Oh you guys...I'm tired! I had a killer run tonight- 7.3 miles. The furthest I have ever run before. I wanted to make it 8, but I didn't map out my path beforehand so after I ran my normal 6.5, I was guessing the distance after that. 7.3 miles! WOOOOOOHOOOOO for me!!! And I wore all black in honor of black week. I feel AWESOME! I ran fast and hard. What a day.
Whew!
Ok, so I haven't watched BL yet, so no one spoil it for me. I'm too tired tonight, I think all of my late nights with Marty are starting to catch up to me (esp after that killer run. Seriously, I was hauling). I'm going to watch it soon, so don't spoil it!
There are a few things I was thinking about while on my run that I decided I would share with you tonight in this post. Basically I was thinking about all the things I do to lose weight. I was having a discussion with my co-workers today about weight loss (one of them has lost 20 lbs, the other one lost about 45 so far) and we were discussing running...my co-worker (the one who lost 45 pounds) is running her first ever race this weekend- Race for the Cure. It's a 5k, and all my other co-workers are walking it but she wants to run it. I'm so excited for her. She's been training at the gym and she's ready to go! I love running so much; it's such good exercise for your heart and your body. Anyway, we got on the discussion of all the benefits of running, and I thought I would share with you guys some of the stuff I've learned over the years that has helped me stay in shape (when I was in shape), and helps me lose now (as I try to get back into shape). Plus, I've included some of my thoughts on some of these things as well. Take what you want from it all. I also have to post my measurements that I took tonight (gag), but that will come at the end.
Ok...first things first- here is a quick blurb from Women's Health: 6 reasons to start running: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/start-running
Now, other things I do to help me lose weight (and stay in shape when I am in shape):
1) Take Vitamin D and Fish Oil everyday. When I first moved to CA and started gaining like the masses, I went to the doctor immediately to find out what was wrong. Surely I was gaining from something other than food (ha!). The first thing he did was run blood work, and one thing he found was that I was Vitamin D deficient, even though I live in CA! He gave me a few articles about Vitamin D and the current discoveries that researchers are finding, and one thing they've found so far is that Vitamin D deficiency and obesity are linked. While they're not sure which comes first (chicken or the egg), they do know that the two affect each other and that being properly dosed with Vitamin D helps people shed faster and keep weight off. So get some Vitamin D immediately! I take gel caps of 1000 I.U.'s a day; you don't need more than two per day (and of course you're welcome to call your doctor to discuss this). Fish Oil is also another supplement that is great for your heart and skin; because it has Omega 3 fatty acids in it, it is considered a good fat that helps your body lower insulin and therefore burn more fat. For an interesting study done on Fish Oil, check out this article: http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/articles-submit/david-mcevoy/omega-3-weight-loss.htm
In this article, basically the study subjects take 2 pills in the morning, 3 at lunch, and 3 at dinner. I take two in the morning and two with dinner if i remember. Again, you need to figure out what's best for you- talking to your doctor is a GREAT option if you need extra guidance.
2) Don't eat after 8 pm, and if you do, make it LIGHT. This one is hard. But it works. If you go to bed with an empty stomach, you'll feel so much more energized in the morning. And HUNGRY. Your body doesn't need to burn as much at night while you're sleeping, so if you go to bed with a full stomach, it (your body) tends to just store everything as fat since it doesn't need the energy. If you're like me, and you go to bed around 11 or 12, then 8 is a great time to give your body plenty of time to metabolize anything you have left in there and clear itself out before bed, ensuring you won't be storing fat throughout the night. I read an article once that said it best; it was a woman in People magazine who had lost over 100 pounds. When they asked her if she was hungry when she went to bed (she did this too- went to bed with an empty stomach), she said that of course she was hungry. But that's part of the process. You're not going to be super effective at losing if you're never hungry- you're trying to take in less than you expend, without dipping into starvation mode people. You're going to be hungry sometimes! I'd rather be hungry at night than during the day.
3) Always eat breakfast, and try to make it healthy and big. Breakfast or lunch tend to be my biggest meals of the day- of course after #2 you know why. Your body needs fuel to get going in the morning- give it the fuel it needs. If you rev it up early, you'll have more to burn and your body will kick into high gear to burn it. Don't ever skimp or skip on breakfast- studies have shown that people who eat breakfast tend to eat less throughout the day (up to 33% less), so eat up in the morning! You should be starving after going to bed with a light dinner anyway, so it's not hard to get a big bfast in. :)
4) Eat your 5 fruits and vegetables. Again, it starts out hard but as your body adjusts- this makes sense. They're healthy, lowfat, and they fill you up. I try to only eat a few starches a day, the rest of the time it's enough of an effort just to get the veggies and fruits in. If you can consistently get the fruits and veggies in, you'll see over time that you're not eating as much junk or other foods because you're busy eating the f&v's. So they're cleaning up your diet, and they usually pack a good amount of fiber, to keep things moving through your system as well. So eat up!
5) Drink water; not soda. Takes a few weeks to adjust to this, but seriously, even Diet Coke is what my sister calls "poison water". The sodium alone will keep you from seeing drops on the scale. I know it tastes good, and every once in awhile I need the caffeine so I drink one too...but it's seriously ON OCCASION. Your body needs the water; studies show that if you're drinking enough water, you can increase your metabolism by as much as 30%. 30%!!!!!!! That should be enough to make you want to do it. We're trying to lose here! Also, if you're drinking soda or diet soda, you're not drinking your water, so chances are you're dehydrated. Again, drink up.
Ok guys, I don't want to write a novel here. Those are the first 5- maybe if you're lucky, I'll add more another night. ;) seriously these are steps that most of us know, but are one's I try to implement everyday. If you can do these things, even just some of the time, you will start seeing little results, I promise you. Add workouts in...and you'll be skinny in no time! I'll prove it to you! :)
And now...the dreaded measurements:
Measurements:
9/22/2009
Left arm 12.5
Right arm 12.5
Neck 13
Chest 39
Stomach 37
Hips 41
L. Thigh 23.5
R. Thigh 23.5
L. Calf 14.5
R. Calf 14.5
UGHHHHHH. I remember when I was so little (running around in a size 4! I loved it!)- I've never gotten used to or comfortable with my weight gain. Has anyone? Just curious. What brought you to this journey?
Ok peeps- I think I'm finally out...
D
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