Cardio Lovers

The benefits of a cardio routine are amazing. Keep up the good work. However, despite the title I am here to get you to consider weight training. Just as there are benefits to a good cardio routine there are some great benefits to strength training.

I am going to talk about one big one today. Raise your hand if you thought getting more calcium was the best way to increase your bone density. You know this because as women it is talked about all the time. Did you know strength training can decrease your risk of osteoporosis too?

There is something called Wolff's Law that basically states bone will be laid down where needed, bone adapts according to the applied stress. As your tendons pull on that bone when strength training it stimulates bone cells to stimulate bone formation. After all, the more bone mass you accumulate before menopause the less severe the consequences of loss of bone mass will be. This stated from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

So if you are afraid of getting bigger and you are a woman, don't worry it won't happen. Strength training does so many good things for your body. Don't steer away from it. If you have any questions feel free to leave a message. I am passionate about a good strength train program and I believe all should have one.

I didn't come to win a beauty contest

So lately I have been selling classes at a gym. So I get to do a lot of people watching. It is so interesting to stand there and see what comes through that door. You can tell the people that are there to really workout and the ones who are there just for the-I don't know-single scene!?! Is this one of the pick up joints that I just never picked up on? It is funny to see girls come in all made up. Hair in some kind of up-do. Even if the hair isn't in a fancy up-do it is strategically messy. Then their make-up is on. Really did you come to workout, or did you come for the beauty competition.

I love to work out. The gym becomes a second home to me. I love to see how hard I can sweat. How much I can push myself. If you see me at the gym, you know I am not involved in the beauty contest. I am not there to talk on my cell phone while I leisurely walk on the treadmill. I can do that anywhere. So why do you go to the gym. Are you there for the beauty contest, the social hour, or are you there to rock it!?! Love the gym-always good times to be had.

New Spinners Beware

I have been going to spin here for a while now. I know it is referred to as group cycle now, but I still call it spin.

So if you have never been to spin before and you decide to try it and you are spinning away and feeling angry stares at the back of your neck you probably are not wrong in feeling this. It means you took somebody's bike. Yes even though there is no seating or name tags-you made the awful sin of sitting in someones spin bike-how dare you.

Now I do love sitting in the same area, but I have never had a set bike that I long for. There are ones that I know that have little kinks that I stay away from, but again never a set bike. Hey that way I am never let down if it is taken.

There are two regulars in my class. They are both older. There are 5 of a different kind of bike in the room. The older people love these bike for some reason-I don't know why, I have never tried one. One guy gets there almost an hour early at times to get his bike. The other lady has started to come a little earlier, but Monday she has a friend save it for her. Her friend doesn't come on Wednesday. So a lady was in her bike today. She sat right next to her. The lady in "her" bike isn't always able to keep up and stops quite a bit, not a problem-it is your workout you put in what you want to get out of it. Well the regular who's bike it is-every time she stops the regular gives her a stare like-you are using MY bike and you can't even keep up.

Little funny and some drama and pretty funny to watch. She even said-oh somebody took MY bike. So if you are new to spin and you take "someones" bike-don't worry-it was never theirs to begin with. Relax have fun and spin away smiling. You got there first!

January 26, 2011

So it is much better if I don't leave this off until the night because then I actually blog. So I wanted to get some before pics up, because a friend saw the other picture and said-you need a new picture because that isn't at all how you look. I just wanted to post my picture at my heaviest weight-I have never been back there since that point even after 2 other pregnancies, I never got to that point. I need to take better pictures, but these will have to do for now. I just took them so they are very up to date.

So there you have it. Here is my starting, which really isn't true because of the weight already lost since I started this. So far I am down 9 lbs. So enjoy and hopefully we will be seeing more change soon.

On a different note, I am looking for personal training opportunities. I just tried to talk myself up to Xcel Fitness so we will see what happens there. Wish me luck!

January 24, 2011

Okay, so I have skipped a few post. I got very sick this weekend and lost 6 lbs. I like losing weight, but not this way. This meant the last 3 days off at the gym too-well Sundays are my normal day off so I guess just two days. So hopefully things will be able to get back to normal this week. I am feeling a little better today, but not 100%. My husband has been trying to get me to stay home from school tonight, which is probablly a good idea, but I am going to go and see how long I will last. I need to be there. First I can't miss exercise psychology and second we are going over some good stuff in exercise design.

So between diffusing the war between my oldest and trying to keep my house in shape with studying and school, sickness didn't help this. Wish me luck for tonight and hopefully being able to work out tomorrow.

January 21, 2011

So again really late. Today wasn't the greatest. I did get to the gym to do my strength training, which took me a little longer so again cardio not done, but my group exercise instructor laid it into us tonight with a boot camp type thing. It made me think, maybe I want to change up my cardio portion of the final.

I wanted to get a picture up here. So I will do a quick story. When my first little girl was 3 weeks old she was hospitalized. We were there for 9 weeks and then more here and there. While in there I was laying around watching my baby and people had to twist my arm to leave the hospital for 2 hours to go to dinner and get my mind off things. Also people would bring me junk to eat. So there were some very honest people who would tell me-you are gaining a lot of weight you need to be careful. I wanted to punch them. So what I am posting is the picture my husband took the day we got out after the 9 weeks. I saw it and said-I look like that. Why didn't you tell me!?! I was almost angry at him. It was then I started working out like mad and watching what I ate. I haven't really showed many people, but it was me and that was my life then. I will never go back.

January 19, 2011

It is late so this will be quick. I did well with my eating and I got up and worked out. I got to go to the gym today, thankfully because I LOVE my cycle class. Tomorrow I go and do shoulders and arms.

Tonight at school we had a meeting about our externships. So I am excited to start mine and hope that I can learn as much as possible. I haven't felt comfortable, but I am starting to feel better. I always tell the people in my class-I think we know more than we feel we do. I only got a 90% on my exercise physiology test. I just don't know how I can study any harder for those. Anyhow I am excited I am almost done.

Well it is almost the 20th because it is so late and I have an early gym time on strength days. So do your best and get out there and do something good for you tomorrow!!

Competitive Advantage Statement

Hi my name is Jill. I am an accomplished athlete with and emphasis in swimming and triathlons. As a mother I also understand the challenges of pre and post-natal fitness. I care about your overall health and am here to help you look and feel your best. Working together, I will help you achieve the results you desire through exceptional fitness and nutrition programming for people just like you.

Mission Statement

I am a caring fitness professional, here to help you look and feel your best. I will assess your fitness level and experience to plan a effective fitness program that is tailored just for you. I will motivate and educate you so together we can work to exceed your goals.

January 18, 2011

So got up at 4:15am with a crying infant only to learn she had a fever. Which left me to: 1-oh no, why does she have a fever and 2-no gym today. So I made sure to call the gym at 8am (when the play room opens) and let them know my girls would not be in attendance today. Then I had to pull myself out of bed to do my strength training at home-which is never much fun with little ones running around. However, I did it and got it done. My oldest even did a few things with me, using her 3 lb weights. Hearing here and there, "mommy, I'm tired." Love that girl.

So the down side to all of this is I usually have enough time to get some cardio in. Well at home that isn't happening. The positive side is we were required to make a 10 minute cardio routine for my group exercise class. After a while and a pouring out of sweat and putting my middle one down for a nap, that got done.

My eating has been completely on track and I am planning a good dinner for us tonight. A lazy dinner, but a dinner non the less. It is spaghetti with whole grain pasta.

The 4am wake up time hasn't hit me yet, but I am sure it will when we are sitting around class. Hopefully we will be doing a tour for business and just doing our workouts for group. We shall see.

Also-not that many read this, but have any of you heard of stroller strides. It is a franchise that you can do and they don't have one in Utah. Since I want my focus to be on overweight people specializing in mothers who are preggo or post pardum I am wondering if I should save up and get into it. We shall see as my career progresses.

Not new, but starting over

Hi, my name is Jill and I am here on my weight loss journey. Two years ago at this time I made a commitment to the gym and to my food intake that I would be diligent and lose my weight and I did. I was able to compete in a triathlon 1 1/2 years ago. I also decided I loved working out so much and was at the gym so often that I felt they should pay me to be there.

I found out I was pregnant a year ago. Very excited and swearing up and down I would work out and keep my weight at a minimal increase. Well of course that never happens-it didn't with the last two. Also, when I was about 6 months pregnant I decided that would be a good time to start going to school to become a personal trainer. You would think this would have helped me keep the weight down. In my defense I did gain 15 lbs less than I did with my other two, so I guess it did help a little.

So here I am-today is my starting date. I am logging my food on myfitnesspal.com and working out. Today I got in my group cycle class and loved it and worked myself as hard as I could. Yesterday I made some strawberry bread and have had trouble staying away from it. So here I am holding myself accountable. I have about 50 lbs I want to lose. I will get some before pics up here. Please feel free to follow me. I am excited to get back to where I was!!!