I've been studying up on exercise and weight training and all that jazz for a little while now. I know that walking is a good way to get some movement in but it's also hard on my foot and knees. But I had never tried lifting weights or strength training. Everything I've read recommends it...even goes so far as to say it is more effective at long term weight loss than cardio. But where to begin? I've never been to a gym. I've never worked with a trainer or even knew anyone who lifted weights.
Enter the good ol' internet.
I searched for "beginners weight training" into YouTube and lo and behold, there are a ton of videos to choose from. I watched a few--not working out with them, but just watched them--and found a channel that I really like. Hasfit. The workouts are really simple but effective. I've done two different routines with them, both for beginners, and I feel the burn in the backs of my thighs and in my arms, especially. I'm starting out with some 3lb dumbbells and I think those are just right for the types of work outs I'm doing.
I do have to modify a few of the sets... the ones on the floor I do either against the wall or on the bed. I know those aren't AS effective, but I'm not yet at a weight or fitness level where getting up and down from the floor is easily doable. My knees and feet just don't cooperate. But everything I've read on any fitness website say to start where you are, modify what you can, and just DO what you can. Even small additions to exercise are good for both body and soul. The chances of quitting increase when you push yourself to hard. Also, injuries happen when you push your body too far beyond it's current capability. Of course you have to push past your basic comfort level. You have to feel SOME of the effects of a good work out. But you should be able to move and get out of bed the next morning.
The website is hasfit.com and it has a plethora of information on health and fitness. And you can find varying types and intensities of exercises there. Everything from beginners to expert level work outs and the coach and his wife are super easy to follow, to listen to, and not annoying at all. There's also a free app. I haven't downloaded the app because I have next to no storage space on my phone due to all the pictures I take.
Admittedly, following the videos on my little smart phone can be challenging. That's why I try to watch the video through at least once before trying to work out with it. I also try to watch it so I won't have any surprises...aka...movements that I can't modify or just plain can't do. So far I have only found one that I can't figure out a modification for and can't do...lunges. My knees just don't bend that way. My brain can't even figure out a way to even try them. They just boggle my mind. lol As for squats, I'm slowly working on increasing the depth...I'm getting there but taking it slow so that my knees don't blow.
Another internet thing I've added is the podcast/program Phit-n-Phat. I've mostly just listened to the podcast but there's also a website and a facebook page with a healthy lifestyle coaching aspect to it. She's deeply southern (sounds more southern than I do) which can start to grate on my ears at times, but I like her message. And I like that she's been where I'm at. Her highest weight was 250 and she lost 100lbs and has kept it off for several years. So she's not just pulling this stuff out of her butt. She's talking the talk AND walking the walk. She teaches how the most effective weight loss tip in the world is that you have to retrain your brain. Train your brain to make healthier choices. Train your brain to just say no to things that will sabotage you. To "start where you're at" every day, do the absolute best you can and then get up and do it all over again the next day until it's second nature to know what to eat that's good for your body and choose those things. She doesn't believe in counting calories or macros because it isn't a sustainable way of living, becomes too hard, and people give up. Retraining your brain, making small changes every day...those are things that will last a lifetime.
Thanks to the Instagram account, KnowGains, I don't freak out too much when the scale moves up a number or two because he says that when you burn a fat cell, instead of immediately shrinking, it fills with water for a few days in case it needs to refill with fat and can make your weight fluctuate as though you've gained before it releases the water and shrinks. That's good know and makes me hopeful that the two pounds the scale says I've gained are just temporary. My clothes still feel good, if a little looser, so I'm not freaking.
Anyway, I'm attempting to further tweak my eating/drinking habits. Now that I'm slowly getting a handle on carb smart choices, I'm working on portion sizes and keeping an eye on the amount of fat I'm consuming. I'm taking the week off from coffee because even though I cut back on the sugar, I've still been adding half and half which, isn't terrible, but it isn't great, either. Not in excess, anyway. My thought is, if I take just a week off from it entirely, maybe when I DO drink it, I can start slowly decreasing the amount of half and half in my coffee...goal being, of course, to eventually learn to enjoy it black or just give it up altogether. (This includes Starbucks and their iced coffee! Which is saving me money AND added fat!)
Unlike a lot of people, coffee isn't a "need" in the sense that I need it to function. It doesn't give me energy or wake me up. In fact, I rarely ever drink it first thing in the morning. It's usually a late morning treat, a social thing, or an after supper relaxation tool. I enjoy the ritual of making and drinking coffee. It's soothing. And, of course, when it's made just right, it's delicious.
This week I'm drinking hot tea with two tsps. of sugar in a huge mug of tea. I still get some of the relaxation from the ritual and I do enjoy a cup of good strong hot tea. And I've actually come to like it with a lot less sugar. Iced tea, on the other hand...I've just about given it up entirely. If I can't have it fully sweet, I just don't want it. And after a couple of weeks, I realize I really don't miss it.
Coke, on the other hand...I'm still trying to give it up but I've decided what I'm going to do to help me, instead of going cold turkey. I'm allowing myself to have it ONLY when I go out to eat and the drink is included with the meal. At sit-down/fine dining places, I can only have water but at fast food or fast casual? I'm allowing myself a Coke...with the caveat that the Coke is the only carb I have. For instance, I went to the new Slim Chickens restaurant with WBF and first, I scoured the menu on-line before we went so that I would know exactly what the options were and what I was getting. Second, I ordered the grilled chicken tenders, the three tender plate instead of the 5 or 6 tender plate, and I got the side salad instead of the mac-n-cheese. Since the drink was included with the meal, I got a Coke. It was a medium (20oz) cup and I filled it full with ice first and then poured the Coke so that most of the volume was filled with ice instead of Coke. That way, I got to enjoy a Coke, but I wasn't drinking the full 20 ounces AND it was the only carb I had a lunch.
I know, I still need to give it up, but as with weaning myself off of sugar and half and half in my coffee, I've got to figure out a way to wean myself slowly off of Coke or else I will binge HARD and undo all my hard work.
I've also taken the week off of eating anything sweet after supper. I had been allowing myself a cookie or a brownie an hour or two after supper and that satisfied my sweet tooth. But I also see it as another area where I can cut out extra daily calories. It's all those extras that will kill me.
AND...I'm teaching myself how to only eat why I'm truly hungry AND to stop when I'm full, even if my portion size was small to begin with. I put it away and save what's left and if I get hungry later in the evening I'll finish it. But I want to train myself not to make myself/let myself eat when I'm not hungry. In the long run it will help me learn to say no to temptations.
Anyway, that's me, halfway through the week. Full report on Monday. ;-)
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