Friday, June 8, 2012

Turn Right? Left? Just GO!

I am a sore mama this morning. We had a group workout with the Booty Busters last night. We walked, ran some hills, beat off mosquitoes and did our various exercises under the heavy gazes of the other people out enjoying the evening at the park. Seriously, never seen a group of grown woman doing burpees and squats before? I digress.....this post is not about that (I'll save it for another today).

Pondering the Plateau


In my last post, I talked about how a plateau can make a person feel. The frustration, loss of determination and faith in what you've been working for. Keeping a positive attitude is key, of course ( firm believer in the body-mind connection here folks). There are other things you might need to look at, fiddle with, tweak....if the plan you're following has stopped working, you're at a cross roads. Time turn, right, left, whatever, because going forward is no longer a viable option.

Look at Your Consumption


Do you have a food journal? Do you track your calories? Weigh and measure everything?
This can work for you. It's so very useful to see exactly what passing through your lips, food and drink wise. You may not realize how much you are consuming in liquid calories/sugar/fat. All those little bites you snagged while prepping supper can really add up too. As long as you track honestly, using a food journal may be just what you need to start making progress again.

Once you start tracking, you may notice that you are not eating enough. You've increased your activity as you've built your endurance, you're getting stronger and working harder with your strength training. If you're not giving your body enough fuel, it'll start hanging on to everything you do put in the tank, and your progress can slow, or even stall out all together. It seems counter-intuitive to eat more to lose more, but, it can work.

Maybe you're wondering just how much you should be eating? Some great sources to find out are Sparkpeople, and My Fitness Pal. These 2 are my favourites, very user friendly. Of course, you should talk to your doctor if you are very concerned. ( I am a layman here, all this info I have gleaned over the last couple years)

Your Activity


Are you doing the same 35 minutes on the elliptical 5 days a week?  Do you do the same set of push-ups and crunches, and call that good for strength training? Got a favourite fitness dvd that is your go-to to get your sweat on?

All these things are good for the bod, no doubt about it. However, if you're doing the same thing all the time, your body gets used to it. No more challenge = no more progress.

It's important that, like your diet, you have variety in your exercise routine. I also strongly believe that a body needs not just cardio or strength exercises.

Despite my current training plan for the Half Marathon next month, I do not love cardio. I much prefer picking up my dumbbells and working up a sweat. My Fabulous Running Buddy however, loves her some cardio! She does not love my ST workouts ( but is always a good sport and does them anyways).

(I feel the need to say a little something about weights right here)
***lifting and doing body weight exercises will not make you look like a man. You will not "bulk-up". What strength training can do for you is tone and tighten.*** ( steps off the soapbox).

Need some inspiration? Again, the 2 websites I mentioned for calorie tracking have some good workout idea. Fitocracy is a Facebook-esque fitness site. They offer you challenges to follow based on your goals, and plenty of chatter about it.  I am a bit of a fitness magazine junkie. I compile a lot of my workouts from the ones they feature every month. Fitness blogs like Nerd FitnessThe Angry Trainer, and many other other are also good sources. Google, my friends!

The Point


Here it is.    VARIETY.  You have to have it. You will get bored if you eat the same thing and sweat the same way every week. Boredom is your nemesis. Not chocolate/chips/pop/ice-cream. Those things are Boredom's henchmen, always waiting in the shadows.

This week, challenge yourself to a new exercise ( push-ups anyone? on your toes, not your knees). Try a new recipe. Turn right....or left....whatever. Just GO!



Monday, June 4, 2012

No Quitting!

I cannot believe we are in the final weeks for the Spring round of Wainwright Booty Busters! I have to say, that even though I enjoyed the Fall and Winter round.....this one has been the best, Maybe because I am finding my rhythm with the whole thing, maybe it's the frank desire this group of ladies has to bust their booties and their willingness to try new things. Whatever the case, it's been really positive.

The challenges for this past week were designed to help bust some plateaus.

I do believe that the further we go along this journey to being healthier, we can fall into a rut. At the beginning, eating better and moving a little more was enough to see results. That doesn't last, and that can get scary and a teeny bit depressing. It can feel like all the hard work you've done just wasn't enough, the the thought of doing more .....it can be incredibly daunting.

Maybe you're already working out for 30-60 minutes a day. Maybe you feel like you're about the sprout floppy ears and a cute little cotton tail because of all the veggies you're consuming. Maybe, when the scale stopped moving you felt like heading over to your closest mega-mart and buying all your old "favourites" and spending the evening eating all of it....because, if you're not losing weight, then what's the point!!!!!!!


THE POINT!!!!


*Every time you exercise, your body gets stronger, your heart gets healthier.
*Every time you choose not to binge, you choose to step forward on your healthier path.
*Every time you get up off the couch and get your body moving, you move a little further away from the sluggish shell of a person you used to be.

Only a pound down this week? Hmmm, looks like a lot to me.

Success: not always how you think it will be.