Friday, January 28, 2011

You are.....

You Are What You Think About Most!

I was reading a book called: "The Power of Attitude" by Mac Anderson and came upon this phrase. It is not a new one to me or to may others but it is powerful and I need to keep reminding myself of it a lot more!

I first head about this concept from David Greenwalt at Leanness Lifestyle but it really is all over. It is the basic idea behind "The Secret" and was talked about by Henry Ford and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. If you are not familiar with this type of thinking here it is in a nut shell - you will attract the things you think about. If you are being positive then you tend to see things in a positive light and get positive results in the end. The opposite is also true, if you are feeling and acting in a negative way then you will tend to get negative results in return.

I have seen this work in some areas of my life and in the lives of others around me. About a year ago, I decided to not get so worked up about things that I don't really have control over. I decided to adopt the line of thinking that things will work out and that it wasn't healthy or worth it to get all stressed out about things. I was going to work hard and do my best but if things don't work out exactly how I expect it.....that isn't necessarily all bad. I've been much more comfortable with the things going on around me! It was a wonderful change!

On the flip side, I know someone that is a negative person most of the time. As a result, when some thing happens in her life she tends to see the negative/bad side of things. Everybody is ALWAYS out to get her and she just doesn't seem happy most of the time. Who wants to live that way?!?!?!?!? Not me! It is a conscious decision that we can all make.

This all brings me back around to my exercise sessions and my nutrition. I have, for a long time, used this type of thinking with my exercise sessions. When I'm running up a big hill I will repeat phrases like: "I am a strong runner", "Beat the hill" or "I am strong and I will get up this hill". I am using this same thinking during my Insanity workouts. Today was Pure Cardio and it was hard (no breaks) but I just tried to keep my thinking positive and it really helped me work through the session. I didn't get down when I HAD to take breaks. I viewed it as the first steps toward a stronger and healthier me. It's all in the attitude!!

Now my nutrition.....I haven't been using this technique. Duh! It really struck me as I was reading the book last night. My common phrase is, "I struggle with the nutrition aspect of my programs" Can we say it again? DUH!!!
Of course I've been struggling with the nutrition because I've been telling myself over and over again that I struggle with my nutrition!!! I am making a pledge to myself today that I am changing the way I think about food and my overall nutritional program. I am not perfect and my nutrition won't be either. However, I'm going to do work on keeping a clean diet 80% of the time and I'm going to use the Law of Attraction line of thinking to change my views about food.

We all have choices in life. We can choose to be positive or negative. We can choose to be healthy or sickly. We can choose to use this technique or not. What are your choices and how are they effecting your lifestyle and your happiness? I challenge you to try this way of thinking and see how it changes your life! Are you up for the challenge? I am!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Insanity and Snow - Related???

Today was my first go at the Cardio Recovery workout and I enjoyed it. The intensity is really dialed down from the other workouts and you spend time doing ab work, stretching/yoga moves and some basic strengthening exercises. I felt pretty relaxed after the session but I sort of felt like I should be doing more......here's where the snow enters the picture.

Lots and lots of snow as a matter of fact! I'm not sure how much we actually got here in DE but it was deep and wet. Translation.....heavy! I tried to get out early so that I could clear off the bottom of the drive and so that my hubby wouldn't drive over the snow and pack it down. The mission was accomplished but it took a great deal of effort. I think I was out there for approximately1.5 hours and that was just working on the cars and the driveway. My wonderfully kind neighbor has a snow thrower and cleared the sidewalks! Anyhow, I now feel like I've had a huge amount of work but I still need to clear out the gutters (in the street) and then hopefully get out to play with the kids.

I think I said in my last post that I was keeping track of my heart rates to see if there was any change over the next couple of months. I've made a chart and hopefully in the next few weeks I'll see some changes and be able to report them. My peak HR this morning was only 138 so you can see how much the intensity drops with this recovery workout (the other sessions were in the 170s to 180s). I also tried to take a resting HR (taken after coming down stairs so it isn't truly a resting HR) and got a reading of 58 bpm. I will periodically test this as well and see how that changes as well.

Have a great day and keep working hard!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Power & Resistance

Day 3 of Insanity is the Cardio Power & Resistance workout. It was an awesome workout and really showed me some of my weak areas. Powerful and explosive movements are not my forte - at least not yet!

The workout is extremely difficult. I even started to get a bit lightheaded at the very end of the session. I took a break through most of the last combo. At first, I was a bit upset with myself but then took a step back and took pride in what I did accomplish. Even the people on the DVD take breaks and stop early and I know this isn't their first time through the workouts. My max HR hit 173 during this workout. I want to keep track of my HRs to see if it changes over the course of the workouts. I plan to use average HRs for just the working sections (not the warm-up or cool-down) but today I forgot to set the lap button so the HR values represent all parts of the workout.

I have also been trying to pay more attention to my nutrition. I am trying to focus on keeping most (if not all) caffeine and sugar out of my diet. If I can do this at least 80% of the time, I think it will make a significant difference in my health and appearance. So far the past few days have been really good. I've had some sugary cravings but I have been able to avoid most of them. I have definitely increased my fruit intake and this has helped with the sugar cravings.

Tomorrow is the recovery workout - I'm really looking forward to it! Have a great day!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Start of Insanity and some Accountability

It has been some time since I've posted here and I think it is about time I started again. I was inspired by my new friend Jessica. I know I need to change my way of thinking about my lifestyle and hopefully this will help me get that ball rolling.

I've been using the Beachbody program P90X since the beginning of June 2010. I was having some foot problems and really needed to cut back my running. My entire workout regimen had be skewed toward running. I was no longer lifting or stretching and I believe this was a large part of my problem (there was also a biomechanical problem). So I purchased the P90X program and it was just what I needed! I got me back into lifting and stretching and even added some Yoga. My body was continuing to make positive changes but I was feeling the need for more of a challenge. Enter Insanity!

Insanity is the most intense workout program I have ever seen. I'm only 2 days into it but I already love it. It starts with a Fit Test where you have 8 different exercises that you do for 1 minute and count how many reps you can complete. You retake the test every 2 weeks to chart your progress. Here are my initial numbers:

Switch Kicks 69
Power Jacks 62
Power Knee 106
Power Jumps 39
Globe Jumps 11
Suicide Jumps 16
Push-up Jacks 23
Low Plank Oblique 60

I'm quite pleased with these numbers and can't wait to watch them increase as I progress through the program.

Today was the first actual workout and it was called Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It was really hard! I wore my HR monitor and my average HR was 168 bpm. It left me huffing and puffing and sweat just pouring off my body. It was hard but I loved every minute of it!

My goals, as of right now, are to lose about 20 pounds and to increase my fitness level to a point where I feel I can successfully complete the Half Wit Half Marathon again and beat my previous time (which I will find and post later).

Thanks for reading and I welcome any and all comments and accountability comments.