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Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Combined Weekly Summary: Weeks 27 and 28 Operation Get Fit No Excuses
You may have noticed that last week’s blog post was missing. That’s because I honestly didn’t have anything that I thought was worth saying. So, this week’s post is a summary for Week 27 and 28 of Get Fit No Excuses!
So, last week, I was able to exercise every day for a minimum of 40 minutes. I alternated indoor and outdoor activities to keep my muscles guessing. I love changing up my indoor routines so I don’t get bored also , plus I like the challenge of trying slightly harder and varied workouts. This past Monday, I took the day off from doing any exercise to allow my body and muscles to rest.
This week is my weight and measurements week. I am aggravated to say that I have not lost anything and my measurements are pretty much the same! I started eating cereal last month in an effort to add more variety to my diet and help keep everything on the inside ‘flowing properly’, if you get my drift. I now think that was a mistake because cereal is a very high calorie food, even if you only eat 60 grams at a time.
Here are last month’s and this month’s comparisons.
Thankfully, I have not gained any weight or size back from my eating mistake. Everyone reacts differently to food, so just because I can’t eat cereal doesn’t mean you should ban it from your own diet. Do what works for you.
I am going to focus on trying to get to 70 kilos bu the end of summer and that will be a size I will try to maintain, once I reach my goal and my measurements and weight stays at a constant.
We will be on vacation for 2 ½ weeks in August so I will definitely be cheating a lot more than normal and probably not exercising as much, but I’ll report all that as it comes.
I’m always looking for new recommendations for recipes and workouts online so if you want, comment below with the links and I’ll definitely take a look!
Thank you for your continued encouragement and support over that past months and I hope my blog helps some of you in your own fitness journey. See you next week!
So, last week, I was able to exercise every day for a minimum of 40 minutes. I alternated indoor and outdoor activities to keep my muscles guessing. I love changing up my indoor routines so I don’t get bored also , plus I like the challenge of trying slightly harder and varied workouts. This past Monday, I took the day off from doing any exercise to allow my body and muscles to rest.
This week is my weight and measurements week. I am aggravated to say that I have not lost anything and my measurements are pretty much the same! I started eating cereal last month in an effort to add more variety to my diet and help keep everything on the inside ‘flowing properly’, if you get my drift. I now think that was a mistake because cereal is a very high calorie food, even if you only eat 60 grams at a time.
Here are last month’s and this month’s comparisons.
Thankfully, I have not gained any weight or size back from my eating mistake. Everyone reacts differently to food, so just because I can’t eat cereal doesn’t mean you should ban it from your own diet. Do what works for you.
I am going to focus on trying to get to 70 kilos bu the end of summer and that will be a size I will try to maintain, once I reach my goal and my measurements and weight stays at a constant.
We will be on vacation for 2 ½ weeks in August so I will definitely be cheating a lot more than normal and probably not exercising as much, but I’ll report all that as it comes.
I’m always looking for new recommendations for recipes and workouts online so if you want, comment below with the links and I’ll definitely take a look!
Thank you for your continued encouragement and support over that past months and I hope my blog helps some of you in your own fitness journey. See you next week!
Friday, July 13, 2018
Week 26 Summary: Operation Get Fit No Excuses
Week 26 of Operation Get Fit No Excuses is complete! This means I am halfway through my one-year transformation. Now, let me to clarify something real quick. I have not set a one year goal, just like I have not set a weight or measurement goal. But, I think it’s really cool that I am literally 26 weeks into my get fit regimen. I’m very proud of myself and a little astonished that I’ve stuck with it like I have.
I want to start out this week by telling you a little story. Obviously after losing 19 kg, which is around 42 pounds, most of my clothes are way too big. Therefore, I had to buy new clothes, and of course, I hate shopping. But, out of necessity, I ordered and received new clothes.
Here is the funny part: when I opened the package and saw how small they looked, in my mind the first thing I thought was “they’re not gonna fit”. Then I said OK, let me try them on just to see how bad a mistake I made in the sizing. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. What does this say about me? Even though I’ve lost so much weight, in my head, in my own mind, I still see myself and my body, as 200+ pounds. When in reality, I’m at 160 pounds, which is about 72.5 kg.
What I want to convey with this little short story is that no matter how much we change our bodies, we have to change our minds as well. Our mental and emotional states are completely connected with our bodies whether we realize it or not. I was happy with the way I look. I honestly never really looked at myself so closely and just said “Eww, my 200 pound body is nasty”. I thought I looked good.
Now that I am a lot smaller, I still think I look good. But, I have to reconcile my brain to recognize hey, I’m not that big and yes these tiny looking little shorts or tiny looking little shirts will fit me and are my correct size now. And that’s something that I’m still working on. I don’t know if you would call it body image issues or if it’s just that I was so big for so long that in my mind I still am that person. This is definitely one thing I’m going to continuously have to work on and get used to.
As far is this past week has gone, I’ve had a lot of epilepsy related issues pop up. I don’t know if it’s the heat and humidity that we have now here in Tuscany, or if it’s just because my epilepsy decided it wanted to screw with me so it did. With the type of epilepsy I have, I never know when it’s going to happen, where it’s going to happen, and usually why it happens. It just does. But despite the annoying setbacks, I have continued to exercise pretty much every day in some form or fashion. I’ve gotten at least 30 minutes per day every day except for one I think, and I was too messed up that day to be able to do anything. So I’m actually pretty happy and proud of that accomplishment as well.
Ok now, a word of caution. I covered it last week but I wanna make sure I cover it again, because this is really affecting my workouts. I try to get outside every morning when it’s crisp and nice around 6:30 AM or 7 AM to do my work out, but life happens and I don’t always get there. When I don’t and I have to work out in the afternoon when it’s hotter, especially in the house and not having air conditioning, I always make sure to pay attention to my body and what it’s telling me.
Drink plenty of water and have a fan pointed directly at you on high to help keep you cool. Have a towel to wipe the sweat off because if you’re anything like me, you will sweat. If you can exercise in an air-conditioned facility, or your house, do it! Just remember, sweat does not mean weight loss. Sweat means your body is hot and it’s trying to cool itself down. It’s a huge misconception that when you sweat you automatically lose weight. You might be losing water weight, but not much.
Padrone is progressing with his own weight loss journey. He had a minor setback last week and gained a couple pounds back because he cheated too many times, but is back on track this week and I’m happy to say he’s lost the weight he gained. So he will continue on his journey to getting healthier and losing weight as well and I will report next week on how he’s doing.
Thank you all so much for your continued words, support, and good thoughts. I hope we see you back here next week reading week 27 summary blog.
I want to start out this week by telling you a little story. Obviously after losing 19 kg, which is around 42 pounds, most of my clothes are way too big. Therefore, I had to buy new clothes, and of course, I hate shopping. But, out of necessity, I ordered and received new clothes.
Here is the funny part: when I opened the package and saw how small they looked, in my mind the first thing I thought was “they’re not gonna fit”. Then I said OK, let me try them on just to see how bad a mistake I made in the sizing. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. What does this say about me? Even though I’ve lost so much weight, in my head, in my own mind, I still see myself and my body, as 200+ pounds. When in reality, I’m at 160 pounds, which is about 72.5 kg.
What I want to convey with this little short story is that no matter how much we change our bodies, we have to change our minds as well. Our mental and emotional states are completely connected with our bodies whether we realize it or not. I was happy with the way I look. I honestly never really looked at myself so closely and just said “Eww, my 200 pound body is nasty”. I thought I looked good.
Now that I am a lot smaller, I still think I look good. But, I have to reconcile my brain to recognize hey, I’m not that big and yes these tiny looking little shorts or tiny looking little shirts will fit me and are my correct size now. And that’s something that I’m still working on. I don’t know if you would call it body image issues or if it’s just that I was so big for so long that in my mind I still am that person. This is definitely one thing I’m going to continuously have to work on and get used to.
As far is this past week has gone, I’ve had a lot of epilepsy related issues pop up. I don’t know if it’s the heat and humidity that we have now here in Tuscany, or if it’s just because my epilepsy decided it wanted to screw with me so it did. With the type of epilepsy I have, I never know when it’s going to happen, where it’s going to happen, and usually why it happens. It just does. But despite the annoying setbacks, I have continued to exercise pretty much every day in some form or fashion. I’ve gotten at least 30 minutes per day every day except for one I think, and I was too messed up that day to be able to do anything. So I’m actually pretty happy and proud of that accomplishment as well.
Ok now, a word of caution. I covered it last week but I wanna make sure I cover it again, because this is really affecting my workouts. I try to get outside every morning when it’s crisp and nice around 6:30 AM or 7 AM to do my work out, but life happens and I don’t always get there. When I don’t and I have to work out in the afternoon when it’s hotter, especially in the house and not having air conditioning, I always make sure to pay attention to my body and what it’s telling me.
Drink plenty of water and have a fan pointed directly at you on high to help keep you cool. Have a towel to wipe the sweat off because if you’re anything like me, you will sweat. If you can exercise in an air-conditioned facility, or your house, do it! Just remember, sweat does not mean weight loss. Sweat means your body is hot and it’s trying to cool itself down. It’s a huge misconception that when you sweat you automatically lose weight. You might be losing water weight, but not much.
Padrone is progressing with his own weight loss journey. He had a minor setback last week and gained a couple pounds back because he cheated too many times, but is back on track this week and I’m happy to say he’s lost the weight he gained. So he will continue on his journey to getting healthier and losing weight as well and I will report next week on how he’s doing.
Thank you all so much for your continued words, support, and good thoughts. I hope we see you back here next week reading week 27 summary blog.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
This Is One Face of Epilepsy
This is one face of Epilepsy. There are an innumerable amount and combinations. Seizures, or episodes as I call them, can manifest in many forms, many strengths, and affect any number of bodily functions.
Seizures can pop up out of nowhere, with no warning or they can give the person a small warning before taking over: referred to as an Aura. Sometimes seizures happen multiple times a day. Other times, they may not come around for days, weeks, months, or even years.
Seizures can be triggered by practically anything, depending on the person’s type of Epilepsy: sounds, stress, odors, lights, foods, emotions, and environment.
Seizures don’t always come out as uncontrollable shaking. A person may stare, have intense head or body pain, experience instant emotional outbursts (many times in crying form), feel like they are in a literal walking nightmare, have trouble with speech and motor skills, or lose consciousness. They can affect balance, cause vertigo, and impaired vision.
After a seizure, depending on the type and person, recovery can be instant or take minutes, hours, or even a few days.
Many people with Epilepsy feel they need to hide their condition because they are embarrassed by it and don’t want weird reactions from family, friends, co-workers or people at large.
People with Epilepsy can and do live normal lives. They love, work, and go as much as someone without seizures, when they are able.
You can’t tell a person has Epilepsy just by looking at them. There’s no physical indicator to point us out. It’s one of those invisible diseases that is misunderstood by so many healthy people.
Seizures cause us to loose time with our families and friends. They cause us to blame ourselves for being late to important stuff. They can cause depression because those that have unmedicated Epilepsy can feel they are a burden to those around them.
Epilepsy as a whole sucks. Many types are not able to be stopped or medicated simply because they haven’t found the right medicine yet.
Epilepsy is also a silent killer. Many peoples die because of seizures every year.
So, before you judge the stranger sitting next to you, the “weird” person on the bus, the person that you think is high, ask yourself if that person could have an invisible condition you know nothing about. Or, just don’t judge them. Don’t jump to the first negative conclusion. Ask if they need help first. Be kind.
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Week 25 Summary Operation Get Fit No Excuses
Week 25 of Operation Get Fit No Excuses is finished. I can’t believe how fast it has gone! Next week will literally be my halfway point for a one year mark.
This past week has been filled with my usual diet and exercise regimen. We spent one day at the sea so I didn’t get any exercise done that day and I cheated and had ice cream. It was so good! But, I’m happy to report that one cheat day didn’t affect my weight loss at all. It’s good to treat yourself sometimes for all the hard work and dedication you put in towards losing weight.
Every other day, I’ve exercised a minimum of 45 minutes. I haven’t actually set this as a requirement or a goal for myself. I’ve done it just because it feels good. I change my routine every single day as well. Sometimes I stay home and follow different videos on YouTube, alternating Walk-at-Home videos with Toning and strength training segments. Other days I take long power walks outside and go different routes so that my body doesn’t know how I’m going to work out. This is a good training strategy when losing weight because your muscles are continuously working to keep up with your demands. If you do the same exercise routines every day, your body will lose the edge because it expects what’s coming and you won’t maximize the calorie burn.
While I was out today, I had the weirdest realization hit me out of the blue. It was about 7 am and beautiful outside. I had my music cranked up and my headphones on. I was in the zone and was pounding out the miles. The route I took this morning was one I had never taken before and was a little more crowded than other routes I normally take. I noticed that nobody paid any attention to me other than a cursory look or side glance.
I personally never really pay attention to anybody because I’m watching where I walk and keeping my pace steady. Normally the fact nobody was paying attention wouldn’t bother me or even register on my radar. But today it bothered me and I couldn’t figure out why. That’s when it hit me!
In the first months that I started on my Get Fit journey, people would stare at me and even make what I call a “stinky face” when they saw me out walking. Of course, when I started, I could barely walk 1 kilometer, let alone the 5 kms I do every day now. I was 19 kilos (42 lbs) heavier. People didn’t see a fat person trying to improve their health and lose weight by starting to exercise. They just saw a fat person and automatically had some type of negative reaction. I remember the ugly looks and scrunched noses as I was starting out. I remember people looking at me with disgust instead of encouragement. Now that I’m relatively an average size, nobody pays attention and I never see those nasty looks.
Because I realize this, I am going to make a conscious effort to give a nod, thumbs up, or something positive to every larger person I come across when I’m exercising to let them know I’m routing for them. It doesn’t take any extra effort and I hope it will help encourage them to continue. It may creep some people out, but if they have experiences anything close to what I did, they will understand and appreciate the encouragement. So, if you can, encourage others around you when you see them making an effort. I know I would have appreciated that versus that nasty looks I got.
Now, news about my Padrone Marco. He’s been experimenting with adding small amounts of normal food back into his diet. He is also walking to and from work twice a week in the month of July so that’s adding extra exercise to his daily routine. I’ll keep you all updated with his weight loss as he progresses.
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement! See you next week!
This past week has been filled with my usual diet and exercise regimen. We spent one day at the sea so I didn’t get any exercise done that day and I cheated and had ice cream. It was so good! But, I’m happy to report that one cheat day didn’t affect my weight loss at all. It’s good to treat yourself sometimes for all the hard work and dedication you put in towards losing weight.
Every other day, I’ve exercised a minimum of 45 minutes. I haven’t actually set this as a requirement or a goal for myself. I’ve done it just because it feels good. I change my routine every single day as well. Sometimes I stay home and follow different videos on YouTube, alternating Walk-at-Home videos with Toning and strength training segments. Other days I take long power walks outside and go different routes so that my body doesn’t know how I’m going to work out. This is a good training strategy when losing weight because your muscles are continuously working to keep up with your demands. If you do the same exercise routines every day, your body will lose the edge because it expects what’s coming and you won’t maximize the calorie burn.
While I was out today, I had the weirdest realization hit me out of the blue. It was about 7 am and beautiful outside. I had my music cranked up and my headphones on. I was in the zone and was pounding out the miles. The route I took this morning was one I had never taken before and was a little more crowded than other routes I normally take. I noticed that nobody paid any attention to me other than a cursory look or side glance.
I personally never really pay attention to anybody because I’m watching where I walk and keeping my pace steady. Normally the fact nobody was paying attention wouldn’t bother me or even register on my radar. But today it bothered me and I couldn’t figure out why. That’s when it hit me!
In the first months that I started on my Get Fit journey, people would stare at me and even make what I call a “stinky face” when they saw me out walking. Of course, when I started, I could barely walk 1 kilometer, let alone the 5 kms I do every day now. I was 19 kilos (42 lbs) heavier. People didn’t see a fat person trying to improve their health and lose weight by starting to exercise. They just saw a fat person and automatically had some type of negative reaction. I remember the ugly looks and scrunched noses as I was starting out. I remember people looking at me with disgust instead of encouragement. Now that I’m relatively an average size, nobody pays attention and I never see those nasty looks.
Because I realize this, I am going to make a conscious effort to give a nod, thumbs up, or something positive to every larger person I come across when I’m exercising to let them know I’m routing for them. It doesn’t take any extra effort and I hope it will help encourage them to continue. It may creep some people out, but if they have experiences anything close to what I did, they will understand and appreciate the encouragement. So, if you can, encourage others around you when you see them making an effort. I know I would have appreciated that versus that nasty looks I got.
Now, news about my Padrone Marco. He’s been experimenting with adding small amounts of normal food back into his diet. He is also walking to and from work twice a week in the month of July so that’s adding extra exercise to his daily routine. I’ll keep you all updated with his weight loss as he progresses.
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement! See you next week!
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