Tag: healthy

Is sitting the new smoking?

 How does sitting impact our bodies?

I had a client ask me if they only have 5 mins off and on in their day, is it better to get up and move OR should they try to exercise in longer time frames?

The simple answer is that they should get up and move in any time increments they may have! Research is continuing to show that long periods with lack of movement can be as detrimental to our health as smoking!

Three tips to get in more movement throughout the day – even if you are going to formally exercise that day:

Take the Long Way

Walk the longest route you possible can to your destination: the office kitchen, the bathroom, use the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away from the door

Stand Rather Than Sit

While it would be great to have a work station where you can work standing up it may not be practical but maybe ways around that would be to have walking meetings, do conference calls standing or set your timer to get up and move at the top of the hour. Some activity trackers will alert us to get moving so even if you stand up where you are and move side to side is better than not moving!

Why Make This a Priority?

Lastly- make it a priority because we are meant to move and the less we do the more prone we will be to injuries from simple activities and the more we increase our risk for chronic diseases.

Anything you do that increases the need for oxygen in your body can help you add physical activity to your day. It may not seem like taking the stairs or parking far away would make a big difference, but adding little bouts of physical activity to your day can help you burn additional calories and improve your health.

It’s been an amazing ride!

What an amazing time getting to see everyone at the 5K.  You all did an incredible job and you should feel proud of your weight loss. What an honor it was to have this amazing opportunity with everyone. I want to thank His Radio, Rob Dempsey and the Greenville County YMCA for providing this journey for us.  I also want to thank my trainer Misty Beacham and Tamika Pollard for your encouragement to keep pressing on.  To all my Eastside RBL family, let’s keep it going and finished what we started. I am still working towards my goal to lose 40 more pounds.  I just want to encourage each of you to keep going and let’s help each other.  This is not the end, it’s just the beginning of a new healthy life.  We must make a constant effort every day to keep using the tools we have learned during this 12-week challenge.  When I started twelve weeks ago, I had trouble breathing, I had trouble sleeping, I didn’t have any energy and all my clothes felt uncomfortable.  Since losing the weight I cannot tell you how much better I feel.  I am sore from workouts and I have trouble with my knee but it’s a good feeling to breathe better, to sleep better and to feel comfortable in my own skin. Let’s keep it going!GroupChange

I can’t believe I did it!

Well, it’s almost the end. I can’t believe it’s been 12 weeks since I started this journey. Three things come to mind as I look back at the last 12 weeks: pain, frustration, and accomplishment. Pain: I remember the first day that I worked out. I barely made it a mile and was so out of breath, I thought I was going to pass out. The pain I felt the next day was horrible. I could barely make it out of bed. I have been through a lot of pain over the last 12 weeks. Frustration: This competition was not easy. It took a lot of time and effort to work out every day and that feeling you get when you thought you should have lost more weight for the effort you put in that week. There was also the frustration of injuries. Each week I pushed myself a little more. I had multiple issues with my feet, legs and worst of all my knee, which I am still dealing with. Accomplishment: I had a few goals when I started this competition, one was I was going to work out every single day, no exceptions and that I wanted to lose at least 50lbs. Finding time to work out every single day was rough but I did it, even when I went on vacation. I well surpassed my goal of 50Ibs. I honestly didn’t know if I could do it. When I started, I had so much doubt, heck every week that went by I doubted that I could make it another week. At times, even though I losing weight on a consistent basis, I wanted to quit because I didn’t think I could make it to the end. I can’t believe I make it and lost weight too. 

The person that started this competition is not the same person that is ending the competition. I’ll see you at the 5k this Saturday. I will be the one limping across the finish line. 

Week Twelve at HOME Workout

Do up to three rounds of these exercises in a row three times this week

  • 10 x Walk Down/Push-up/Batman/Walk Up/Squat
  • 10 x Lunge Matrix Front/Side/Rear (Each Leg)

Weekly Workouts Planned By YMCA of Greenville (SC)
Leslie Knox –  ACSM Certified Personal Trainer

Couch to 5k Run compete two times this week

  • 5 minute warm up
  • 30 minute jog with no walking
  • 5 min cool down

RBL 5k this Saturday!!

Made possible in part by:

Week Eleven at HOME Workout

Do up to four rounds of these exercises in a row three times this week

  • 10 x High Knees
  • 10 x Butt Kicks
  • 10 x Side to Side Hop
  • 10 x Jumping Jacks

Weekly Workouts Planned By YMCA of Greenville (SC)
Leslie Knox –  ACSM Certified Personal Trainer

Couch to 5k Run compete two times this week

  • 5 minute warm up
  • 28 minute jog with no walking
  • 5 min cool down

Meet on Saturday morning at 9:10am with Doug for your third walk/run of the week.

Made possible in part by:

Eating is important

My biggest problem throughout this whole competition has been eating enough food during the day. I drive a lot and never have time to eat and when I do, I never have good quick choice. The one question the trainers ask me almost every time they see me is, “did you eat? Most of the time I would say no. One night before a group workout, I was in the Y’s employees break room eating one of my trainer’s dinners because I didn’t eat. I have found an item that is quick, easy, and inexpensive. I go to QT every day and get me a breakfast bowl from their kitchen. It’s awesome, you can make it any way you want. I love that I have control of what I put in it. Plus, it gives me a great boost right before a work out.

I’m still here

I’m back, it’s been a little while since my last blog. Life has seemed to smack me right in the face. Between longer work hours and a lot more pain, it’s been tough. On my last blog I said I was working through the pain, well the pain increased a whole lot more from the rigorous exercise routine that I had been doing. With a strained lower back and a leg muscle on the verge of ripping, I had to scale down my exercise, which has been frustrating. The good news is that over the last two days, I have increased the intensity of my workouts again and hope I can go full force on Monday.    I decided when I started this journey that I would exercise everyday no matter what and I have kept that promise to myself.  It’s nice to see all your hard work and effect show results.  My clothes are loose; I have dropped one pant size; and I can sleep better at night.  The best part is other people are starting to notice my weight loss.  My wife and I have started new recipes to eat healthier and reduce our bread intake and to give me more options besides grilled chicken.  She made spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs in a spicy sauce and it was amazing.  She also made a healthier version of chili with lean ground beef, squash, green beans, carrots. It’s been awesome.

 

Pushing Beyond The Pain

What a week it has been. The excuse not to work out seems to be getting easier as I get busier at work and life seems to get in the way. Most of the week I have been having to work out later than normal, which is putting me home well after 9pm. I have work reports to finish because I worked out instead, not to mention being so tired, I can’t even think about blogging. painWhat kept me going this week that I was able to move a notch in the belt, which was good because I was at my last one. That was motivation enough to keep going. This was a very tough and exhausting week for me at the Y. I pushed myself harder than I had before in any of the previous weeks. I am happy to say I went farther and burnt more calories than I ever had, but I did pay a price. My feet are swollen, blisters, feet pain and not sure if I can walk one more step much less the work out I am about to do. A big thank you to my wife for the foot rubs and applying muscle cream to my feet to help the pain. At the end of this week, I was able to wear a pair of pants I had bought a smaller size by accident and I couldn’t take back…. YES!!! Plus, another notch in the belt. It looks like another week of pain, but it couldn’t feel better.

Weigh In Time

This week is going pretty good. I have tried to double my work outs this week in preparation for my weigh in, which was tonight. I’ve noticed I’ve gotten a little faster on the treadmill and increased the incline. I also added another cardio and more weight training. I was pushing for double digit weight loss this week, but I didn’t quite make it. I have lost inches.  My pants are feeling looser, I’m not breathing as heavy after a workout and I’m sleeping much better at night.

For this week, I will be pushing it a little more than this past week. I’m shooting for a double digit weight loss for the next weigh in. We will see.  I have not allowed the thought of giving in to temptation to enter my mind, I think that would set me back.  I’m focused on eating right and getting creative with food.  I have been blending frozen strawberries and fresh blueberries together with coconut milk when I get a craving for something sweet.  The one thing I cannot do without is coffee.  I can drink water, give up soda but the smell of coffee has me weak.  I use a couple packs of low calorie sweetener and a small dash of powder creamer in my coffee now and it taste great.  My goal is to stop using any artificial sugar at all but one step at a time.

Pressing On!

I had a good result when I weighed in this past Thursday, but I have been warned by my trainers that the week two and three could be the toughest to shed the pounds. My body will be fighting everything that is going on with my workouts and diet. I feel like my body has been fighting me from day one, but I have been pushing through the pain and getting it done.  I have even got out of my comfort zone to take a few classes to switch it up a bit.  One class was Zumba, which was very different, but lucky for me 3 other guys were in there and I just did the best I could to keep up.

The next class I want to take is kettle bells and a cycling class.  My wife is going to join me working out so we can motivate each other.  I have noticed a few things already, just after the first week. My weight training doesn’t hurt as bad as it did, and my stamina on the treadmill is getting better.

The best part is that I have lost inches in my stomach. When I first received my workout shirts, they were a little snug, but now they actually fit. Seeing the results of hard work and better eating habits have given me the motivation to push it a little harder this week. My son has been going to the gym with me during my  weight lifting exercises, to help me with weights and encourage me to go further.