Tag Archives: Work Out Wednesday

Hurricane Sandy & #PSPfit Week 2 (Weekly Weigh-in)

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This has been an intense week here in New York City. A lot of you reached out to me via twitter, facebook, email, etc. to see how I was braving the hurricane. The short answer is that I’m fine, safe and sound, thank God. While my office isn’t ready for us to return to just yet, my apartment is in upper Manhattan, so the flooding/fallen trees/power loss has been minimal. I actually ended up turning my place into a hotel for some friends who needed a place to stay.

While prepping to be stuck in my apartment for days, I realized that I wouldn’t be hitting the gym, so if I wanted to lost the 2 pounds I mentioned last week I’d have to watch my eating in a serious way. Here’s what I did:

1.) I did not drink during the hurricane. Lots of people were stocking up on wine and beer. While my wine rack is fully stocked, I decided that because I wasn’t burning my usual amount of calories, I couldn’t afford to drink anything but water.

2.) I skipped carb-filled munchies. During Hurricane Irene last year, I bought a lot of crackers/cookies. This time, I focused on proteins. I munched on seaweed snacks and almonds between meals.

3.) I kept moving! A friend was kind enough to send me one of those crazy workout DVD’s via email, so I went through that on day one of Sandy. Then on day two when we were allowed to go outside, I went on a 4 mile walk.

These three steps helped me to lose 2 pounds this week! I also was able to fit into a sweater that was too small when I purchased it last season:

The #PSPfit participants on instagram and twitter have been super inspirational, “@_Chunk_” lost 5 pounds during week one!

I also love seeing the #PSPfit hastag on Instagram blowing up with curvy girls breaking a sweat and looking fantastic! Shoutouts to “@skinnyminority”, “CoogieCruz” and “shortiesensei”

The #PSPfit girls on Instagram & Twitter also make some yummy food choices, like “@Kiyasjoy” who always has a veggie with her sanwiches at work instead of chips or french fries. *waving hi* to “@stellarcanicula”, “@blkgrlsdontdate” too! That’s one of my lunches on the bottom right Instagram “@plussizeprincess”

How did you guys do this week? Any weight loss/gains?

A Calorie Saved is a Calorie Earned

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When I was in high school I lost 50 pounds by just working out. I ate taco bell and drank cherry-lime-aide every day like all of my friends, but spending an hour in the gym each night was all it took for me to burn off the burritos and then some. Because of that, I base most of my weight loss plan on working out even though experts say I shouldn’t.

“80% of weight loss is your diet/what you eat”

“You get fit in the gym… you get thin in the kitchen”

There are so many quotes and adages that focus on eating as the main component to weight loss. But its a hard shift for me to make.

I’ve been working out 4-5 times per week lately and while I’m on a downward trend with my weight loss, I know that I will lose so much more as I adjust what I put into my mouth. Skipping the cupcakes at the office meeting is waaaay easier than spending 2 hours in the gym to work it off.

In the same way that “a penny saved is a penny earned”, a calorie not eaten is a calorie earned and hopefully a pound lost!

I know that right now I’m exercising in order to balance out the extra calories I consume. But exercising as damage control is not a sustainable way to lose weight and keep it off. Its time for me to (once again) start looking at what I’m eating… and how much. I’m making a commitment to increase my fruit/veggie intake and say “no” more to foods that I don’t need (i.e. red velvet cake, an office staple at my job).

Anyway, I lost 1 pound again this week… next week I’d really like to lose 2 pounds.

I’ll Try Anything… Twice (Zumba!)

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Whenever I get comments/tweets/facebook messages from you guys, I read them and take them into consideration. For the longest time a few of you have been telling me to try Zumba… so I did!

My gym has multiple locations around Manhattan and the gym near my apartment offers a Zumba class on Saturday mornings, so I took it a few months ago. The class was full and the teacher was cool. Based on what everyone had said to me about Zumba, I was prepared to leave the class panting, but that was not the case. 30 minutes into the class I hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“Maybe it’s because you’re a dancer,” one of my girlfriends suggested. “You trained in tap, jazz and hip hop for so long… maybe its just not challenging for you?”

I wrote Zumba off as overrated.

Then 2 weeks ago, I was working out at a different gym location and I caught a glimpse of another Zumba class with a completely different teacher. That class looked HARD! so I made a note to give Zumba a second chance. Last weekend, I took my second Zumba class and Oh. My. Gosh! I got the best workout ever! (aside from the pooting)

I loved that it was constant movement for the entire class. When I take traditional dance classes we spend 20-30 minutes learning the routine and that doesn’t elevate my heart rate as much as I’d like. Because of the way Zumba works, there’s no time to slow down… I love that!

I guess my first Zumba experience was with a low-level instructor or something… because my second Zumba class has me hooked! As a matter of fact, I’m going to take a class tonight!

P.S. I lost 1 pound this week…

P.P.S. Don’t forget to enter the facebook Maxi-Dress giveaway….

Work Out Wednesday: Portion Control Tricks

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I refuse to get on the scale this week.

I’ve been sick with a cold since Thursday and haven’t had the energy to do much. If the scale moved in the wrong direction, it might send me over the edge, so I’m just going to skip my weigh in and try to get back on track for next Wednesday.

Even though I didn’t do much in the fitness department this week, I have been experimenting with the foods I eat. More specifically the portions. My Dad used to always caution us not to have “eyes that are bigger than your stomach” and I know that’s something that I struggle with. If I buy a block of cheese, I cut huge slices out of it. If I open a bag of pretzels, the whole thing is gone in one day. So even though the calorie or carb count of something may be low… the amount that I eat cancels out any weight loss benefits.

Sometimes I even shy away from grocery shopping because I feel like my purchases don’t last as long as they should. Of course, grocery shopping is the most cost effective option, so I’ve been trying different solutions to make sure I’m not overeating. Something that’s really worked for me is to get deli slices of cheese and limit myself to one slice when I’m making stuff like eggs or a sandwich.

In New York, there are delis on every corner ready to slice up my favorite meats and cheeses, but I also pick up deli slices at Target.

Using pre-sliced meats and cheeses has helped me balance my calorie intake more effectively and curb some of my overeating habits.

What portion control tricks to you use?

Work Out Wednesday: When You Assume….

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When I got to the gym to swim last week, all the lanes were full (full meaning 2, or more swimmers) except for one. I kicked off my sandals near the edge of the pool, waded into the water, and made my way to the lane where a middle aged man was preparing to start his laps.

“Hey, do you mind sharing this lane?” I asked.

He looked at me. “Maybe you’d be better off in the next lane over,” I looked over and saw two old ladies power walking in the pool.

“Um, those ladies aren’t even swimming,” I said, feeling my face get hot with a mix of annoyance and anger.

“I know,” he looked at me blankly “but I’m going to be swimming really fast. I just figured those ladies might be more your speed.”

I was stunned speechless. I could not believe that this guy thought he could tell how good of a swimmer I was just by looking at me. This was gymtimidation at its best.

“I’m just making a suggestion…” he said defensively.

“You’re not making a ‘suggestion‘ you’re making an assumption,” I replied flatly.

I could have explained to him that when a girl grows up in California with a pool in her back yard and takes swimming lessons for 5+ years, there’s a pretty good chance she can swim, even if she is plus size. But he wasn’t worth my energy. Instead I pulled my goggles over my eyes and swam at a good speed in his lane for 30 minutes.

People are so annoying… in other news, I lost 3 pounds this week!

This Weeks Work Outs: 3
Pounds Lost: 3
Weekly Goal: to get a swim, walk/run and yoga class in this week.

How’d you guys do?

Work Out Wednesday: The Scale Didn’t Move

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I hopped on the scale this morning and it didn’t budge. I’m still down 2 pounds from last week, but I didn’t lose anymore… boo!

I only got in 2 workout sessions this week because I haven’t been feeling well and my eating could have been better, but I did wake up at 6am on Monday to get another session of running in which was good.

Anyway, I’m kinda bummed about not losing weight this week, but I’m going swimming tonight after work. I have to stay motivated even though I didn’t do so well this week…

I hope you guys did better than me!

This Weeks Work Outs: 2
Pounds Lost: 2 out of 20
Weekly Goal: lose 3-4 pounds to offset this weeks slump.

Work Out Wednesday: Running

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As I walked into my apartment on Monday, the last thing I wanted to do was work out. I dropped my bag on my bed and collapsed next to it. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling and after taking a few minutes to breathe, I jumped up and got dressed to work out (I couldn’t skip a workout in the first week of Work Out Wednesdays!).

I made my way to my neighborhood park. The air was crisp, but not cold and being outside on a September evening started to feel really good. I walked as quickly as I could and I could feel my body wanting more, so I pumped my arms above my head to increase my heart rate. This was my third workout of the week and instead of feeling drained my body seemed to be wanting something more intense.

That’s when I remembered a comment on last weeks post from “G/W” who said:

CeCe, seriously. I mean this with all my heart- start running.I never thought I’d ever be able to run, it was one of the things “athletic” people do. But it’s one of those workouts that always challenges you because there’s always a goal to hit: running at X speed, running for X minutes, at X incline or beating X laps or X miles. And the weight just melts off.

So I ran. Well, I jogged… for like three minutes! It was the push my body needed My heart rate soared (in a good way) and I felt like I was pushing myself. I’m going to continue with this jogging/running idea, but I feel like I need to do some research on how to do it safely and correctly.

Anyway, this week was a good start. I got three work outs in instead of four, but I’ve really been watching my eating. So as of this morning, here’s where I am with my goals:

Work Outs: 3
Pounds Lost: 2
Next Weeks Goal: Jog and take a Yoga class

How did everyone else do?