On that long road to get back

Forgive me diary for I have sinned!  Its been over three years since I have updated this blog as well as being in any type of consistent work out routine.

Its been a while, but I want to make a comeback.  I have had some additions to my life.  New family - I have a beautiful two and a half year old named Marley.  He is a joy and a challenge.  Being a new mom, stay at home mom, having a family life, and maintaining - what a roller coaster!  I always said I would never be one of those moms that has a kid and 18 years later still talking about my 'baby fat'  but its so easy to talk and judge when you havent walked in those shoes.  Now in one hand I am happy to have only gained 30 punds with my pregnancy, and all that training I have done previously kept my stomach muscles strong.  But life happens and when it does- we often put ourself on the back burner and deem ourselves as not a priority.  Right after my son was born I lost 20 pounds and 'some how' 10 came back and just stayed there.  Not training as I used to, and having access to so many great escuses of why I can't work out its been a challenge to get back on the wagon.  I go to the gym, make plans, but because its been a while my endurance is gone, and I get depressed and just get fall deeper into that rut of not really getting started.

• This has to change.
• No one can change it but me.
• No one can make time but me.
• No one is going to make me feel good about it and really push myself but me.
• So I have to find the resilience and get it going.

I work from home, am a 'home maker', stay at home mom, tons of stuff going on in my life, and building my fine arts.  Love working at nights, which makes getting up early a challenge.  But I am commited to 'being the change I want to see in the (MY) world".  (Mahatma Gandhi I love so much).
I look at today as being a new beginning for me and my body.

Sometimes it is just a push we need, a sexy bathing suit or dress you want to get back into, or a partner to help kickstart and you both can keep each other motivated, but most importantly we have to make a commitment to ourselves to push when we don't feel like it, give ourselves goals and rewards, and stop making escuses, because it doesn't help us in our goals.

I am happy to say I was able to convince my neighbor that no matter how hard i cried or sleep I didn't get- to just call me to walk and jog with her.  I have been saying that for weeks, but today I got up and out the bed, made some coffee, loaded my kid into that jogging stroller we purchased before I had him specifically for working out (never did), filled up water bottles- and put one foot in front the other.   Have to admit at first I took 5 min to try to make another escuse, but stopped myself in the tracks and got out there.  So glad I did, we did 2.6 miles in 30 minutes!   Then we came back to my place and topped it off with a 15 minute On Demand pilates workout.  I felt so energized.  Our plan is to go three times a week, so the next couple of weeks I know will be the most challenging.

Hopping to make this a permanent change and putting my health back into my lifestyle, I figured I better dust off this ol' blog to keep track.  If you are reading this and have a similar story, or advice for these challenging time getting back on track I would LOVE to hear them.

One Love
Niki

Sorry for the lapse!

Hey guys, I know, I know, SLACKER! I have been, but I am willing to change :-). Its been a while since i have trained, well since November with my trainer, but i have done a few things here and there. So I will be starting back up, so bear with me.
I moved into a community of artists and sent out an email to solicit some early morning joggers/runners/walkers to maybe meet up around 8am and do our thing for 30 min to an hour. i got a couple responses including one for the evening, so I will commit to NOT commit on a certain amount of days- but to just jump in there and do it!
Its great working out with others that way each person becomes each others motivator. I do plan on working out like before when I get a little more situated, so stay tune for updates and posts.
Feel free to share your stories, the good, the bad, and the ugly
One Love
Niki

If you hate balls like i do....

Besides hand wraps, and what ever you choose for cardio, to the left is all you need for today.
Its a little late, long day, i had training, then class right afterwards. My classes are like 4 hours each, but the teacher let us out early. Going off on a tangent here, sorry..... Lets sweat!

Today's workout consisted of some combination punches and kicks, squats, and the ball.....one of my arch enemies.....the exercise ball. I complained to my trainer about my thighs and back being sore, so he said he would go easy today. He lied! Well at LEAST in my eyes. Never trust a trainer, they are PROGRAMED to see you suffer and burn! LoL. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone who has a trainer has a love hate relationship. You love the fact they don't let you quit, and put up with my complaints and whines, but you HATE when your in the middle of a work out, and your in pain, they ask you how are you doing, you say in pain, they are like GREAT! 20 more. :-(

I have an ipod mix that is exactly 1 1/5 hours long. I think the ipod is heaven sent music lets your work out go by faster, and the ipod lets you put what you KNOW is going to keep you moving, and you can change up the music and keep it fresh. One of the first times I came to train all ready in hand wraps (I will go into more info on that at a later time), so i plug in my ipod, and got straight to the warm ups.

I just hate the medicine ball. My trainer has two. A regular and then some made up one that he filled with sand and duck taped! Both are heavy, but the later is the heaviest. I feel my arms are one of my weaker extremities so I don't look forward to anything including them in my program. I tried to whine, to blame it on genetics, but I can never get out of them.

First, there was walking up and down the length of the room. Actually lunges. While holding the medicine ball with your arms up but the hands holding the medicine ball is behind you. With the lunges, not only do you have to keep your back straight and good form, you are supposed to drop the knee down to practically touching the floor, so its a DEEEPPPP lunge. When you feel like you may fall out because your legs are weak, do 10 more! lol :-)

Then stationary and keeping the ball behind your head and the elbows are not spread out but held closely to the face, pump the ball up and down. After doing these (maybe 50-100; i will try to get some counts in later) then you bring your arms to the front and do the same, bring the ball to the face and then down to the thighs.

Then there is a sort of fold exercise. Standing straight up with arms up and hands still holding the ball- lock your arms straight and bring the ball down, while lifting one leg up. As you get closer, bend your back so that you are touching your legs with the ball. Imagine like you are folding yourself in half.

On to squats while holding the ball in front of you. The pressure should be on the heals of the feet. Like you are sitting back in a chair, come to a 90 degree angle and the ball should be held out in front of you, then back up.

Drop down and do push ups. I normally do the regular push ups, but go ahead and do the girly push ups if just starting out. Then push ups with the ball. One hand on the ground, one hand on the ball, push up, and roll the ball to the next hand and repeat.

I did some push kick, round house kick (swivel), and knees. I did about 5 sets. With the kicks, knees, and punches: generally a set is as i explained earlier. 1 kick, 2 kicks, 3 kicks, 4 kicks, 5 kicks, 4 kicks, 3 kicks, 2 kicks, 1 kick is considered ONE COUNT. Today I did maybe 5 or more counts each of the kicks and the knees. Along with more knees as i walk across the room. (some leg break, huh?)

I also did a few sets of each of the punches: the jab, hook, elbows, hooks.

I did some combinations. With the combination you want to remember to stay "t-ed off' which means feet should distance apart but also one slightly in front of the other- so you are standing at an angle and remember to twist on the off opposite foot than you are punching with.

Some of the combinations covered today included:

Jab with one hand and hook with the other. Try to get a rhythm going. (example jab with the right, hook with the left, repeat)

Jab with upper cut

Jab with the left, hook with the right, upper cut with the left elbow with the right.

Jab with kick

Jab with roundhouse.

Remember posture, form, twist the waist, stop for some water - but not too many breaks, you want to keep a constant pace going, and you don't want your stomach cramping up.

After about an hour of these, I did the stationary bike for about 25 minutes. I keep a pretty consistent speed 22-40 mph. The bike I use is the one that the handles also move. I keep hydrated off and on.

Then its off to the shower, I need it right about now. Today was raining, so the day seemed to drag. Up at 5am, work out at 6am, cardio at 7am, shower and class at 8am until 12 noon. took like a 30 min nap when I finally made it home.

Hasta Manana!

Tuesdays.....my "Monday" in terms of work out...

My normal work days, unless other wise posted are: Tues, Wed, and Thurs. The cool think about working out in the middle of the week like that, it makes the week go by faster, plus i feel like i have 4 day weekends! :-) I work out at 6am with 30 min of cardio afterwards. Cardio that I do can be either jogging, treadmill, elliptical, bike (traditional or stationary) or the row machine.

Today I did a mixture of punch and kick combos. Punches included: Jabs, hooks, upper cuts. I know a few polls already came back about the pictures and videos, i am working on it, please bear with me. With all the punches, some essential tips. Your body should be at a slight angle, hand position: both fists should stay by your cheeks at all times. When you do the drills make sure that one hand goes out and SNAPS back. The other hand should stay by the checks. Back should be straight, knees slightly bent, and you want to maintain good posture. For one, this will help you to avoid injury, over extending, and really work your arms and waist. With each variations of the punches the same foot should twist with it. (example right hook- twist your right leg)
Jabs- you extend you arms and slightly twist your fists at contact and snap back.

Hooks- like the name implies- the arms are like a hook and you twist your waist with it. (waist whittler)

Upper Cut -the force is in the leg. Imagine your elbow somehow connected to your leg, and your leg is controlling the movement, twist while dipping slightly, and your knee pushes up the movement. When done properly the power is coming from the leg not the actual fists.

Kick- with fists still by your cheeks, lean back while bringing your knee up, extend you leg and push your foot as if stepping on the gas in your car, snap it back and down. (another good movement for the mid section)

"Swivel kick" -( i will get the proper name)- keeping the fists by your checks, and still at an angle, the leg in front is the one you pivot the body on, and keeping form lift your leg as you swing and snap it back. you should feel a slight side crunch.

i do a few reps up to 5 each side( not like counting to 5, like 1 kick, then 2 kicks, 3 kicks,4 kicks, 5 kicks, 4 kicks, 3 kicks, 2 kicks, 1 kick - as 1 set)

Knees- standing straight, bring your knee up to your chest and back down. the higher you bring your knee UP the better you work your abs. If your knees isn't going higher than your waist, you are NOT working the abs.

You can also alternate by walking up and down the room while doing them. I did a few of them, maybe only 100.

I also used the 65" exercise ball and 20 lbs free weights. Even if you used the bag is the above exercise, you need a partner for this one. Roll forward on the ball with your stomach resting down on the ball, have your partner hold your legs to help your balance and that you don't fall off the ball. Slowly lift the weights up to be parallel with your body, imagine someone's finger poking you in the middle of your shoulder blades and you are trying to squeeze it when you lift the weights up.
For 2 counts of 10. If you are using lighter weights, do more reps.

Then while keeping the position, do reverse crunches. Strive to lift the all the way up so your stomach come off the ball.

Finish with the 3 ab blast. Each workout i finish with these. With each step your going for speed. It doesn't matter how MANY you do, just do them as fast as possible and go on to the next position WITHOUT stopping.
1st - position in in a normally crunch position with your back on the floor on the floor and feet touching indian style (diamond shape). You want to make sure that upper back comes up off the floor. Your ab muscles should be lifting you NOT your hands behind your neck, that is only for support.
2nd - position, same crunch but now alternating touching one elbow to the opposite knee while extending the other leg all the way out. The feet should never touch the ground.
3rd - position with knees together and feet on floor, and your hands under your back, lift your knees to your chest and back down.

The reason for the ab blast is to not only warm and whittle the fat around the abdomen, but also to trick the body into not storing future fat there. So that is how i end each day.

Since i was running a little late, and i have class right afterwards, the work out was slightly less than an hous. stretch out and then cardio. Today I did about 25 minutes on the stationary bike. Normally I do 30 minutes.


Your feedback, comments, and suggestions are always welcomed. :-)

Did you do any form of exercise today? let me know. Everything counts. You have to go at your own comfortable pace, but push your self. Make sure you get a nice burn and sweat going.

This was actually the first morning class. (which is from 8am-12noon) and I didn't fall asleep or nod off, not even once! lol

Lets begin.....let me back track...

Sorry i haven't posted in a while. The truth is i was trying to start from the begging, last year May 2006. But I lapsed with my personal training and started back up around December 2006, so keeping up with that, I didn't know where to start.

So I will discuss briefly how is started. I have always been into some form of exercise routines, dance (ballet, belly, modern) gymnastics (my mom did it in high school and taught me the cart wheel and splits), when i was little I was a bit of a tom boi, fence jumping, tree climbing, etc. With that being said for the most part I have lead an active lifestyle. But I am not perfect. And learning to drive, getting a car, made me more lazier. Sometimes we don't see the price we pay for convenience, and You don't notice things like weight creeping up on you. Finally being on my own and in control of my own wallet, food, and having a car, i put on some weight. Never hitting 'fat' but none the less, my problem areas when i was skinny, became bigger problem areas for me. Even with just skin and bones I had a stomach. The heaviest being 149, even thought i still got numbers, and had all the curves in the right places, I hated having a stomach, my arms were a a little big and with no shape to them, and my back of my thighs had a couple of dimples for like 3 years. I started getting really depressed, hiding with more clothes. I hated it, but then never got off my 'arse' to actually DO anything about it.

A turning point came last year, I was about to graduate with my first degree. I signed up for a gym with my sisters, but none of use was consistent. With things like health and exercise CONSISTENCY IS KEY! I had/have a gym membership to Bally's Gym, but like many people I know, the money came out the bank like clock work, but it was months since I actually WENT to the gym. When I did go, i would jump on the treadmill for like 20 minutes, read the info, and get info on personal training, but never really making a commitment. Then one day, in the middle of the day i just said 'to heck with it' I got up, drove down, and asked to SPEAK to someone about trainers. Thats how i met my trainer Brent. It was like magic, he was actually going to lunch, but took a few minutes out of his break to talk. I mentioned doing Tei Bo. So he said an excellent way to get in shape and take care of my problem areas was to do a mixture of kick boxing, weight cardio, I said this would be MY gift to myself for graduation, that was a month away, signed up, and the rest was history!. Still a long way from home...

At Bally's I signed up for their smallest personal training program. It was 1 month, meeting twice a week. So basically 8 sessions. below is some pictures from my testimonial to Brent along with some numbers.



My training was 2 days a week. A warm up was done before and after each session. 1 hour sessions each that included: 30 minutes of kick boxing, 30 minutes of weights or free weight training. Finishing each 1 hour session 3 minute "Ab Blasts". The weights varied from 5lbs for crunch training and 20-40 lbs for the free weights.

Under my trainers advise, I made the following changes* outside of the training sessions:
- Drank more water :-(
- Some form of cardio for 30 minutes after the work out*
- One extra day at the gym on my own*
- Improved my eating habits (cut down on salt and fast foods)**

* These are recommended, but not always followed. My trainer advised me that cardio 30 minutes AFTER my EACH work out would ensure me not getting muscles cramps, and also kick start the belly burn. The days i actually did that I didn't cramp up or feel the pain of going about 5 years with no exercise. But in actuality, out of the 8 work out sessions, only 5 days did i do cardio (treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike) and I did 1 hour spinning class that the gym. The one extra day on my own, I was supposed to do a total of 4 (1 extra a week) and I did 2 days- one being only for 30 min, and the second an actual hour.

**With the foods. I am not really big on a lot of junk food to begin with. But I did drastically cut down on the fast foods, the pointless snacks. I switched over completely to the Silk Milk (soy that actually TASTES good!- not like the thick one I had growing up). In chips, I make sure they are kettle cooked, or 0% trans fat, started taking a multi vitamin, but haven't been consistent with pill popping (and the liquids are just plain NASTY!) Started eating a Cliff Bar before workouts, started back reading labels (old practice my mom gave me as a kid, if the words are tooo long in the ingredients, don't buy its its synthetic JUNK!) changed my butter to the Smart Balance butter (no trans fat, helps improve cholesterol, 67% natural vegetable oils, gluten and gelatin free, non hydrogenated, Omega 6 and 3, and it TASTES like butter!

I think that is important, I am not a total health nut, I eat pretty balanced for the most part. But for me, if it doesn't TASTE good, i am NOT eating it. So I strive to try different things to replace some of the less than healthy things. Like instead of snickers bar or twix, etc, I get my chocolate fix off of a few pieces of dark chocolate, that is just as healthy as drinking a glass of red wine. I try to save the 'junk' to SMALL portions of food I can't live without- just yet.

I was really proud of my accomplishments, and even thought i wasn't in PERFECT shape, wash board abs, and all, that training was an instant image/confidence booster for me. The road to a washboard stomach is a little more in reach.

I have to admit, after that program, and equipped with alot more knowledge than I started out with, I DID lapse in working out. I wanted to do it, but I let life push out the importance of getting and staying in shape, so i lost a little of the muscles, gained a few more pounds back (149 is the biggest) and went back to the drawing board. This time as an independent student dealing directly with my trainer.

I can't go back to every little detail of exercise between December of 06 until now. (Unless i get a lot of emails to). But what I will attempt to do, is to post the different work out I have done for the day. Along with a few body shots or statistics to chart my progress. I am hoping that people can either follow along, and maybe share some of their work out tips, and suggestions. I will also attempt to do a couple of videos blogs of my work out. And post different pictures, diagrams, definitions, of the various training, or eating habits or lifestyle changes on my road to a healthy and SATISFIED me.

My gaol is to share my journey, and to encourage and be encouraged by others. To help some of my friends who I have motivated into getting into the gym, and working on a healthier love of self. I don't believe in starvation, and liposuction (that causes more damages and risks that good) and most of those loose weight quick burn fat drinks. Please send me an email, or post a comment, and tell me what you think. For those of you who are sick and tiered of being sick and tiered, my advise: RIGHT NOW GET UP AND SIGN UP WITH A GYM OR GET A FRIEND, (HUMAN OR PET) AND MAKE A COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF TO GET IN SHAPE AND LIVE LONG. Its so much easier to be miserable with your current condition that we make excuses to not get up and sign up TODAY! Don't wait for your, you will NEVER have time. Make time for you. I know its easier said than done. But lets work together.....
One love

Intro...

Hello and thanks for stopping by. This is my first EVER blog, so bear with me as I learn as I go forth. Any help or suggestions for posting/updating and even in the subject matter are always welcomed.

My reason for starting this blog is: to share my trails& tribulations, triumphs, and set backs for working out and trying to accomplish better health, maintain and active lifestyle, banish my small belly forever, help motivate others to working out and being/staying fit, and share what works for me, what doesn't work for me, get some feedback from others on that journey to a healthier toner lifestyle, hopefully gain some friends and support along the way to help me when my motivation is low, and share tips, secrets that I get from my own personal trainer and hopefully help out others who may not be in a position or have time to invest in a personal trainer.

_______________________________

DISCLAIMER #1: I am NOT a doctor, I am not a total health nut, I am not an extremist when it comes to diet and health. I don't really do diets, if I make a suggestion about exercise and you KNOW you are not in optimal health - check with your doctor first. Start slow. I don't claim to be perfect, And my suggestions is in no way, shape, form, or fashion meant to replace the diagnosis of a doctor. I am here to share MY stories and hear some of your stories, in hopes that TOGETHER we can get to our goals. WHATEVER they maybe.

DISCLAIMER #2: Even though i LOVE to write. My degree (A.S.) is in Graphic Design and Desktop Publishing. I love the arts and all things dealing with creativity. I am NOT an english major. With that being said, PLEASE PLEASE: excuse my typos, run on sentences, improper use of the english language. At the same time I am not into that kountry grammar and don't promote ubonics, and don't mind corrections, I just feel at times, some of us get so caught up into GRADING and correcting that they totally miss the purpose.

One Love,
Niki