Thursday, November 27, 2008

12 Tips to Staying Motivated

treadmill

Keeping up the day to day of working out can be tough. Motivation is key, but keeping up that motivation, particularly if you don't like working out, can be just as difficult as saying no to that extra piece of cake. Well The Health and Fitness Guide offers 12 Keys to Staying Motivated:


# 1. Vary your routine every so often to prevent boredom and provide enhanced benefits by working different muscle fibers within the same broad muscle groups. Try different exercises; try doing more reps and lighter weights one day; more weight and less reps another day, etc.
#2. A little bit is much better than nothing and in fact goes a long way. While an hour or so 3 to 4 times a week is great, exercising for 15 to 20 minutes once or twice a week is much better than no exercise.
#3. Work with a trainer when bored or discouraged– even if it is just for a few sessions - to get you back on the right track, learn some new things and rejuvenate your workout.
#4. View work-out time as “your time” to escape from the demands placed on you from others and take care of yourself. Get in a “zone” by focusing on the music you’re listening to, the results you will achieve or how good you will feel after your workout.
#5. Write down your goals – You are more likely to remain committed to them. Also, keep a diary of your workouts and your progress – what gets recorded and measured gets improved.
#6. Workout with a friend – you will push each other and time will go by faster.
Keep Reading Black Women's Health and Fitness Blog

Saturday, November 22, 2008




Me - Before in June 08 and After in Nov. 08!!

Hey All!!

Well,I have been having a really good turn as of late..I have lost a total of 26 pounds as of today! I can honestly say that I LOVE this Weight Watcher thing! I am not starving, I am getting plenty of proteins,veggies and even some chocolate on the side and I am still losing! Again, I have picked up on my exercising, walking up to 4 miles per day, and it is even getting to the point that if I don't exercise, I don't feel right and feel all sluggish.

As a matter of fact, recently I have noticed that I can't eat fried foods like I used to. My "weigh in day " treat is to go to a fast food joint and get a nice big Tenderloin and fries! Hey, I get up at 5 am to go walking everyday, I deserve it ;)!

So anyhoo, I go last Monday, order my food, sit down and start munching. I'm not sure if I bit into a piece of gristle or a side that they didn't drain well enough, but I almost lost my cookies!! I did the same thing trying to eat KFC the next day!

Sooo, I guess this is one of those blessing/curse things! But if it messes with my Thanksgiving, I am not going to be a happy camper!

Til next time! Happy Thanksgiving to you all! You can do it!!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yes!! We Did!!!

Hey All!!

New Day, New President, New Hope!

Now, I know this is a fitness blog, but I gotta shout just one more time for our new President, Barack Hussein Obama!! Yess! Happy dance for the next six months at least!!

Now that the election is over, I have time to pick up where we left off! Since my last entry, I have lost 3.4 more pounds bringing my total pounds lost to 20!! It hasn't been effortless - I have been working my butt off, literally!

Which brings me to today's topic - Want Results? Ya Gotta Do the Work!

Folks, Healthy eating (notice that I didn't say Diet) and exercise go hand in hand. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in- simple.

Yes, yes, I know about your cousin Pookey that just ate less , laid around on the couch all day and then the pounds just magically dropped off. First off, Pooky is throwing you a load of b.s. When you are not around, she's sweating to the oldies and doing the thighmaster. She never liked you so she is trying to keep you fat...

Secondly, on the slim chance that she does have that lucky metabolism, I think that we can safely assume that you don't. You can test this theory by eating and laying about. If your backside is getting bigger, well, sorry you aren't one of the chosen ones.

Look, I hate exercising too. And to add to my misery, studies have shown that to effectively lose weight, you have to do at least 90 minutes of moderate exercise (that means sweating after 10 minutes and being able to barely hold a conversation while working out) A DAY!! I break mine up by power walking in the wee hours of the morning before work and 30 min of ergo-biking at nite. So far, except for a period when I was building muscle, the weight and the clothes sizes keep dropping!

As I stated in an earlier post, find what you like and do it! Or suck it up and just do it, but do it! Your heart, your body and your back fat will thank you for it!

I'm a little keyed up tonite, but I am so inspired! I gave myself a goal (again) to be at goal weight by the end of next summer. That is realistic and very do-able! Can I do it this time? YES I CAN!! And you can too!

Til next time! Keep sweating!