recipes
• Spark People Diet & Food Tracker
• NikeWomen Training Club
• My Fitness Pal

Since I’m always looking for ways my iPod can help me stay fit and healthy, I’d love for you to share your favourite apps with me – what apps do you love? Can’t live without? Hit me up in the comments and let me know – perhaps I should do some reviews of the apps I try?

Related posts:

1. Three of the Best Health & Fitness Posts I’ve Read This Week
2. How Many Months Pregnant Am I?

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

Introduction
Stretching
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8

Introduction

“Fun and Run, two words that should never be used in the same sentence”.

Not the sort of thing that you would expect to come from the mouth of a gal who has completed 3 marathons. Although I’ve never been a fast runner, raising money for charity and completing races during my marathon preparation has left me with a real sense of achievement – a sense of achievement that you can have too!

The truth is, that given the right tools we all have the ability to run and enjoy it.

In the next few weeks I will be looking to help you improve your fitness level, lose weight and enjoy your running. The great news is you don’t need to spend money on a gym membership or expensive equipment, all you need is comfortable clothing and a sensible pair of running shoes. With a little nudge in the right direction you will soon be on your way to a fitter and faster you.

This 8-week running program is designed to help you complete a 5k (3 mile) run. Use each week in order, don’t skip any part of it and try to follow each day and week as closely as possible.

The first two weeks will get you used to spending time on your feet. Slowly building your fitness levels and confidence. If you feel that you want to use weeks 1 & 2 for a little longer that’s fine. Be sure that you spend no longer than 4 weeks in this preparatory stage. If you’ve been walking for weight loss for a while then you can skip weeks 1 & 2 and start at week 3. 

It is strongly advised that you speak to your GP if you have never exercised or if you have any medical condition prior to starting an exercise program.

How to start?

If you are in the position that you have not exercised for a long time, a gentle increase in activity will be the first place to start.

Use the stairs not the lift, walk to the station or local shops, keep the pace brisk and try to notice how your body feels when you finish. You may have some aching muscles but this will pass in time as you become stronger and fitter. Try to notice what the effect is on your mood. I’m sure you will enjoy the results. With each stride picture the sense of achievement you will have finishing a 5k jog.

The first two weeks of this program will get you into the exercise habit and once you make it a regular thing exercise will become a rich and varied addition to your weekly routine.

Plan your week. Set aside a regular time when you will exercise. An important part of any training program is to schedule regular rest days, without these your progress will be hindered. This is more important if you are a complete novice. The choice is yours. You know exactly what you are capable of and how you feel after exercising.

Once you have made the commitment to start running, it’s a good idea to set your plan out. Workout when you want to run and experiment with different running times to see when you feel at your best.

You might be the sort of person who likes to set aside your weekend for shopping.

You may find you work best in the morning or alternatively in the evening after work.

The time you choose to run needs to suit you.

Stretching

After each training session it is advisable to stretch your legs. This should be a relaxing end to your workout so don’t be too aggressive when performing each stretch.

Lower leg (calf)

Standing on the edge of a step. Let the heel of one leg drop until you feel pressure in the muscle on the back of your lower leg. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds or more.

(Roll up a towel to use as a sling to help you perform the next stretches.)

Quadriceps

Using a wall for balance, hook the towel around your leg like a sling. Pull the foot up behind you until you feel an easy pressure in the front of your lifted leg. Hold this for 10 secs or more. Repeat on the other side.

Hamstrings

Laying on your back hook your foot into the towel held in a loop with both hands. Try to straighten the leg until you feel pressure in the back of the raised leg between the knee and hip.

Week 1

Start slowly. As previously mentioned, if you do too much too soon you may struggle and that sense of enjoyment could be easily lost.

Monday

Begin with a brisk walk, remember it’s all about making a habit so this is a good place to start. If you can’t manage the time to have a brisk walk, how are you going to set aside time to run? The next two weeks will give you a chance to organise your time.

Tuesday

Rest

Wednesday

Brisk walk for 15 mins. How do you feel?

Thursday

Rest

Friday

Brisk Walk for 20 mins. I’m sure you have noticed that we are building the time on your feet.

If you found this week was manageable then move on to week 2. Starting Monday.

Saturday

Rest

Sunday

Rest

Week 2

Front loading the week gets the longer walks completed on Monday and Wednesday. This will give you a chance to recover before commencing to week three.

Monday

30 minutes brisk walk. Maintain your concentration and keep a brisk pace. It would be a good idea to find a park or area you enjoy visiting to complete your longer journeys. The distraction of seeing new places will make the exercise time go a lot quicker.

Tuesday

Rest day

Wednesday

30 minute brisk walk.

Thursday

Rest day

Friday

Next week is going to get busier. Take your walking time down to 20 mins. Try to move a little faster. Take longer strides and experiment with the speed your legs move at.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

20 minutes walking. Tomorrow you will do the same so don’t go mad but make sure you do go out walking today.

Week 3

This week we introduce a change of pace and start jogging. Small jogging intervals will get you on the road to 5k.

Monday

Begin with a brisk walk.

Tuesday

Scheduled as a rest day when the programme is in full swing. If you are keen to get going then week 3 can be a chance to experiment with your jogging.

Wednesday

20 minutes in total. Walk for 1 minute then ease into a gentle jog for 1 minute. Experiment with the length of your stride, where your hands feel most comfortable and concentrate on taking nice deep breaths.

Thursday

Rest day.

Friday

Try to increase your jogging time. Walk for 1 minute then jog for 2 minutes repeating the cycle for 20 minutes.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

A brisk walk lasting 20 minutes, you have had a busy week so stride out but don’t run. You body will enjoy the lower level activity.

Week 4

Monday

At the end of week 3 you managed to build your jogging time up to 2 mins with walking intervals of 1 min. Well done. The first training run of week 4 is exactly the same 20 minutes walking for 1 minute jogging for 2 minutes.

Tuesday

Rest day

Wednesday

Jogging for two minutes might have been a challenge last week. Today we increase the time, 1 minute walking with 3 minutes jogging. Good luck.

Thursday

A well earned rest day

Friday

Repeat Wednesdays workout 1 minute walking with 3 minutes running.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

Go for a walk, keep the pace brisk and try to complete at least half an hour.

Week 5

Monday

Maintaining the good work from last week complete 1 minute 3 minute repetitions for 20 minutes.

Tuesday

Rest day

Wednesday

A new challenge! Increase the jogging interval to 4 minutes. This might seem difficult. Try to ease into a steady rhythm. Don’t go too fast. Remember at the moment we are working to time not distance or speed.

Thursday

Rest day

Friday

Repeat the Wednesday workout. Does it feel easier? If not try to look at what you are doing differently. Be as comfortable as you can.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

The longest workout you are asked to do, a brisk walk for 45 minutes. Well done.

Week 6

Monday

Continue the pattern of repeating last weeks improvement. 1 Minute walk followed by 4 minutes jogging repeat for 20 minutes.

Tuesday

Rest day

Wednesday

A change in running time will give you a further challenge. You can do it. You have succeeded this far and you are over half way. 2 minutes walking followed by 5 minutes jogging for 20 minutes.

Thursday

Rest day.

Friday

A 5 minute brisk walk to start followed by 10 minutes jogging. See how you feel. Try not to stop.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

30 minutes mixed pace walking and jogging. There is no time limit to how long you jog for. Do your best and walk when you need to. Try to keep your jogging constant and if you do walk get back to jogging as soon as you can.

*No time limit to how long you jog or walk for.

Week 7

Monday

You had a hard day yesterday. Today’s training run is 20 minutes. Walk for 1 minute and alternate with 4 minutes jogging.

Tuesday

Rest day

Wednesday

5 minutes walking and 10 minutes jogging for 20 minutes in total

Thursday

Rest

Friday

15 minutes steady jogging

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

40 minutes at a mixed pace. Try to run for 10 minute intervals. If you can do more that’s great.

*Try to spend more time jogging at least 10 mins constantly.

Week 8

Monday

Yesterday was a difficult run. At the end of this week you will attempt your first three mile (5 kilometres). Today is a rest day.

Tuesday

Rest Day

Wednesday

20 minutes at a constant jog. Do your best. If you get tired, keep the walking to 1 minute intervals.

Thursday

Rest day

Friday

25 minute constant jog same rules as Wednesday.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

30 – 35 minutes constant jogging.

That’s it! You can now run 3 miles. WELL DONE.

Related posts:

1. Motivation Monday: June 21, 2010
2. Motivation Monday: June 28, 2010

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

This is my Mamavation post for Monday, September 6, 2010.

Hey everyone!

Mamavation Monday

My week was great – work was super busy, but I still took my lunch hour to exercise because it always helps me to feel less stressed out and better able to focus on my work. I packed my lunches, planned our family dinners etc… Unfortunately I didn’t get in as much walking as I would have liked due to work, a midwife appointment, solo-parenting and visits by out-of-town guests. But alas – that only makes for one baddish week and I’m now at 443km in my 500km by birth goal (still 7-9 weeks to go!).

So here’s a summary of what I accomplished:
Monday: Worked out with my awesome trainer at lunch.
Tuesday: Couldn’t workout at lunch because I was conducting an all day site visit for a tender I’ve issued at work.
Wednesday: Did my Walk and Tone mp3 Workout
Thursday: No workout because I had to use my lunch for my midwife appointment.
Friday: Worked out with my awesome trainer at lunch.
Saturday: Walked 2k with my dog – we would have walked further but the clouds and rain opened up on us.
Sunday: Do my Walk and Tone mp3 Workout Had unexpected out of town guests, so i spent an hour running around to clean the house before they arrived.

This week I’m off work and staycationing with my family. Apparently I won’t be online much this week… because as I type this my 5 yo, Sierra, is begging to use my laptop to play Starfall.com. I apologize in advance for that. I’ve loaded the house up with healthy, nutritious snacks and food, so I hope that I can resist my hubby’s urging to eat fast food. Being active could also be a challenge – I tend to be an all-or-nothing gal but I got my new EAS Active More Workouts from being last week’s Sista of The Week, so I hope I can kick my hubby off of his TV long enough for me to get a workout or three in.

Congrats to this week’s Sista of the Week: @gretablau from the blog “Middle Aged Jock” (I LOVE her blog name!!). This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Chefs Requsted. Chefs Requested is an official sponsor of the Mamavation campaign and sends their perfectly portioned steaks to the Mamavation Moms.

Have a great week everyone!!

Related posts:

1. Motivation Monday: Monday, August 30, 2010
2. Motivation Monday: August 16, 2010

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

This week’s Guest Post is from: Scott of Online Fitness Information Center (@scottgofit).  He’s a fitness enthusiast, husband and father of 2.  In this post he shares the eight benefits of drinking water.

(If you would like to guest blog, then check out my guidelines here.)

8 Benefits of drinking water

If you, or somone you know, constantly feels fatigued, hungry, or are dealing with chronic headaches. This could be the easiest, and yet most effective remedy for you. Our culture today seems to promote drinking everything except water. Water is practically free. I guess maybe that is why.

Some may justify that there is enough water contained in our coffee, or beer, or soda to get our full servings for the day. “C’mon Man!” Simply replacing that diet soda with water will affect your hunger pattern for the better, help you feel energized longer (no crash), and actually quench your thirst!

Consider these 8 benefits of drinking water:

1- Weight Loss. Replaces high calorie drinks like juice, alcohol, and worse yet, soda (diet soda has many drawbacks, too, dealing with hunger issues and chemicals). Water acts as an appetite suppressant, as often when we think we are hungry, we are actually thirsty (dehydrated). Water has no fat, no calories, no sugar, and no carbs. Drink plenty to help with your weight loss program.

2- Energy. Dehydration steals your energy and makes you feel tired. Prolonged dehydration leads to fatigue, weakness, and dizziness. Infuse your body with plenty of water to feel lively and awake during the day.

3- Headaches. Water can play an important role in being one of the key reasons why people have chronic headaches. For some it could be the only cure they need. A simple, clean, good hydration habit…practically free!

4- Healthy Skin. Helps replace dull, pasty, dry looking skin with a healthy glow. Like giving water to a dehydrated plant or tree, watch your external appearance improve over a relatively short time.

5- Digestion. Our body requires a good amount of water to digest food properly. It can cure stomach acid problems. Along with fiber, can also help deal with constipation. Again, often a result of dehydration.

6- Cleansing. Water helps flush your body from toxins and other unwanted waste products.

7- Reduce Cancer Risk. Drinking the proper amount of water can help reduce the risk of several forms of cancer. Particularly colon and bladder cancer among others.

8- Better Exercise. Being dehydrated can reduce your perfomance significantly. Fitness exercise requires additional water so be sure to hydrate before, during, and after working out. This is especially true if you are using sports supplements.

Drinking enough water is simply a habit. As is not drinking enough water. Water filters are a great way to go. Bottled water can be convenient. Drinking water and driving is perfectly legal ; . ) Throughout your day, whether you are thirsty or not, keep taking several swigs. In fact, if you feel thirsty, you are already at dehydration levels. So this round is on the house. Have a drink…and another…on me. GoFit!

No related posts.

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

What Motivates You?

It is often said that it takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit, but as Jim Ryun says, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

So how do you get motivated to do things like run and keep to a training schedule? Then, what keeps you motivated?

We all know motivation is entirely personal. What motivates one individual won’t necessarily motivate another. The real key is to understand what motivates you based on your own unique set of desires. Once you understand your own desires, you can set goals based on those desires. These goals will help to keep you motivated.

Now you’re asking yourself—what motivates me? How do I know what my desires are? This is where Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can assist you. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is often depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels: the four lower levels are grouped together as being associated with physiological needs, while the top level is termed growth needs associated with psychological needs. Maslow’s theory is that motivation is driven by the existence of unsatisfied needs. So what are your unsatisfied needs? Well, you can find out by taking this 36 question simple online test:

I took the test and here are my results:

From this we can see that my unsatisfied need is LOVE. Based on that, I can assume that joining a running group or running regularly with a friend would motivate me and satisfy that need.

Here are some motivational goals and activities based on each unsatisfied need as set out by Maslow:

• Physiological Needs: Maybe you are sick? Battling an illness? Injured? Feeling unhealthy? Motivational goals that center around feeling healthy would work best i.e., running to lose some weight, lower your resting heart rate, decrease your blood pressure, following a rehab plan for an injury, etc.
• Safety Needs: Maybe your life is in an uncontrolled state right now—you feel like things are out of your control. Why not satisfy that need by using a structured training plan to regain some control and a feeling of safety?
• Love Needs: When love needs are not met, running with a friend, a partner, a pet or a running club can be very motivating.
• Esteem Needs: Accomplishing something that is impressive to others will be motivating to those with unfulfilled self-esteem needs. Maybe you’ve been running 5Ks? Try for a more impressive distance or finishing time to motivate yourself.
• Self-Actualization: According to the Wikipedia entry on self-actualization, this is the “instinctual need of humans to make the most of their abilities and to strive to be the best they can. Working toward fulfilling our potential, toward becoming all that we are capable of becoming.” Creating a training plan that focuses on running your best race, qualifying for Boston, etc. will keep you motivated.

Whatever your unsatisfied needs are, knowing yourself and your desires will help you to remain motivated to run or exercise. Go on now, take the test and use that knowledge to motivate yourself and make yourself a happier you. (After you take the test, stayed tuned for more to come on goal setting and creating training plans.)

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. — Tao Te Ching

Related posts:

1. He Said, She Said – What’s the SAID Principle?

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

Hey folks!  How’s your week going?  Have you been exercising?  Drinking your water?  Saying “No” to treats?  And most importantly have you been getting a good night’s sleep?

Sleep?  Why is the Fitness Cheerleader asking me about my sleep? Does sleep cause weight loss?

Are you getting enough sleep?

Well – no, sleep doesn’t cause you to lose weight, but it certainly plays a vital role in preventing you from sabotaging your healthy eating plans.  You see, when you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol.  And guess what? That nasty stress hormone cortisol causes our bodies to break down protein (our muscles) turning it to glucose (sugar).  This excess sugar is used for fat production and triggers our bodies to release insulin.  But guess what?  Our bodies over-produce insulin, therefore dropping our blood sugar levels too low.  This tells our brains that we are ravenously hungry and need to eat.  It makes us crave sugar and that excess sugar is used for fat production….  Ahhh – isn’t that a nice vicious cycle?
But wait!  That’s not the only vicious cycle cortisol causes!  Elevated cortisol levels also make it difficult to fall asleep… so again, you don’t get enough sleep and want to spend the whole next day tired eating a ridiculous amount of sugar laden foods.  Lovely.
Yes – Cortisol is bad… very, very bad.  Also, having elevated levels of cortisol has been found to lead to:

• Lowered immunity
• Poor short-term memory
• Constipation
• Weight gain, especially in the abdominal region and the waist
• Loss of muscle tone
• Reduced growth hormone, testosterone, DHEA and estrogen
• Osteoporosis

Seriously folks – Sleep is important! Just ask my kids what mommy is like if she hasn’t gotten enough sleep!  Numerous studies have linked the oversecretion of cortisol with obesity and increased fat storage in the body, so if you want to start having control of your cravings, and start getting fit stop reading this article and get to sleep!  I’m telling you this because I love and care for each one of you. Good night and sweet dreams.

Related posts:

1. Quick, Easy AND Cheap Ways to Curb Your Appetite!
2. Why Women Can’t Lose Weight

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

After spending many years running consistently, training for and completing marathons, I swore I would never fall back into my old couch-potato ways.  Building endurance is hard. Unfortunately I grossly underestimated how attached to my babies I would become once we started a family.  Once my children reached 2 and 4 years old, I became ready to leave them in the hands of my very capable husband while I reintroduced myself to my long lost best friend – running.  At that point in time leaving the kids was now the easy part.  The running part?  Not so much.

As I returned to running I felt like a complete newbie, even though I knew what was around each corner.  I knew how to dress in various kinds of weather.  I knew I should stretch, eat well, get plenty of rest when training etc…  But building my endurance and reintroducing myself to running was hard, but with these few tips in mind, I recently was able to train for and complete a 10 K race.

1. Buy New Shoes
   Chances are, the shoes you were wearing had a lot of mileage on them, and over time the shoes become “stale” losing their give.  Your feet have also probably changed, in my case pregnancy left my feet (and the rest of me) slightly wider than they were.
2. Start Slow
   Don’t expect to run the pace you were running before.  You’re older now, you’ve lost strength and you’ve lost leg-turnover speed.  Run 45s – 60s slower than the pace you were running before.
3. Be Consistent
   It’s hard to build endurance when you only run 1 or 2 times a week.
4. Run A Little Further Every Week
   You need to build up a good endurance base before adding speed work, however to build up endurance you need to go a little further each week.
5. Run at the Same Time Each Day
   It’s easy to start skipping out on your runs if it isn’t part of your routine.  Try to run at the same time every day.  ie: Run in the morning before work, on your lunch or after work.  If you don’t have a set time to run, you’ll procrastinate and skip that day’s run.

Got any other tips to share for getting back into running?  Leave a comment below to share them.

Related posts:

1. How to Build a Half Marathon Training Program
2. Interval Running Workouts for Beginners

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

I have a confession to make:

WE DON’T HAVE AN OVEN!

GE Profile Wall Oven

My hubby tried wiring it. When we open the door the light goes on, so it’s getting some power… But the control panel doesn’t light up, and I can’t get the elements to heat up. I called an electrician who fiddled with it for 20 min, charged me over $100 for his time, who then told me that my beautiful oven doesn’t work. There’s something wrong with the control panel.

Unfortunately I have the patience of a Saint (oh and I had a very bad case of post-partum depression which left me incapable of handling any decisions), so I had waited a year to call that electrician – so now the warranty on my brand spanking new oven has expired.

Have I mentioned that money is tight?

So basically we haven’t had an oven for 3 yrs. Yes – I haven’t been able to bake a single yummy treat in 3 yrs.

Truthfully, I’ve gotten so used to NOT having an oven that I don’t even miss it. We eat a lot of sandwiches, salads, stews and casseroles (made in the crock pot) as a result.

But you know what? I encountered a side effect of not having an oven that I never considered before: Maintaining my weight has been rather easy ever since we moved away from our working oven. I think that not having an oven makes you eat healthier. I can’t bake pizza, cookies, cakes, pies, roasts, etc. Oh I’m sure there are healthy things I can’t bake either, but we don’t really miss them. (I have counter-top roasting oven for our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys).

Perhaps someone should do a study to see if my hypothesis is true?

Related posts:

1. Mamavation – Because Losing Weight On Your Own Is Hard

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink

I’ve been running and running and training and eating healthy and skipping junk food for 10 wks now.  I’ve lost 8lbs – slowly.  It has seemed painfully slow at times.  Working out, eating healthy etc seems like so much work for such little return.  Stepping on the scale each week after running 30k or more and doing weights and finding a 0.5lb to a 0.7lb weight loss is frustrating.  Running is getting easier and I’m getting faster, but it doesn’t seem like I’m getting smaller. 

It’s no wonder so many of us are looking for the quick fix weight loss answer.  But with so many of us looking, how come none of us has found it yet?  Could it be that it doesn’t exist?  Could it be that the 1/2 a pound per week loss I’m experiencing is actually fast?  Is a loss still a loss, not matter how big or small it is?  It’s so hard to keep convincing myself that.

Oh I do have more energy – and more laundry thanks to my sweaty exercise clothes.  My kids are having fun doing exercise videos with me too!

Fit Moms Fit Kids Exercise DVD

Losing weight is getting easier thanks to an exercise DVD that I got this week: Fit MOMZ n Fit KIDZ. The girls have been BEGGING me to do the video!!   Sierra loves to crawl under my planks and pushups while I do the video, and Brooke actually DOES the video with me.  It’s a great way to give the kids attention while fitting in a workout, making this weight loss thing a little easier because I don’t have to find the time to do it.   My legs were on fire after my first attempt at the video.  The girls made me do the Preschool and toddler workouts back-to-back on Tuesday, Wednesday night they asked but I was too tired from running hill repeats and last night they made me do the preschool and infant workouts.  I hope that with them pushing me this week I’ll lose more than my usual 0.5lbs… 

Here’s a snippet of the video I found on their web site:

What exercise activities do you like?  Have you experienced weight loss success?  What have you done to lose weight?  Do you have any advice for me on how to make this easier?  Faster?  Help!

Related posts:

1. Losing Weight With Twitter
2. Mamavation – Because Losing Weight On Your Own Is Hard

This post is from Fitness Cheerleader. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

© Janice Smith for Fitness Cheerleader, 2010. | Permalink