Biceps!

One of my goals this year is to develop arm muscles. I started with VERY little muscle, but have now progressed to this:

You can see the mild definition there lol.

I've been doing about 15 minutes of arm exercises when I go to the gym. Ive noticed that I've gradually been able to use heavier and heavier weights. I do bicep curls with 15lb weights now, and hold a 30lb bar overhead while I do squats.

And this is just the beginning! These are the arms I aspire to, and the abs! I will always have more of a bottom than this model though haha, and Im ok with that :)

Another indicator of my slow but definite progress? I was able to get through Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown DVD!!

I hadn't even been able to complete the full 30 minutes of Level one before, as it is VERY arm muscle intensive. She has you in planks and downward dog most of the session, and my arms would just wobble and give out before. Not anymore :D It was great realizing Im stronger!!

One of my body builder friends said that it isnt so much about muscle, as that takes a while to build...its about cutting the fat over the muscle.

He said I already have abs and arm muscles (and its true, I can do full sit ups now nooooo problem!) but I need to get rid of the layer of fat over the muscle. I think if I can eat really clean for a month or so that will get me to 115 pounds and uncover some of these hidden muscles!

 I eat pretty well, but I definitely don't do loads of vegetables and salads every day. It would be a good cleanse. I probably need to increase my cardio. Since I reached my goal weight of 120 I cut back to just 20 minutes or so on the Arc, as I have been focused more on toning.

Im starting tennis on Thursday so hopefully that contributes to my biceps goal :) I've never played before, I will let you know how much I suck at it haha

Heartbreak, Australia, and my fitness goals

Kangaroos and Emus, cant get more Australian than that!

Sooooooo.....I have been missing in action for a while. I don't want to spill the beans on my personal life too much considering this is a fitness blog, but yes, I did go through heartbreak.  I took some time off to recover. I was touched by the kindness of my friends and co-workers. And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger....

Sometimes things fall apart so better things can come together...thats all I'm going to say. But I'm feeling very happy right now and have some incredible people in my life ;)

In other news...I took a three week trip to Australia to see my family! It was AMAZING!!! (well, besides the 30 hours of travel time...)

I forgot how good Aussie food is! I ate a lot of yummy things (but made sure I walked alot of hills too!)

Haloumi cheese! YUM

SCONES!!

Family breakfast!

Bubble tea!

I still didnt put on too much weight though, love being fit!!

Sisters <3

I've been healthy this whole time though! I didn't drown my sorrows in tubs of ice cream LOL...the gym was a great place to keep my head together, and all I have in my house is healthy stuff to eat so thats what I did.

 I'm at my super duper I didnt ever think I would get here goal weight of 120 pounds now!! And developing abs and arm muscles (not super visible yet but I can FEEL them!!)

I'm trying to get fit enough to join a boot camp class later this month (I'm kinda scared!) and a friend and I want to try belly dancing (will chronicle that for you if it all goes to plan!)

Ok, bye now, much love

Does Eating Fruits and Veggies Make Us More Attractive?

 

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/03/08/does-eating-fruits-and-veggies-make-us-more-attractive/#.T1j66mS1ubx.facebook

 

(interesting article!!)

 

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Eating lots of fruits and veggies may not only improve our overall health, but may actually make us more attractive, according to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE.
That’s because the yellow-red pigments found in fruits and vegetables, called carotenoids, are associated with changes in skin color, the authors found.  They also found that the skin pigment changes may be viewed as healthier and more attractive.
Researchers from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland monitored the fruit and vegetable intake of 35 Caucasians over a six-week period and measured skin color changes.  In a separate experiment, they investigated how attractive people found the skin color changes associated with the increased intake of fruits and vegetables.
Increasing consumption of carotenoids is associated with a more yellowish skin tone, and the authors also found that eating more fruits and vegetables correlated with skin that appeared to have a healthy red tone.
“Such coloration is held to contribute beneficially to the appearance of health in human faces as is the case with skin yellowness,” the authors wrote.
The effects on skin color required only a moderately increased intake of fruits and vegetables, they said.
Carotenoids are made by plants.  They are distributed through the bloodstream to various organs, including the skin.  Previous studies have found that high levels of carotenoids offer protection against ultraviolet radiation by decreasing the skin’s sensitivity to redness caused by UV light.
But it’s the perception on attractiveness that the authors think could potentially be the key to encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables, something that adults in the U.S. and the U.K. don’t do very much.
“Such inadequate intake is estimated to precipitate 2.6 million premature deaths per year worldwide,” they wrote.  “Fruit and vegetable consumption affects skin carotenoid levels; this may lead to skin color change in a fashion that is known to contribute to the appearance of health.  It follows that dietary change may be motivated by illustrating to individuals these beneficial effects on appearance.”
The authors also add, however, that further research is needed to determine whether carotenoids affect non-Caucasians the same way.

Family Crisis

Sorry there havent been any posts recently. I'm going through a really hard personal time.

A new haircut and a recipe for tofu lasanga

I've had a two week hiatus from the gym as I was sick. I never thought I would say this....but I miss it! Its an effort to cram it into my life (I was so busy over the past two weeks I found myself wondering HOW I ever got four workouts a week into my schedule) but its worth the effort!!

 I find that I feel happier when I workout, my energy is better and my average mood is a little more elevated. I also fall asleep faster. I've been trying to stick to the 8 hours sleep a night resolution, but I find myself lying awake for an hour. I think its because Im not physically tired. The gym sure helps with that!

Over the weekend I got a haircut with more layers, and bangs! They are just long, side swept bangs but I something a little different. My stylist also razored the ends, something I've never had done before.

Gosh I look different- this is me two and a half years ago

I also celebrated my friends birthday  with cocktails and cake....

SO good!


I also wante to share this recipe is great for vegan lasagna http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/tofulasagna.htm

I only used one pack of whole wheat lasagna, 1 bottle of organic tomato sauce and baked it in a 9inch square cake pan. I added chopped fresh mushrooms to it too. I've never blended tofu before, but its a great idea! With a little soy milk it becomes very ricotta like! I added in extra spices too, I like a bit of chili, nutritional yeast  and pepper in my tofu.

I really liked it and so did Ty!

Sugar makes you sick!

I haven't posted recently because I'm sick with a horrible cold. Its been OVER A YEAR since I was last sick! I had this great streak of good health because I was working out and eating right. Last flu season I went home sick from work several times. This year I had been doing well- co-workers were coughing all around me but I held up!

 My diet and exercises were keeping my immunity high. Then last week I had my braces off (yay!!!) I had tons of candy given to me. My orthodontist gave me a bag of candy I hadn't been able to eat with braces- tootsie rolls, lollipops, gum, chocolate (first time a dentist has ever given me candy LOL). My co-worker gave me amazing toffees from Hawaii. Ty surprised me with a bunch of balloons tethered to little candies all over my room



he knows my love of balloons!



I didnt eat all of it, but I did eat more sugar than I had in forever!! And then I got sick. Days of coughing, fever and lethargy. There is a lot of research out there that says SUGAR LOWERS YOUR IMMUNITY- its true!

source-http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

There is something called a "phagocytic index" which tells you how rapidly a particular macrophage or lymphocyte can gobble up a virus, bacteria, or cancer cell. It was in the 1970's that Linus Pauling realized that white blood cells need a high dose of vitamin C and that is when he came up with his theory that you need high doses of vitamin C to combat the common cold.

We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another upon entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.

PS. I also didn't work out that week for the first time in months. I was trying to catch up to school work and work work and house work and all the gazzilion and one things I had to do. I think that was a factor too.

PPS- I also recently read about how sugar FEEDS CANCER CELLS. And a friend of mine told me that when her sister goes in for her MRI they activate the cancer by giving her sugar water. It helps the cancer cells light up in the scan. Wow!

I hope this post helps scare you off sugar. The excessive quantities we have availible to consume if we choose to us are poisonous to our bodies.  

 Check out these stats:

(from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx)

• In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
• In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
• In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
• In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!

A little now and then is OK, but even then I think we underestimate how much sugar is already in our diet. Its in our yogurts, our granola, bread, peanut butter, pasta sauce, and ketchup. I'm an admitted sugarholic, so realizing how unnecessary it is to sustain my body and how it really is just a matter of indulgence is important.

I lost weight funnily enough, even though I ate a ton while sick (lots of micro-nutrient filled soups and smoothies) and did nothing to burn of the energy but sleep! Maybe its because I didnt eat out at all and made my own healthy foods.

Bootcamp!

This morning a Groupon offered a great deal: 1 month of unlimited boot camp classes for only $29, (a $129 value!) At first I wasnt sure it would be for me- the boot camp website intimidated me! There are lots of pictures of people carrying tires, doing push ups and looking like they are about to drop dead with exhaustion.




Then I realized the Groupon doesnt expire until July this year and I have time to get fitter (its suggested you are intermediate fitness for this- I feel I am strong enough in my lower body but definitely lacking upper body strength!).

I looked at weather charts for Florida for the year and decided that May is a good date to aim to join the boot camp - heights of 87 degrees (rather than the 90's of June/July), and lower rainfall than usual too.

 So I bought the Groupon and now have three and a half months to get fit enough to handle a boot camp! Eeeeek!!

So how am I going to get there? Currently I can do ONE push-up (sad but true!!)

*Focus on weights at the gym. I do 15 minute weight sessions each time I go then go to the cardio machines, but I will probably need to get a little more serious about this and actually make myself a 'set' of exercises to do and actually research proper lifting technique...and do push-ups!

*Do Jillian's 30 Day Shred at Least twice a week- or P90X - I own both. I assume boot camp workouts would be similar to these DVDs as you dont use a lot of weights/etc.  Its all about using the weight of your own body.

I'm kind of excited about this. I get into workout ruts and maybe a month of boot camp will be JUST what I need this year to push me into super star fitness

Each 60-minute boot-camp session targets a different muscle group with high-intensity, nontraditional exercises that incorporate cardio, strength training, and resistance miming. Coupling calisthenics such as sit-ups, squats, and lunges with nutrition advice, the boot-camp classes transmogrify chub-ridden bodies into lean, healthy machines

Bootcamp inspiration :)

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In other news- I've been keeping to my sleep goal and feeling great! :) WOW, its amazing how different I feel with 7.5-8 hrs! My body seems to go for that rather than 9- if I try to get 9 I just lay there for a while :( Haven't had to have soda or coffee or tea (except for one cup of green tea a day, after lunch)  Unlike last week! Im controlling my snacking more (even healthy snacking eg. almonds- can get outta control!!) and feel more alert :)