Gotta Have Goals, Baby!

THE FOLLOWING IS A MESSAGE TO MY CLIENTS:

Ya gotta have goals! WRITE THEM DOWN. Once on paper, they're harder to ignore or forget about. Please, make them attainable goals at first, then something that's of your comfort level second. THEN, find something that scares the absolute crap out of you, and write it down too.


THE FOLLOWING IS A MESSAGE TO REMIND MYSELF OF WHERE I WANT TO BE:

Immediate Goals:
1. Follow nutrition LIFESTYLE (it's not a diet) for 1 week without "cheating".
2. Walk for 20-30 minutes, 4 times that week.

Short Term Goals:
1. Lose 5 pounds.
2. Run 2 miles without stopping.
3. Exercise a minimum of 4 times a week, even if it is just for 20-30 minutes.
4. Include weight training exercise at least 3 times a week.
5. Maintain and/or adjust new eating lifestyle, and feel like a rock star again.

We will gladly trade our makeshift headbands
in for the orange Tough Mudder ones!

Long Term Goals:
1. Drop to 15-16% body fat.
2. Run a half marathon.
3. Take some awesome fitness pics to show off to the world. Hey, I earned it so you people should have to look at it!
4. No need for nutrition goals. I eat like a champion daily, and it's second nature to me.

Bucket List Goals:
1. Run a Tough Mudder.
2. Bring a bunch of people that are just as motivated to do the Tough Mudder with me. I need some cool Facebook pics to rub it in.
3. Drink some beer. I deserve it! Where's my orange head band?!

You'll notice my goals start small. It's all about baby steps. If you want to climb Mt Everest, I say GO FOR IT!!! Do some preparation first! You aren't going to find a "Couch to Extreme Climbing in 2 months" book. Well, maybe you will, but the person who wrote it is probably a moron. It'll take some serious dedication and planning, but done correctly, and with support, I know you can do it!

The point is that the little goals lead to the uncomfortable goals. The uncomfortable goals become comfortable. Before you know it, you're a total beast! Imagine where you'll be in a year if you slowly but surely push yourself out of your comfort zone. The only person out there stopping you, is YOU!!!

I'm sure my mother thinks I'm the dumbest, smart person alive. I've had 6 major knee surgeries, a broken foot, avulsion fractures in my hip, 2 kids, nose surgery, hemorrhoid surgery, and a boob job. What sane person thinks they can run a Tough Mudder after all of that? Unless I do something medically that prevents me from trying, I'm going to do one. Even then, the surgeon (cuz it'd be a knee) will have to do some serious convincing... After all, I've seen pictures of guys in wheel chairs or without limbs finish one of these!

I don't lack the "heart". It'll be the conviction, or lack of, that takes over during the training.

DO YOU HAVE THE "HEART" TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH YOUR GOALS?

Interested in the Tough Mudder? Check out the link and let me know! www.toughmudder.com


P.S. I do not work for or get paid by the Tough Mudder people/organization or whatever. I just think it looks ridiculously fun!
AND
Always Always Always check with your doctor before embarking on any new nutrition "lifestyle" or exercise plan. I'm a personal trainer that blogs, NOT a doctor!


Find me on Twitter: @LauraHeddenPT

Junk food = Junk fuel

The first few days of this experiment were pretty fun. I allowed myself to have those foods that I normally don't eat. For breakfast, lunch and dinner I ate tacos, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, chips, shakes, cookies, and the list goes on and on and on... Vegetables? Hardly. Fruit? No way. Exercise? Didn't happen.

Not only did I experience physical changes from eating these foods, I also experienced emotional and mental changes. Days 1 and 2, I just felt guilty. I knew what I was doing to myself, and why, but I had to constantly justify it. While I was eating it, I had that "I'm doing something naughty" high. Within 5 minutes, I felt horrible about it. Was it really worth it? The sodium in all those foods raised my blood pressure to a point I thought I was having a heart attack. My hands swelled so much, I couldn't get my rings on or off or even tie my shoes comfortably.

After the first week, helloooooo crabby, irritable, and tired Laura. I felt lethargic, mentally AND physically. Not only that, I became flakier than normal. I forgot things I needed to do. I even put my workout shorts on inside out and didn't notice for 2 hours. I was very aware that as the pounds inched higher and higher, my self-esteem dropped lower and lower. Amazing. I'm a pretty confident person, but as my clothes got tighter and tighter, I felt less attractive. I stayed home rather than take my girls to the pool or park. Dressing for church was a huge chore. Can't wear the same baggy top every week! Frustrated with not having clothes I felt confident wearing, I snapped at Mike and the girls for no reason at all. 

My favorite jeans. They wouldn't go any higher.

"Mommy. Why are you doing exercises down the hall?"

Well, baby, you just gotta be healthy whenever you can!

"Good idea, Mommy! I'll do some too!"

and she did...

Actually, I was doing lunges and squats just to try to get my pants on. You know what I'm talking about. Spray a little water on your pants, then stretch, squat, pull with everything you've got! What I ended up with was a cry session on the floor! I expected them to be tight, not unwearable. After church, I had to unbutton my pants just to be comfortable in the car. Mike laughed at the marks on my stomach from the zipper digging in. Even my yoga and workout pants were tight! 

So not only did the 10+ pounds affect me, it affected my family too. The girls didn't understand why mommy turned so boring, sad and mean. At 5 and 3, I didn't want to explain to them what was going on. I did a lot of apologizing for being cranky. I still fed the girls our normal healthy meals. I ate those, then I ate another empty calorie, fat-filled one after they went to bed. 

I haven't slept well since this started. So add on a little more crankiness from fatigue. My body shut down around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, and I would just want to nap. I would show up to pick my girls up from school or activities looking like I just rolled out of bed. All the other mommies looked good, so that added to my low self-esteem problems. At night, I tossed and turned for hours only to have a restless night of sleep. My house was trashed because I didn't have the energy to clean it. Great. Consequently, I'm embarrassed to have anyone over. 

Now I crave the junk food. SERIOUSLY? It's only been 3-4 weeks! My hand is in the bag of chips all day long. I want some ice cream, so I take the girls to get some. OH NO!!! Not only am I being unhealthy, but I'm feeding my children junk as a treat or bribe so I don't have to take them on some outing that includes exercise. OH NO!!! After 3 weeks, my mental state has altered. I'm encouraging my healthy children to sit down and eat instead of play. We are all eating when we are bored. We are all cranky. This has to stop!

Time to get a handle on myself! Tomorrow, I share my goals. Short term and long term.

BMI vs Body Fat Percentages

Alright! Now that I've peaked some interest, some positive and some negative, let's get the ball rolling. Before I begin on the day to day of how I intend to lose this weight, let's devote a few posts to education.

Boring. Yawn. WE WANT TO SEE PICTURES, AND STEAL ALL OF YOUR WORKOUTS AND FOOD JOURNALS!!!!!

I hear you! OK! We should touch base on the previous post though.

I need to remind everyone that I do NOT think I am currently overweight. I AM NOT. You are going to watch an average person turn herself into an athlete. Was I previously overweight? YES. When I was in my early 20s, I weighed 170 pounds. At 5'5", that IS overweight. Yes, I played soccer competitively. Yes, I played well. Yes, I played the entire game. Yes, I was still one of the fastest girls in my league. YES, at 170 pounds, I was still active and successful. YES, I'm somewhat arrogant.

OK, back to the science-y stuff. What is BMI?

According to www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/defining.html, BMI is

"For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat. 
*An adult who has a BMI between 25-29.9 is considered overweight.
*An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

It is important to remember that although BMI correlates with the amount of body fat, BMI does not directly measure body fat. As a result, some people, such as athletes, may have a BMI that identifies them as overweight even though they do not have excess body fat."

So according to the calculator on their website, my BMI was 28.3=overweight. At that time, however, I lifted weights constantly. I did an extreme amount of plyometrics. My legs were VERY strong. I wish I had my exact body fat percentage from then, but I can't seem to find it. I'm pretty sure I remember what it was though. We'll come back to that.

So college was over, I had a few major knee surgeries (that's why one leg is bigger than the other) and I lost the weight. I lost fat and muscle. I didn't lift and my caloric intake was lower because I didn't eat in the college cafeteria every day. I dropped to 135 pounds and a size 6-8. I was feeling pretty darn good about myself, and rightfully so!  BMI 22.5

The day I gave birth to my oldest daughter, I still didn't weigh as much as I did in college. I topped the scale, the night before she was born, at 168. I lost 20 in the hospital. Then after 2 months of maternity leave, jumped back on the workout train. I counted every calorie I ate, and tracked every calorie I burned. For 9... Solid... Months... UGH. I earned every single pound I lost. I got back down to 135 at that time, and wore a size 2-4. BMI 22.5

Brinley cooked for 3 more weeks than Emerson did, and incidentally, I gained 10 more pounds with that pregnancy. All I could think of was how many more months it would take to get that last 10 pounds off, which I did. That time it took 11... Solid... Months... of the exact same stuff. I got back down to 135 pounds, and wore a size 0-2. BMI 22.5

"Now, hang on just a minute there, missy!!! You said you weighed 135 pounds at 3 separate times in your life, yet you wore a different size jean. I don't get it!"

June 23, 2012    16% body fat

Back to science-y stuff!

"UGH! WHY? JUST TELL US WHAT TO DO!!!"

No, you need to learn something, too.

How is BMI different than Body Fat Percentages? BMI measures muscle, bone, fat, and water. Body Fat measurements only include fat.

So how did I decrease my body fat without losing lean muscle mass? I ate better, cleaner, more nutritious foods. I exercised ALOT. I did cardiovascular work as well as resistance training. Lean muscle mass increases your metabolism, and turns your body into a fat burning machine.





At 170, in college, I *think* I remember being anywhere from 25-27%. Which isn't bad at all for what I weighed.
After Emerson was born, I was about 20-21%.
After Brinley was born, I was 18-20%.
Before I decided on this little experiment, I was 16-18%.

We all have fluctuations. Those are ok as long as they are small fluctuations. I included the following to give all you analytical types something to check out.

Keep following! We'll have more fun stuff to talk about this weekend!

******************************************
Here's a handy formula I copied from acefitness.org: I do not claim the following text. The author is listed at the bottom.

 **CAUTION: If you hate algebra, please disregard this formula and skip to next paragraph.

Desired body weight = Lean body weight/(1-desired body fat percentage)

Desired body weight = how much you will weigh when you achieve your desired body fat percentage.

Lean body weight = how many pounds of rock-hard, lean tissue you have right now (to know this you have to get your body composition measured.  Basically, what is not fat is lean).

Desired body fat percentage = your goal body fat percentage (in decimal form).

For example, Angela weighs 120lbs and has 25% body fat (30lbs fat, 90lbs lean).  Her goal is to have 20% body fat.  How much weight will she need to lose (assuming all of the weight loss comes from fat)?

Desired body weight = 90/(1-.20) = 113lbs

So she would need to lose 7lbs to achieve her goal (120-113=7).

What is my ideal body fat percentage?

Remember that ideal body fat percentage is different for men compared to women, as women require a higher body fat percentage in order to maintain menstruation and the ability to have children (see chart).  If you are curious to know what your body fat percentage is, check out the ACE website to find a fitness professional near you who can measure your body fat percentage, assess your official fitness, and get you on your way to a healthier, more fit you in 2010.

Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD, is a registered dietitian and recent graduate of the UNC School of Medicine. She is an ACE-certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, and holds additional certifications with the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. 

Find me on Twitter! @LauraHeddenPT