Monday, December 7, 2009
Taking the "good" food for granted.
It's funny how the foods that we eat everyday influence the way we feel and operate. I have always known that the healthier we eat, the better we will feel. Until recently,each day my diet consisted of Pepsi, greasy foods, fast food, and sugar, a lot of sugar. Last week I began getting a severe pain in my right side. I went to the doctor and was referred to a surgeon. The surgeon thought that it could be my gallbladder, but I am still going through tests to figure out what it is. He told me to change my diet and cut out caffeine, greasy food, and carbs. It is a very hard thing to do, since I depended on caffeine on a daily basis. My meals use to consist of a lot of fatty, unhealthy items that left me feeling gross, but now my meals have to consist of water, apples, and vegetables. It is a major change, but I am slowly getting use to it. The lesson I have learned from this all is to take care of your body and your health should stay good. I don't know the results of all my medical tests yet, but it has helped me realize that I am what I eat. I will keep you posted. Until next time...-Elizabeth
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Working those ABS! by: Amanda
Hi everyone. I'm sure many of you out there have tried endlessly to get your abs into shape to no avail. But fear not...it's not that you're not trying hard enough, it's just that you're neglecting to remember the FERST rule!
In order to get great looking abs, simple crunches aren't enough: You have to take into account other parts of your body as well. As an aerobics instructor, we're taught to teach different parts of the FERST rule during ab training exercises. The following depicts each step of the rule, which should be done to properly train your abs. So, if you've been struggling, consider the following!
Examples
Flexion Exercises:
1. The simple ab crunch
2.The double leg raise (raising both legs up straight while keeping your back on the floor).
Extention Exercises (involves the lower back):
1. "Superman" (lying on your stomach while raising the arms and legs in an alternating style)
2. "Good Mornings" (bending down as far as you can with your back straight)
Rotation:
1. The Russian Twist (using a partner and passing a medicine ball at your sides while your backs are touching)
2. Shoulder-to-knee side crunches
3. The dreaded "BICYCLE"! (keeping your abs in and back on the ground while pumping out your legs in an alternating motion)
Stabalization:
1. Sitting against the wall with your back pressed firmly against the wall and your knees in a squatting position. You'll need to hold the position for awhile
Transfer of Force
1. While kneeling, throw a medicine ball into the air, catch, and repeat.
Try following these exercices, one by one, for each of your workouts. If you don't have a medicine ball, you can use weights or something heavy that will require you to work a bit harder.
Good luck!!!
~Amanda
Hi everyone. I'm sure many of you out there have tried endlessly to get your abs into shape to no avail. But fear not...it's not that you're not trying hard enough, it's just that you're neglecting to remember the FERST rule!
In order to get great looking abs, simple crunches aren't enough: You have to take into account other parts of your body as well. As an aerobics instructor, we're taught to teach different parts of the FERST rule during ab training exercises. The following depicts each step of the rule, which should be done to properly train your abs. So, if you've been struggling, consider the following!
Examples
Flexion Exercises:
1. The simple ab crunch
2.The double leg raise (raising both legs up straight while keeping your back on the floor).
Extention Exercises (involves the lower back):
1. "Superman" (lying on your stomach while raising the arms and legs in an alternating style)
2. "Good Mornings" (bending down as far as you can with your back straight)
Rotation:
1. The Russian Twist (using a partner and passing a medicine ball at your sides while your backs are touching)
2. Shoulder-to-knee side crunches
3. The dreaded "BICYCLE"! (keeping your abs in and back on the ground while pumping out your legs in an alternating motion)
Stabalization:
1. Sitting against the wall with your back pressed firmly against the wall and your knees in a squatting position. You'll need to hold the position for awhile
Transfer of Force
1. While kneeling, throw a medicine ball into the air, catch, and repeat.
Try following these exercices, one by one, for each of your workouts. If you don't have a medicine ball, you can use weights or something heavy that will require you to work a bit harder.
Good luck!!!
~Amanda
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Working on the Inside
Hello everyone...
I hope everyone survived their Thanksgiving holiday. I had a wonderful food and family filled day, and I managed not to put on any weight from the stuffing and pie! All in moderation, I guess.
And I hope my fellow livinghealthy5 ladies are surviving the last few weeks of a very hectic semester. We can do it, girls! [let's be honest: do we have a choice??]
My 4th and probably final post is a look at the tougher side of weight loss-the emotional effects. Losing the weight is difficult, but it's only half the battle. Working on loving yourself takes time too, and in most cases can be even harder.
Before my weight loss, I had been the heavy girl my entire life. I was never teased or tormented (fortunately), but I was consumed by the fact that I didn't look as pretty as the girls on t.v., or my friends even. I wanted desperately to fit in to the cool clothes everyone was wearing at the time (you know, the Abercrombie's and Hollister's of the world that say they carry an x-large but would never fit over my hips or boobs). I wanted to be the same size as my friends, so I was always comparing myself to them. I also have a mom who is incredibly fit and thin and has been her whole life. While she never put me down because of my weight, she was always giving me tips and advice on how to get healthy. She knew I was unhappy and that losing weight meant happiness. Her suggestions made me think she was more unhappy about my weight than I was. (I know now that everything she ever tried to do for me was out of love. After all, my mom is the BEST.)
So I've lost the weight. I now fit into the same sizes as my smaller friends. I'm happy to say that, according to standards, I no longer fit into the obese and over-weight categories for my height. I'm incredibly proud of my accomplishments, however...
Most days, I still feel like the fattest girl in the room. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my weight or losing more weight before my wedding. Instead of comparing myself to the skinny girls and wishing I could be more like them, I'm comparing myself to the skinny girls and wishing I could be skinnier than them. After a life-long battle with self-esteem and body issues, I'm finding it difficult to let that go with the weight.
Weight loss is a simple idea--it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It takes strong will and determination, but it is possible for everyone by following simple rules. The emotional and psychological work is the difficult skill--a technique I have yet to master. I'm sure that once I hit my weight-loss goal (another 15 and final pounds) it will be easier. I need to find satisfaction in my progress and realize that the only person that can make me happy is me.
Thanks for listening all!!
*sara
I hope everyone survived their Thanksgiving holiday. I had a wonderful food and family filled day, and I managed not to put on any weight from the stuffing and pie! All in moderation, I guess.
And I hope my fellow livinghealthy5 ladies are surviving the last few weeks of a very hectic semester. We can do it, girls! [let's be honest: do we have a choice??]
My 4th and probably final post is a look at the tougher side of weight loss-the emotional effects. Losing the weight is difficult, but it's only half the battle. Working on loving yourself takes time too, and in most cases can be even harder.
Before my weight loss, I had been the heavy girl my entire life. I was never teased or tormented (fortunately), but I was consumed by the fact that I didn't look as pretty as the girls on t.v., or my friends even. I wanted desperately to fit in to the cool clothes everyone was wearing at the time (you know, the Abercrombie's and Hollister's of the world that say they carry an x-large but would never fit over my hips or boobs). I wanted to be the same size as my friends, so I was always comparing myself to them. I also have a mom who is incredibly fit and thin and has been her whole life. While she never put me down because of my weight, she was always giving me tips and advice on how to get healthy. She knew I was unhappy and that losing weight meant happiness. Her suggestions made me think she was more unhappy about my weight than I was. (I know now that everything she ever tried to do for me was out of love. After all, my mom is the BEST.)
So I've lost the weight. I now fit into the same sizes as my smaller friends. I'm happy to say that, according to standards, I no longer fit into the obese and over-weight categories for my height. I'm incredibly proud of my accomplishments, however...
Most days, I still feel like the fattest girl in the room. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my weight or losing more weight before my wedding. Instead of comparing myself to the skinny girls and wishing I could be more like them, I'm comparing myself to the skinny girls and wishing I could be skinnier than them. After a life-long battle with self-esteem and body issues, I'm finding it difficult to let that go with the weight.
Weight loss is a simple idea--it's all about calories in vs. calories out. It takes strong will and determination, but it is possible for everyone by following simple rules. The emotional and psychological work is the difficult skill--a technique I have yet to master. I'm sure that once I hit my weight-loss goal (another 15 and final pounds) it will be easier. I need to find satisfaction in my progress and realize that the only person that can make me happy is me.
Thanks for listening all!!
*sara
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