Fitness Friday: Intermittent Fasting

Oh the shame…

The past two or three weeks, I got off track with fitness and nutrition. That isn’t to say I completely stopped working out or running, but I seriously downgraded what I was doing. I also ate too much processed food…and a LOT of it. I totally binged through my toddler’s Easter candy (he helped me; don’t judge!).

Sugar rush selfies!

It’s been a fun month. I’ve had family visiting, or I drove out and was visiting them. I also got together with friends. There’s been lots of fatty foods and fun. But now it’s time to crack down. My jeans are snug again, so without stepping on the scale, I know that I’ve put fat back on around my middle (and everywhere, I guess). Even worse, these last couple of days, I’ve felt tired, sluggish, and bloated. I don’t like feeling this way.

Hubby will be home in just over two months. He’s been working out hard on his own, and I’m feeling a little competitive, hahah. In a healthy way, of course! One silver lining about taking it easy the last few weeks is that my right foot has barely bothered me. I was disappointed to bail on my half marathon this month because of it, but I’m hoping to run the Divas Half Marathon this fall. Several of my friends are interested in running with me, so I’m optimistic that this will be a blast!

Being realistic

I’ve become addicted attached to Instagram. I follow all these amazing fitness women, and it’s easy to look at them and want their bodies. But there are a couple of things I keep reminding myself.

First- we all have different body types and genetics.

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And second- whatever it takes to get me to that goal, that’s probably what it’s going to take to keep me there. So if I have to spend six hours in the gym every day to get the body I want, am I prepared to continue to spend six hours a day to keep it? I need to be realistic about what I can actually maintain.

Intermittent Fasting

Even before I started slacking off on my diet and exercise, I could tell that I’d hit yet another plateau in my fat-loss journey. After doing a bit of research, I know it’s important to incorporate even more High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in my routine. And I’ve also decided to try intermittent fasting.

Have you heard of intermittent fasting? It’s not really a new concept, although it’s been gaining popularity in the last few years. Everyone fasts. That’s what the word “breakfast” means. You go to bed at night, fast while you’re sleeping, and when you get up, you “break” your “fast” when you eventually eat.

Intermittent Fasting (or IF) is based on studies that indicate while your body is fasting, it’s likely to pull energy from stored fat cells, since there’s no recent meal to burn. Additionally, your body is most sensitive to insulin after a period of fasting. The more sensitive you are, the more efficiently your body consumes food. In a nutshell, IF can help your body better burn fat and build muscle.

There are numerous methods of intermittent fasting. A common way is to eat normally for five or six days a week. On the other days (and they shouldn’t be subsequent to each other), you don’t eat.

Another popular method is a daily 14-16 hour fast. This is the one I’m following. I don’t eat after 8pm, and then my next meal is at 10am or noon the next day. Basically, I skip breakfast. I still eat my full amount of calories, but it’s in a shorter period of time than I used to.

There is, of course, controversy where IF is concerned. You’ve probably been told that the key to weight loss is eating six to eight small meals a day. You may have also heard that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day” and that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese.

However, 90 percent of Americans eat breakfast but about 70 percent of adult Americans are overweight or obese. So clearly, eating breakfast is not helping the general U.S. population lose fat. So what’s with all the studies then? This article can shed a little light.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that skipping breakfast is automatically going to make you lose fat. You still have to monitor your overall caloric intake as well as the quality of food that you eat. Some people may have trouble with bingeing after a fast, so that is something to take into account.

It’s also important to point out not many reports have been done to study the effect of IF on women, and the studies that I have read indicate IF works better for men than women.

When it comes down to it, intermittent fasting is not going to be for everyone, but I’m giving it a try. I’ll update you after a month and let you know if I’ve noticed a difference in my body composition.

Do you practice intermittent fasting? What ways do you try stay healthy?

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Fitness Friday: 2/28/14

Another week is over, and it’s that time again: Fitness Friday!

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Click ^this button to join the Fitness Friday linky hosted at We Have It All.

Activity:

I had a great run last Sunday night. It was the last day of warmer temps (50/60s), so a friend and I headed down to the beach and ran on the sidewalk (with Baby J in the stroller, of course) for just under 6 miles. For half the distance, we interchanged jogs with sprints. On the way back, my friend wasn’t feeling well, and my right foot was hurting me, so we walked a little bit and jogged when we felt like it. And that leads me to my foot.

It’s been hurting me on and off for a few weeks, but hasn’t really been problematic until Monday morning. When I got up on Monday, it was pretty sore. I did a legs workout, and found that lunges really hurt my foot as well, whenever my toes bend. So I decided to take at least two weeks off from running (and definitely sprints), until my foot feels better. I’d rather take time off now, and still be able to run the half marathon, then wait, have my foot get really bad, and not be able to run it. The disappointing factor is of course I won’t do as well on the half, since I’m not training the whole time.

It’s blurry, but N snapped a photo of me and Baby J jogging last Sunday night.

I’ve been concerned about getting cardio in without being able to run or walk for long distances. Next week, I’m going to try some swimming. My foot did okay this week with 20 minutes of Zumba and 20 minutes on the elliptical, so at least short periods are fine. Well, I did feel a little pain later on after Zumba, but the elliptical definitely was not a problem.

Unfortunately that’s still not enough cardio for one week. I really aim to do 4 days of cardio a week and prefer to do at least 40 minutes at a time. I guess I could count last Sunday as a cardio day, but I usually start my workout weeks on Monday. I really should get in two more sessions of some cardio today, Saturday, or this coming Sunday. If not, I’ll be bummed, but I’ll also keep in mind that I need my foot to get better.

But the bum foot also means that I will not meet my Winter Miles Challenge for the week, and it’s the last week too!

Weightlifting/strength training went much better this week! I was consistent, and I concentrated on lifting heavier weights. I’m very weak, so the weights weren’t that heavy =D but I’ll get there.

Diet:

Fortunately, I’ve had my sugar cravings under control this week. Oh, and I lowered the number of calories I’ve been eating, since I’m doing less cardio. I had one cheat day -Tuesday night- when I attended a baby shower. Otherwise, I’ve been eating lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and trying to get enough protein. I’ve been looking into protein powders and shakes, because it’s been really difficult for me to get extra protein in my diet, and I need it as I’m trying to build muscle.

I’m curious about Garden of Life’s Raw Protein. If you’ve used it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

I have been eating a little too much fat. Granted, I’ve been eating a lot of the “healthier” fats: avocado, natural peanut butter, egg yolks, nuts, coconut oil, etc., but it’s still a bit much, I think.

Stats:

I’m supposed to update these in a week, but I do not feel ready! I don’t feel that I’ve changed much at all in the last month. Well, maybe my arms look a little more muscular…we’ll see. I’ll try to get a photo this time too.

Goals for Next Week:

Continue to lift regularly and do more cardio, in spite of the foot. Keep my diet healthy, even though I’ll be out of town and away from my kitchen.

Click ^this button to join the Fitness Friday linky at JillConyers.com!

Fitspiration/Workouts I’m loving:

I’ve been watching a ton of YouTube videos this week from Brenda Leigh Turner at LeanSecrets.com. She has some awesome advice for losing weight and gaining muscle. I don’t agree with everything she says (I mean, she says people should give up coffee…say what?!), but overall her advice seems very sound. Many of her workouts and exercises can be done at home, which is a huge plus for a stay-at-home-mom like me.

Also, it’s refreshing to watch her, because she’s not your typical modelesque fitness guru. Although she’s very pretty and very fit, she has a shorter, sturdier frame than Jillian Michaels, Amanda Bisk, Tracy Anderson, and other well-knowns. All body shapes can be fit and healthy.

Here’s one of my favorite Brenda Leigh Turner videos, “Do This, Not That & Burn More Fat.” She breaks it down really well and shows some great exercises:

How was your week? Did you meet your goals? Have anything exciting planned for this weekend?
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Stats update! (Fitness Friday 2/7/14)

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Fitness Friday Details:

Each Friday, I’m linking up with some awesome bloggers at JillyConyers.com and Wedonthaveitall.com. We motivate each other on our fitness and/or weight loss journeys. We’d love for you to join! If you’re a blogger, visit their sites to add your post to the linkys. If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment here and tell me what your goals are and how you did this week.

Challenges:

Well, it’s another cold week, but the snow is gone at least. I know those of you who are in the single digits or negatives are probably rolling your eyes when I say that 30s are cold, but hey! It’s what I’m used to! The weather is unusually cold for this area.

Last week I did end up not meeting my Winter Miles Challenge goal of 10 miles per week. I missed it by one mile! I was really disappointed, but my son was sick, so I just couldn’t get out there to run. I ended up taking Baby J to the ER last Saturday night where they treated him for vomiting, fever, and his throat (croup). He’s much better now, fortunately, but I think since I’ve already met my challenge for this week (woohoo!), I won’t take him out in the cold today or tomorrow. I’ll probably start taking him back to the family workout room in the base gym next week.

I’m also participating in the Lorna Jane Move Nourish Believe Challenge throughout the month of February. You can see me and others meet our daily challenges on Instagram. My account is emegburg. I’ll post a recap here later today or tomorrow.

With the snow, cold, and illness, it’s been incredibly frustrating this year at how difficult it’s been for me to meet my goals. I decided this week that I really do need to start focusing on what I do accomplish. I have a dozen reasons (excuses) to not exercise or eat right, but I’m doing it anyway. That’s a victory. Maybe it’s not as grand as I’d planned, but any progress is a GOOD THING.

Progress:

Diet:

I do have something exciting to tell you! Did you see last week’s Fitness Friday post? One of the things I brought up was that I’d come to the conclusion that I needed to eat more. I wasn’t losing weight anymore, and I’m also trying to build muscle. I decided to eat 700-800 more calories a day. It sounds like a lot, but turns out my body needed it. After being stagnant for weeks, I dropped 3 pounds! Eating less is not always the answer to weight loss.

If you want, please add me on MyFitnessPal. I use it to track both quantity and quality of my foods. It’s very helpful to ensure I’m eating enough protein and fiber, but not too much fat.

One of these days, I need to post an updated photo of myself! I’ll try to ask a friend to take one of me next week or this weekend, and then I can post it with next Fitness Friday.

Exercise:

Monday– Jogged 1. 8 miles and leisurely walked for about an additional 25-30 minutes.

Tuesday– Took a break from running and did a home workout for about 40 minutes.

Wednesday– Jogged 2 miles at an 8:40 pace, woohoo! That’s an improvement. I haven’t run that quickly since probably October or November. Also did some light core and arm exercises at home.

Thursday– Jogged over 6 miles and walked about 1 mile. Did some core and arm exercises at home.

Friday– Well, nothing yet! I’m planning on doing a home workout today and tomorrow. Yesterday was really hard to run. Actually, it’s been hard all the week with the cold. That wind really catches the jogging stroller! So home stuff this weekend, definitely.

I did meet my goal to workout 4 days this week, woohoo!

Photos from this week’s workouts.

Stats/Measurements:

As I mentioned above, I held steady at 152 lbs. for two weeks, until I started eating more. I’m now at 149 lbs., woot woot! I don’t think I’ve seen the 140s in about 7 or 8 years! Of course my body composition is completely different than when I was younger, but that’s okay. I’m a mommy now, so I’ve had body changes. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to be toned and trim, but it means my body won’t look like it did when I was 20. Baby J is totally worth it. 🙂

The last day I posted measurements was my January 10 Fitness Friday post. My measurements are taken according to Weight Watcher’s Guidelines.

Previous Measurements (1/10/14):

  • Height: 5’10″
  • Weight: 154lbs.
  • Upper Arm: 12″
  • Abdomen: 34.5″
  • Waist: 31″
  • Hips: 38″
  • Thighs: 23.5″

Today’s Measurements (2/7/14):

  • Height: 5’10″
  • Weight: 149lbs.
  • Upper Arm: 11″
  • Abdomen: 33.5″
  • Waist: 30″
  • Hips: 36.5″
  • Thighs: 22″

Goals:

I’d like to see my arms get bigger- with muscle! I’m not working hard enough at strength training. I’ve been saying I want to build muscle, but I’m not putting enough effort in. The weather next week doesn’t look great either, so my goal will be to just keep up with running (get at least 10 miles in), but work harder at lifting weights and calisthenics… do more sets of each exercise.

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And now it’s your turn! Did you meet any fitness or weight loss goals this week? Do you have any goal’s for next week? Or what are your plans for this weekend?
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