What a week!

Busy, busy, busy. Had a friend from out of town over to visit for several days, and we kept busy. A 5 mile hike around a local reservoir, an obstacle course followed by a 1 mile nature walk, swimming laps at 24 Hour Fitness (I did 25 laps in the Olympic size pool), and I can't even remember what else. I'm still a little sore, but it was so worth it!


Today I meet my new trainer for the first time. I'm looking forward to working with her. Her name is Patty and from what I've heard she has had great success helping people lose a lot of weight. Hopefully she is just what I need. I'll be seeing her twice a week for the next 5 weeks to get a jump start into getting fit, and to help me get prepared for my next challenge. 


What's my next challenge? I'm so glad you asked. I'll be participating in the Dirty Girl Mud Run in September. It's a 5k muddy obstacle course. I've never done anything like it, and am really looking forward to proving to myself that I can do it. It's non-competitive, so I don't need to worry about how fast I can complete the course, I just need to make it to the end. I've got 2 months to train for it. I know I can do a 5k hike, and the obstacle course I went through last week had many of what I'll be doing in the DGMR, but I had a LOT of trouble trying to get over the wall, so much so that I ended up walking around it. I also had to walk the course, I probably looked a little silly walking through the tires, but hey, I didn't fall. 


So over the next month I'll be doing that obstacle course at least once a week, and will keep trying to get over that wall. I will also be doing the 5k hike to try and pick up the pace a little. Add that to working with my trainer, and I should be set to do the DGMR and will hopefully have between 10 and 20 lbs less to carry through that obstacle course. 


Oh, and if you've been reading my blog for a while, you may notice a change in the name I'm posting from. I've decided to consolidate some of my accounts into one, so I don't have to try and remember which account posts to what blog. 


Healthy and Happy Living

Beat The Heat & Swim Your Way Thin

With summer in full swing (well depending on what part of the world you're in anyway), it's time to beat the heat. In the hot smmer months, one thing I dread is working out and getting all sweaty when it's this hot outside. What better solution to both problems than an aqua workout! Now I've known for some time that wate workouts are really good for you. You get your workout, added resistance from the water, plus it's low impact so there is a lower risk for injury and it's easier on bad joints and recovering injuries.

Found a great article in 24 Hour Fitness' You24 Magazine, full of information on the benefits of this type of exercise & some tips and techniques to get you started.

According to the 24 Hour Fitness article, "swimming burns calories like a nuclear furnace. The butterfly stroke singes off more than 748 calories in an hour (based on a 150-pound person), which is as intense as running a 9-minute mile—just without all the knee jarring." Now, if you're like me (unless you are lucky enough to have your own pool) one of the thoughts in your mind right now is probably "But I can't be seen in public in my bathing suit! People will look at me! Bathing suits don't cover my problem areas." Well, don't let that stop you! Denise Sarver, a master trainer at the Ward Parkway Center Sport 24 Hour Fitness in Kansas City, Missouri gives this piece of advice “People get hung up on wearing a bathing suit or learning the strokes,” she says. “Forget about that; people aren’t looking, and with a few quick technique tips, you’ll make swimming more of a workout than struggle. Once you jump in, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start it earlier.”

I don't know about you, but I'm pulling out my swimsuit and I'm going to be sure to put it to good use this summer! And the great thing about a gym membership somewhere that has a pool (which the 24 Hour Fitness I go to has), is that you're not limited to summertime to take advantage of the benefits of pool workouts, you can do them year round!

Some useful calculators from 24 Hour Fitness.

Healthy and Happy Living

***Please note; I am not certified as a trainer, physical therapist or doctor, this is informational only, you should consult your doctor before starting any new exercise routine***

My First Personal Training Session

WHEW! Made it through that. Boy, it's amazing how much of a workout you can get just by being on a mat. My new trainer, Paul, worked me out on a mat for some exercises to increase the neurological link between mind and muscle, because when you aren't on a machine that guides your movement, you actually have to think about what you are doing. The good and bad thing about this is, now I have a real and hard workout routine that I can do anywhere. No more excuses about not having time to get to the gym to do my workout, darn. 

I have to say, I think my relationship with my trainer is going to be a love/hate, I'm going to love to hate him. OK, that's not totally true, he did a great job of pushing me to my limits, but not beyond them. So I feel like I got a workout, but I'm not so sore I can't move. The benefit of that is, I'll be ready to do more exercise tomorrow (cardio day), and won't be so sore that I can use that as an excuse not to. 

After my workout, my husband, son and I went to my mom's place and went swimming for about an hour and a half. Exercise that is so fun you don't realize you're exercising is my favorite. 

I'm also taking part in a fun challenge put on by a couple ladies who call themselves the Fabulous Fatties. It's a fun challenge about doing healthy things, and good deeds. Plus, you can meet a bunch of other people working to improve their health and weight. If you'd like to join in the fun, click the link below, to go to their blog. Be sure to tell them you were recommended by me (Twitter ID a_healthier_me). http://weightlosswiththefabulousfatties.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/today-is-the-last-chance-to-join-challenge-2/ (don't worry that it says "last day" they changed it and allow late comers now). 

I'm aiming for 150 pts per day in the Fabulous Fatties Challenge #2, so I set up this tracker to follow my results.