Breakthrough Post- Number 3

It's finally the end of the semester!! It's crazy how fast it has gone by. I'm so glad that to have taken this class because I've learned a lot more about fitness, exercise, and my own relationship with those things. I still have a long way to go but I feel better prepared than ever. One of my biggest fears with exercising was not knowing what to do and feeling out of place and after taking this class and doing my first group exercise class I feel so much better prepared to continue my fitness journey! :)

As for my goals at the beginning of the semester, I didn't quite hit them but I'm on my way!

My first goal was to bring my mile time down from around 12 minutes to under 10 and I'm right at about 11 minutes. So halfway there!

My second goal was to lose 15 pounds and ironically, at about 8 pounds, I'm halfway there too!

Of course, for all of these it's a process and I'm excited to keep working on these goals.
Enjoy your holidays!! 

Gym Time

I've always been afraid to go to group classes because I figured I'd have no idea what we were doing and everyone else would be perfect at it! I'm a lot more confident now after taking this class because we've done a lot of what they offer in group exercise classes and I've gotten a feel for them. Today I went to my first actual class at the Rec and it was actually a lot of fun! It was a step express class and we used a bosu ball. It was actually a really good workout and I caught on pretty fast. I'm glad I actually went to a class because I'm a lot more confident about them now. Can't wait to try some more!! :) 

 

Motivator

So over our wonderful Thanksgiving Break this weekend, we took a break from eating lots of yummy food to go outside and get some energy out. Even though it was super cold outside we had fun running around and playing Frisbee. Hope you enjoyed the outside as much as you enjoyed your dinner! 

Fitness Challenge (Surpassing Challenge)

I really like going onto Pintrest and seeing all the fitness and health ideas that people have posted on there and I found this one today that I really like and am going to try to use!

When you make it creative, it's so much easier to get yourself motivated!! 

Food Challenge (Surpassing Challenge)

So I've read on several blogs and health websites that people who track what they eat tend to lose more weight. Probably because you're forced to account for everything that you actually eat! So I'm challenging myself to go one week of tracking what I eat every day. :)   

I'm going to use the Spark People app, because I really like their website and what they do on there and this way I can still use the website, but I can add food easily on my phone. 

Fuel

So when I was little I was terrified of the stove and oven. Even though I'm totally over that now, I've never been into cooking. But, now that I'm engaged and about to graduate and actually have a full kitchen that I can cook in, I'm trying to fix that and actually learn how to cook! 

Since I am new at this, I try to think of quick, easy, and healthy things that I can try to make. The other day I tried making this salmon rice meal and it actually turned out to taste really really good so I'm going to share it with you guys! 

It's really easy and quick to make, especially for a busy college student, and  the ingredients are things that you can just leave in the pantry and you don't have to worry about going bad. :) 

Salmon Rice Dish

1 can green beans

1 can Chicken of the Sea Pink Salmon (boneless)

2 Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice containers 

How to Prepare It: 

Serves 2 

Prepare rice as directed on container. 

Combine all ingredients in a skillet on medium heat with olive oil. 

Heat and mix together for a few minutes until warm.

Enjoy :) 

Surpassing Challenge

Another challenge I did this morning was to see how long I could hold a 6 inch hold. 

(The stopwatch on my phone got a workout in today too :P)

We ended up holding it for a minute! :) 

Surpassing Challenge

Another challenge that I did as a part of the challenge others assignment was to see how many V-ups I could  do in a minute. After the crunch it test, it was a little difficult but I ended up with 25. 

I see potential for another goal coming up..... 

Challenge Others (Someone Else's)

Part of the Challenge Others challenge is actually doing someone else's challenge as well so here goes!! 

One of the other girls in my class challenged the class to see how long we could hold a wall-sit. 

It turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I held it for 1 minute and 2 seconds. Impressive right? :P 

How long could you hold it??? Go give it a try! :)

Challenge Others (Mine)

One of the best ways to get fit and keep up the motivation is to challenge and compete with other people when it comes to their fitness goals. 

For this post, I'm going to challenge everyone out there to go 2 weeks without eating fast food. 

Not only is it cheaper to not eat out all the time, but you can eat a lot healthier and cleaner if you cook your own food at home. So really, it's a win-win. :)

So, for anyone out there who wants a challenge, pack a lunch tomorrow like I did today and keep those meals clean and healthy!! 

Breakthrough Post- Number 2

So we're a little over halfway through the semester now so I just want to kind of update y'all with my progress :) 

I've lost 10 pounds so far this semester, which is huge for me! It's been kind of up and down but I'm really proud that I've been able to keep it down! Definitely still have a long ways to go, but this is definitely a step in the right direction!

Also, I did the crunch it test again today (see how many crunches you can do in two minutes) and increased my number to 121! So Roll Tide to that!!! 

Here's to keeping up the progress!! :) 

The Beast

Every time I hear the word mountain climbers, I groan... For me, mountain climbers are "the beast"- the move that I know I should do, but I hate to do it anyway! But, if you want to see results and get stronger, you gotta do the work, even if you don't really want to!!!

                                   

EXCUSES

The number one reason why people don't succeed in their weight loss goals is because they fall prey to the many excuses that come up throughout the day. There are a million things that most of us could be doing that isn't working out, but it should still be a very important part of each day! 

So my excuse that I think will hold me back is my massive amounts of homework (see below) :) 

In order to get rid of and overcome this excuse, time management will be key. By using my time wisely, I can get all my homework done AND find time for the gym. My planner will be my best friend :) 

My Ally

My biggest ally for this active challenge will be my feet. 

They're what get me up everyday and get me moving! 

I choose this picture not only do I think my feet are my biggest ally, but I also think that the tattoo I have on my foot, (aka, the picture above), is also an ally for me. It's about defying gravity and overcoming the limitations that other people might put on me. And every time I look at it, it's a reminder that I can do whatever I want and overcome anything. :) 

Challenge for the Month! (Surpassing Challenge)

I love Pintrest and all of the creative ideas I find on it!

As part of my active challenge this semester I'm gonna find a challenge like this to do each month.

Here's the one for September:

Mile

Mile Run Today!!!

Those are always fun, especially when you're also doing a crunch test and chin hold.

But we did it!!

All smiles at the end and a time of 14.08. 

The goal is to get it down to 10 minutes by the end of the semester! 

Crunch It

We also did our 2 minute crunch test (!!) today.

...two minutes is a lot longer than you would think it is....
...............................just saying......................................

Anyway, here I am:

Btw, I finished with 110 crunches. :) 

Hanging Around

We did our chin hold today....

It was not very good....
I couldn't get up any further than this picture and props to Whitney for being able to snap one before I got back down.

BUT, that being said, I know that I can only get better from here.

So, new goal- have better upper body strength and be able to do a chin hold for 10 seconds.

My Goal

So we're supposed to put up a picture that embodies our goal and what we hope to accomplish. 

I've chosen this picture of myself from my freshman year of high school because I think it reminds me of the last time that I felt comfortable and confident in my body. 

My goal isn't really to lose weight so much as to just be happy with how I look again. This picture makes me feel that way and I hope that over the next few months I can feel even better about myself than I did at this point in my life. 

P.S. Please forgive the stupid freshman fish face...... 

Welcome Video

So if you're curious about why I'm doing this blog and what it's about, watch my welcome video!!

Basically I talk about my goals for the semester such as, losing weight and getting healthier!
I want to be a healthier and stronger person and with this blog I'll have something to be held accountable for!!!

My main goal this semester is to lose 15 pounds although I hope to lose more over the next year! I also want to be stronger and be able to lift more (so bring on those pushups!!)

Thanks for watching!!!

My Motivation

Just some quotes that sum up how I feel about this!

Breakthrough Post- Number 1

So I have several goals for this semester and I'm going to put a couple up here at the beginning to remind me what I'm working toward.

First, Currently I run like, a 12 minute mile. Although this time could be worse, it could definitely be better.

Hence- Goal Number 1! By the end of this semester, I intend to be able to run a mile in under 10 minutes.

Secondly, I know that getting healthy isn't about the scale. It's about living a healthy lifestyle and getting stronger. That being said, I still want to be at a healthy weight.

So, Goal Number 2! I'm sure many people have seen the pinterest idea where you have two jars, one labeled "pounds to go" and the other labeled "pounds lost." Basically you put little stones in one of the jars signifying how many pounds you want to lose and with each pound you lose, you move a pebble over into the other jar. Pretty self explanatory. Anyway, my goal is to lose 15 pounds by the end of the semester and 40 by next July. I've come a little way already, but there's still a ways to go!



So, those are the goals for the semester! Start strong, Finish strong :)