30 Day Shed part 2

OK she here are the pics I promised. I must be crazy for telling all you guys my actual measurements and weight but in order to do this right I am going to share the details in order to provide you with the best possible solution to getting the weight off.
As of 3/30/2012 my weight and Measurements were.......
Weight:
155lbs
Measurements:
Neck - 12.5"
Chest - 36"
Biceps's - 11.5" 
Waist - 32" 
Hips - 40"
Thigh's - 23"
Calf's - 15.5"

If you aren't sweating you are NOT Losing!!!! This picture was taken post workout 1 on the 30 day shed

Food Day 1:

Here is what I did day one on the 30 day shed. I ate 1200 calories.

Breakfast was 1 pkg apple cin oatmeal (sugar free), a snack of emerald cocoa almonds (100cal), lunch was a can of progresso light soup, with 1 slice Kraft American fat free cheese 25 cal. 3 oz of baby carrots, 2 tbsp hummus, for a snack later I had 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp honey, on 2 slices 35 cal wheat bread. for dinner we had a client in town so we went to a restaurant and I ordered grilled chicken breast( skinless, no marinade, no seasoning) a side salad with fat free honey mustard on the side, corn( I opted for corn over the green beans because I asked how they were prepared and they had both bacon and butter in them, the corn did not, I got it with NO BUTTER) then I ate 1 dinner roll since i had an additional 850cal to consume over my 1200 because after my work that was how much I burned.  I also made sure to drink a min of 10 glasses of H20 not including 2 glasses of UN sweet tea. Remember each bottle of H20 you drink counts as 2 glasses of h20. 

WORKOUT DAY 1:

45 min on the elliptical(Start -5 min resistance level 1; min 5-10 resistance level 6; min 10-15 resistance level 10; min 15-25 resistance level 16 (the max); min 25-30 resistance level 10;min 30-35 resistance level 6; min 35-45 resistance level 1)  If you do not have access to an elliptical you can run for 45 min on the road( that was what I use to do when I was losing my weight because it wasn't until a few months ago my husband purchased out elliptical) 

I followed my elliptical training with 5 min of planks, ( I did all 5 min at once but you can build to that if need be do 1 min take 30 sec to 1 min off then do another min until you reach 5 min) Next was 600 crunches( I alternated every set of 100 with knees, so the 1st set were normal crunches, the next set of 100 was to each side alternating knees, back to normal, then knees etc...) Followed by 100 Plies( this exercise is tough to explain but stick with me you spread you legs into the wide leg squat position, then lift up your body onto your toes, then do squats on your toes, never letting your heels touch the ground) I will try to get someone to take pics of me doing each exercise to post at a later date. I followed those with 200 squats, then 100 side bends(which work your obliques) I will post more tonight or tomorrow about the exercises I did today. Hope this gets you started right.

Until next time take care and keep sweating!!!

Kristen's 30 day Shed!

OK so today I am starting my version of Jillian Michaels 30 day shed. I have designed a workout and diet that when combined together will produce amazing results. I plan on posting new pics, measurments and weight every 5 days on this site to show the results. I will be doing this using only my own body weight, for strength training, 2,  5lb hand weights, 2 dvd's, the road for running & my eliptical to show that you can do this without expensive diets, no fancy exercise equipment etc...
 Please check back because tonight I will post pics, weights and my diet and workout for day 1!

Hydrate, Hydrate, & Hydrate some more!

OK I know my posts have kinda been all over the place and for that I am sorry. However I post what I feel, the issues I am facing. Today I want to talk about hydration and over doing it.  I am working on some great meal plans, take out and fast food tips and hints so keep watching weekly for that, however today we have to address this issue!
If you are my facebook follower you know that I had a bit of a scare this week. Wednesday I went for my daily run. I ran 8 miles as I have many many many times before, but this time was different. I am going to be real with you my readers I made a mistake. I know better, I am careful and very very set on hydration usually. This week however I got sloppy and let my guard down, I ate some carbs prior to running, I had my morning coffee like always(yes coffee) I will explain that more in a bit, I downed a bottle of h20 and away I went. During the heat of the summer I always take a hydration belt equipped with 2 - 4 oz bottles of water, my keys and phone, but in the winter months I tend to neglect it since I don't usually over heat while running. MISTAKE.  I had planned on running 10 miles but at mile 8 I couldn't go any more, my side hurt and I was cramping. I walked 1 mile home and once I got home downed 2 bottles of water & ate some protein and carbs. Too little too late I am afraid! I couldn't stop shaking, I was nauseous, and dizzy and my pulse wouldn't come down for hours it stayed in the 90's. It was a very scary feeling. This event made me realize that I am not unstoppable! I have limits, and despite my new found fitness, health and athlete, I can not neglect my bodies needs anymore.  It made me realize that while I am healthy now how many years did I waste poisoning my body with toxic junk food, drinks, and negative thoughts.  Truth is we will never know the affects all that junk has on our bodies long term even after we quit it.  It made me realize I have to fight even harder to help those that are still in that place I was and mostly I realized I have to stop and listen to my body.
That said let me help you with some tips on keeping hydrated.
Tip (1) Do not drink more then 1 cup coffee, energy drink or one 5 hr energy prior to working out.  While a small amount of caffeine is good for working out(it actually helps you to feel less pain, & helps your body to perform) ( info found in runners world.com) But too much dehydrates you and makes your heart race.
(2) Despite what some say make sure to drink at least 16 oz of h20 prior to running or working out. This water hydrates your body and gives it fuel to run properly.
(3) Make sure you work out with something in your stomach. Food is also critical in preventing fatigue and dehydration. The food in combination with H20 fuels you and helps you perform at peak.  Too little and you wont have enough energy to complete a work out, you will get dehydrates and your body wont burn calories properly.
(4) Take water or a sports drink with you to refuel during your workout. the key is to drink 1 oz per 10 min of workout. This is ideal, not always obtainable but it is recommended. I try to spread 8 oz out over 1 hr most of the time. If I work out more then that I stop and refill my containers to not run into problems.
(5) Make sure you intake a min of 16 oz of water and 150-200 cal within 15 min of ending a hard run. This is something I learned for professional runners and it was in the fall issue of runners world. This helps to prevent cramps, runners (muscle lock) and dehydration. If your refuse to eat at least drink the water. You need it to replace the water lost during exercise.

I do not want to pretend I am an expert at hydration or exercise yet however I know that it is easy to make a mistake and if I can help you to remember or learn something you didn't know that will help you prevent a mistake, that's my goal. 
Something else that I have heard someone say before is I will not eat that many calories after a workout cause if so what was the point of working out. Let me assure you it is worth it, the point is to help your body burn more calories, exercise helps improve metabolism and it helps you to get stronger and healthier. eating is necessary to fuel your body and run properly. Your not killing your diet if you eat the right 150-200 cal after working out. and Hydration is key too, Remember water doesn't have calories do Drink up!!!