As I've started this journey I've realized a few things about me. One of my biggest things is that I can have a temper. I'm a firm believer in "treating others the way you'd like to be treated." And it's pretty hard to have respect for someone when they don't respect you.
Now, as I've also mentioned before, I'm Irish. I know it's a stereotype, but I have an Irish temper...I can get pretty pissed off pretty quickly when people decide to be stupid. So that being said, it's safe to say that it's something I have to work on quite often to curb. I like to say that I do pretty good with controlling myself and not saying hurtful things to people around me...however I've noticed that this has led to me being walked over quite a bit by people who claim to be my 'friends'.
I will say right now I hate being the doormat. I'm the middle of five girls, so quite frankly I've often been the doormat. However as a now (mostly) adult I will say that I've started to stand up for myself and it's started to weed out the impostors. I've lost a few friends, and quite frankly it hasn't seemed to be a bad thing, but I've gained some new ones and my relationships have gotten even stronger with the ones who've stuck with me. There have been ups and downs to this and it's been incredibly stressful and painful, but I'm starting to realize that I need to just suck it up and tell 'em off.
Anger is such a hard thing to control or even to quell. I care so much about the people that are around me that I often find myself holding onto hard feelings that I can't seem to get rid of. I carry around so much anger and bitterness, but I'm still the ever present friend who would do anything for anyone. I've started to be able to put those feelings aside because in the end, it's only hurting me. It doesn't hurt who I'm angry at - they couldn't care less.
Well here goes. My goal of the week is to let go. To let me be me and say screw them. This is my life and my story. I will lean on God to help me with this journey and this goal that I have for myself. Because God knows I'm going to need His help...probably more than I even know.
Here are some Bible verses that I'm going to be carrying around with me through the week
Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Ephesians 4: 26-27
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Hopefully that can help some of you guys out too...whether you believe in God or not. Being angry hasn't ever helped a bad situation get better. Have a great day :)
Peace
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
O.O what the...
Ok, I'm just typing this up super quick to let you guys know what's going on. So I started try the Mango Thin stuff and well...it's had some...interesting side effects. I'm not one to talk all about bodily functions on the internet or anything like that, but I mean this is an experiment to help people out.
So I noticed that I've had to urinate A LOT more since I started using the supplement and that, well, my urine was...how can I put this? Umm neon yellow. Now when I say neon, I mean sharpie yellow highlighter neon yellow. At first I thought "hey maybe I need to drink more water. Maybe it's just concentrated." Well I started drinking more water than what I was (which tends to be a bit) and that didn't really help at all. I also started to get headaches and just felt icky.
So in the end, I've stopped taking the supplement. It made me a little too worried and nervous about what it was doing on my insides there. Now don't get me wrong, it might work for other people. Everyone is different. No doubt about it. It just didn't work for me. If you try it out, let me know if it helped you or whatnot!
Peace
So I noticed that I've had to urinate A LOT more since I started using the supplement and that, well, my urine was...how can I put this? Umm neon yellow. Now when I say neon, I mean sharpie yellow highlighter neon yellow. At first I thought "hey maybe I need to drink more water. Maybe it's just concentrated." Well I started drinking more water than what I was (which tends to be a bit) and that didn't really help at all. I also started to get headaches and just felt icky.
So in the end, I've stopped taking the supplement. It made me a little too worried and nervous about what it was doing on my insides there. Now don't get me wrong, it might work for other people. Everyone is different. No doubt about it. It just didn't work for me. If you try it out, let me know if it helped you or whatnot!
Peace
Monday, February 4, 2013
A Curious Experiment
Okay so it's pretty late (or pretty early depending on your perspective) and it's my first all-nighter this semester. I'm taking a break from homework and I figured I'd tell you about my little experiment.
I know that many of you have thought about trying 'diet pills' or maybe have even tried them. I've always been skeptical, and I've read some pretty negative things. So I figured I'd find out for myself and share the lovely experience with all y'all :)
For one month I'll be trying something called "Mango Thin." I picked it up on sale for $5 at Walgreens while I was home for the weekend. It's made with raspberry ketone and green tea. You take 2 tablets a day (with two separate meals) for 30 days. So here goes.
Peace
I know that many of you have thought about trying 'diet pills' or maybe have even tried them. I've always been skeptical, and I've read some pretty negative things. So I figured I'd find out for myself and share the lovely experience with all y'all :)
For one month I'll be trying something called "Mango Thin." I picked it up on sale for $5 at Walgreens while I was home for the weekend. It's made with raspberry ketone and green tea. You take 2 tablets a day (with two separate meals) for 30 days. So here goes.
Peace
Thursday, January 31, 2013
ow ow
Now when I say "ow ow" ;) I mean ow ow ow ow ow my body hurts...in a great way of course!
I've been pretty busy unfortunately and I'm really trying to make this blog an every day thing! I'm sorry it hasn't been and it's been a little all over the place, but things get like that when you're losing your sanity ;)
As many of you yourselves may be, I admit to being a severe Pinterest addict. If you have no clue what it is, Google it and be in awe. I have found so many cool, fun, unbelievably witty ideas and I can't get enough of it. One of my favorite categories is fitness. Now, admittedly, I love to repin it and put it on my board and I think "OO!! I'm going to try that sometime!" and then it sits on that board and I forget that it ever existed. I know that many of us pinners follow this terrible cycle. I am proud to announce that I have finally broke the chain!
Last night I printed off two workouts off my board that I've been meaning to try and I did them. Before I get into what they are, let's have a little chat. Now, I'm not sure how much you know about working out, but it can be boring, annoying, time consuming, space consuming, a pain in the diaphragm, among many other things. But the pros outweigh the cons by a long run (no pun intended!)!! Being overweight, or even just out of shape, can impact your health in a lot of negative ways. The average blood pressure is 120/80 mm of Hg (millimeters of Mercury for those of you who don't do med speak) and anything about 140/90 is considered hypertension (high blood pressure). Hypertension is just plain bad for your body because it makes your heart work a lot harder to get blood to all the places it needs to be. Diet and exercise are two of the most effective ways of lowering your blood pressure. If you're on medication, definitely talk to your doc about incorporating the natural treatments with your medication regimen. You might even be able to get your BP to a manageable state that can get you off the med completely (that is in no way a guarantee). You should always talk to your doctor about any new diet or exercise regimen, whether you're on medication or not, to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
Alright, now that my nursing teach-a-thon is out of the way, let's talk about the low-down nitty gritty. I love exercising...I'm overweight and out of shape, but I crave the way it makes me feel after. I always feel like I'm on top of the world and just overall great. Usually I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off so it can be hard for me to stop myself and say "Self. You need to make time for this. It's important!" I have low blood pressure (although I have a family history of high blood pressure so I check it often) and good cholesterol so I say "Eh. It can wait until tomorrow. I still have x,y, and z to take care of." Next thing I know I'm laying in bed metaphorically kicking myself in the butt for not working out. The chain then repeats and nothing really gets done. So, I found two pretty quick (not necessarily easy) workouts that I gave a shot last night, and it was sooo worth it!! You should always try to incorporate 20-30 minutes (minimum!) of cardio into your day. This gets your heart pumping, which is good exercise for it, and it can help to clear some of the plaque buildup off of your blood vessels! Which is great because in the long run it can decrease your chances of arteriosclerosis and a heart attack in the future. Along with cardio, which encourages weight loss, you should get in weight training. Weight training is great because it helps build muscle which burns more calories than fat at rest! Who wouldn't want that?? Another great plus is that it helps women who are at risk of developing osteoporosis or who have already been diagnosed. Weight bearing activities such as walking and even lifting weights (starting with light weights and increased repetitions and then moving up as appropriately recommended by their doctor) encourages the body to take calcium out of the blood stream and build it back into the bone. It isn't a cure all, but nothing is for anything negative related to health (in my own opinion).
Okay! Workouts! Sorry...the nurse part of me usually gets first dibs here ;) One more thing though! Always warm up and stretch out before you start! You'll be one sore hurt puppy the next day if you don't!
Do it Daily x2 Reps
20 Jumping Jacks
10 Crunches
5 Push-Ups
10 Calf Raises
25 Russian Twists
10 Squats
20 High Knees
10 Reverse Crunches
30 Second Plank
15 Second Side Plank (on each side)
Alrighty. A few notes. I put my yoga mat down and I found that I jump a lot higher and with more motivation because I say my feet can't drag up the sides of the mat or I have to do the jumping jack again. So feet on the mat then feet on the floor. No dragging! The crunches. Don't pull your head up. Use your abs to pull you body together and keep your nose pointing to the ceiling. Push ups - if you have to put your knees down, do it. Don't push yourself. Try to make it a goal to do one military and then the other four modified. Then 2 military and 3 modified, and so on. It's a manageable goal that gets you somewhere and shows your improvement. If you can do them all military, try to see how close to the floor you can get. Calf raises! These are a body weight workout. Like yoga, its all about going slow and maintaining control. Go up slow and go down slow...don't just let your heel fall to the floor. Russian twists will be the metaphorical death of me. They hurt and they can be tricky. Keep your core tight to keep your back supported-you don't want to get hurt! If you need more of a challenge, hold onto a weight at both ends and have at it. Again, going slow really can intensify this exercise, as well as how far back you lean. Squats, don't bend to far forward while you're doing them and try to go slow and push towards the floor with your buttocks and thighs. That's really what you want to be working with this exercise! High knees...one is a right AND a left. Not right knee up is one then left knee up is two. I find counting one and two and three and etc helps me to not skimp. LiveStrong has a good youtube video on how to do this exercise. Planks, do them however you're comfortable. Don't kill yourself but try as hard as you can to stay up! What I did was one circuit of this routine and then I threw in a short weight circuit.
I did 10 reps of each with 5 lbs weights (**I'll add the link I used to get to this to show pics!**)
"Tone your Arms in 7 Days"
Triceps Kickbacks
Biceps Curl and Front Press
90-Degree Raise
Standing Shoulder Fly
Reverse Curl & Side Press
Notes: The slower and more controlled movements you have the better results you'll see. Control your breathing to match your lift...so inhale and then as you exhale slowly lift the weights into the exercise and after you complete the move and are returning to start inhale slowly. It helps with controlling the weights, your form, and completing the whole movement.
I did the cardio once through instead of twice, then the arms and then the cardio again and then arms again and then I cooled down by walking around my building and stretching everything out! I hope you guys give this a stab and comment to let me know what you think of it! :)
Peace
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Goal-a-licious
SO! It's been almost a week and I'm struggling to get my butt up to work out. Now, it's not because I'm motivated. Because I am...I'm just finding it hard to find the time. But I figured I'd talk a little bit about my goals...and hopefully that'll help me pinpoint time frames :)
Last summer I actually started to really try to lose some weight. I've been an athlete plagued with injuries (wrenching my knee, dislocating my shoulder, appendicitis, well I think you get the idea) and it's been hard for me to be consistently active and healthy. I hate not being consistent. I think it's one of the most important things for someone to be. You have to be consistent in your life to really make things happen. Well anywho, about June/July I really started to work out and make a real effort to make myself feel better. By the end of the summer I had lost roughly 8 pounds and I looked like I had some muscle on my. What was even better was the fact that I felt a million times better. I didn't feel like I as always struggling to keep up with my life or like I was always about to fall asleep. Since then it's been up and down because of crazy schedules at school and such, and since then I've dropped another 2-3 pounds. So in all I'm 10 or 11 pounds lighter than I was last summer.
Now this was also the summer I tried the no shampoo thing (which wasn't all that bad) and I worked like a crazy person and then took on a new semester of nursing school. So I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm being a little over dramatic thinking that I can't manage to make time to do SOMETHING even though this semester will be even crazier than the last three.
Back to the point. I've talked to my doctor and I'm technically "obese" even though I don't even look close to it. I'm 5'7 and I look a little heavy, but not obese. A point that I'd love to make, by the way, is that those charts that they use don't take into consideration a lot of things. I'll tell you right now I'm built like an Irish boxer. There's no denying that I'm half Irish (the other half is Portuguese - I know...weird mix) and that I was built to be an athlete and what not. So one of my goals is to embrace that fact. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'll probably never be considered 'voluptuous' or have a Kardashian (should I put a copyright there...? ;) ) butt or anything like that. I won't be petite or a 'tiny little thing'...but I'm starting to realize that my body is the only body I'll ever get. You don't get many redo's when it comes to taking care of the one ya got. So here goes. My dad has high blood pressure and I'm worried about it. My brother has Type I Diabetes. So far every test I've had has come up clean. I have consistently low BP (usually 102/65ish) and great cholesterol. I'm going to start taking advantage of the momentum that I have left over from the summer.
So here's my first goal. By valentine's day (my one year anniversary with my amazing, handsome, supportive, caring, gentle, kind, and - ahem. Sorry) I'd like to have lost about 5 pounds. But that isn't the only part of it - I want to start looking toned. I want to be able to do at least one pull up (at some point in my life not necessarily Valentines haha) and do 10 actual push ups without putting my knees down. I also want to cut down my (already pretty small) soda intake down by at least half. I drink about 2-5 cans/servings of soda in a week and I really need to stop drinking it. I have issues with gluten, and a lot of the caramel coloring and ingredients have gluten. We'll leave that to another post though :)
My friends, let us toast our water and other healthy drinks such as green tea to accepting ourselves as who we are. Because the mirror doesn't lie...we do. And we all deserve to look at that mirror and realize that the mirror was telling us we were beautiful the whole time.
Last summer I actually started to really try to lose some weight. I've been an athlete plagued with injuries (wrenching my knee, dislocating my shoulder, appendicitis, well I think you get the idea) and it's been hard for me to be consistently active and healthy. I hate not being consistent. I think it's one of the most important things for someone to be. You have to be consistent in your life to really make things happen. Well anywho, about June/July I really started to work out and make a real effort to make myself feel better. By the end of the summer I had lost roughly 8 pounds and I looked like I had some muscle on my. What was even better was the fact that I felt a million times better. I didn't feel like I as always struggling to keep up with my life or like I was always about to fall asleep. Since then it's been up and down because of crazy schedules at school and such, and since then I've dropped another 2-3 pounds. So in all I'm 10 or 11 pounds lighter than I was last summer.
Now this was also the summer I tried the no shampoo thing (which wasn't all that bad) and I worked like a crazy person and then took on a new semester of nursing school. So I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm being a little over dramatic thinking that I can't manage to make time to do SOMETHING even though this semester will be even crazier than the last three.
Back to the point. I've talked to my doctor and I'm technically "obese" even though I don't even look close to it. I'm 5'7 and I look a little heavy, but not obese. A point that I'd love to make, by the way, is that those charts that they use don't take into consideration a lot of things. I'll tell you right now I'm built like an Irish boxer. There's no denying that I'm half Irish (the other half is Portuguese - I know...weird mix) and that I was built to be an athlete and what not. So one of my goals is to embrace that fact. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'll probably never be considered 'voluptuous' or have a Kardashian (should I put a copyright there...? ;) ) butt or anything like that. I won't be petite or a 'tiny little thing'...but I'm starting to realize that my body is the only body I'll ever get. You don't get many redo's when it comes to taking care of the one ya got. So here goes. My dad has high blood pressure and I'm worried about it. My brother has Type I Diabetes. So far every test I've had has come up clean. I have consistently low BP (usually 102/65ish) and great cholesterol. I'm going to start taking advantage of the momentum that I have left over from the summer.
So here's my first goal. By valentine's day (my one year anniversary with my amazing, handsome, supportive, caring, gentle, kind, and - ahem. Sorry) I'd like to have lost about 5 pounds. But that isn't the only part of it - I want to start looking toned. I want to be able to do at least one pull up (at some point in my life not necessarily Valentines haha) and do 10 actual push ups without putting my knees down. I also want to cut down my (already pretty small) soda intake down by at least half. I drink about 2-5 cans/servings of soda in a week and I really need to stop drinking it. I have issues with gluten, and a lot of the caramel coloring and ingredients have gluten. We'll leave that to another post though :)
My friends, let us toast our water and other healthy drinks such as green tea to accepting ourselves as who we are. Because the mirror doesn't lie...we do. And we all deserve to look at that mirror and realize that the mirror was telling us we were beautiful the whole time.
Monday, January 14, 2013
New Semester
As a nursing student life is never very dull...or boring...or filled with copious amounts of unscheduled or unoccupied time. I started my new semester today, and the way it's looking I'm going to be very tired for a very long time.
I'm going to admit that it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed and overtired. I'm going to have to work extra hard at getting my workout in and really striving to eat healthy. I'm going to be using the TurboJam Series from Beach Body...I first used them a while ago and I absolutely fell in love with them! I don't get bored in the middle of the workout or any of that junk.
Well, I'm off to read a whole bunch of stuff for all my classes. I'll be more thorough later about my goals and my actual workouts and stuff.
Peace
I'm going to admit that it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed and overtired. I'm going to have to work extra hard at getting my workout in and really striving to eat healthy. I'm going to be using the TurboJam Series from Beach Body...I first used them a while ago and I absolutely fell in love with them! I don't get bored in the middle of the workout or any of that junk.
Well, I'm off to read a whole bunch of stuff for all my classes. I'll be more thorough later about my goals and my actual workouts and stuff.
Peace
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Day One
I'm new to this whole 'blogging' craze, so please bear with me!
Like so many others I've jumped on the 'it's a new year so I'm getting in shape and losing weight' bandwagon. Now some people may just call it a crazy train (I've admittedly done so in past years) and they can just take a back seat for now. I guess I just figure 13 is my lucky number - I don't know why it just has proven itself over the years. For this first post I'll let you know a little bit about me!
First off, I'm a 20 year old nursing student in the northeast. Yes, general I know...but that's sort of the idea ;) I'm the middle child of five girls...of a very large very Portuguese family (yeah chew on that one for a bit). I absolutely love to travel and I want to see more and more of my world. I'm a makeshift motivational speaker for my friends and roommates (but really who can't do that?). I love to do crafty things like crocheting and origami - so mostly things that involve sitting around on my butt!
And this is where our story begins my friends. I need some accountability - I guess that's my problem sometimes. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my workouts. But sometimes I would much rather crawl into bed and pass out than throw on my gym clothes and work out. Who isn't like that? We read magazines about celebrities who workout with incredible trainers for 2 hours a day 5 days a week, and in reality that is completely improbable for the average human being. We don't have the time, energy, space or money for that. We're the ones who have to work out in our living room because that's all we have darn it! Well that's all I have at least - and starting Sunday I'll have even less at my dorm. I'm hoping that by having this blog I'll become accountable to at least one person and I'll be an inspiration to someone. I hope that I'll be able to inspire someone to get up and get healthy so that they can lead a happier, healthier, stronger life. I know how it is to go into that fitting room and have someone ask does it fit? And all you can mutter is no because in reality I'd love to say fit what? me? Funnyyyy.
So ladies, and potentially gentlemen, here are the stats.
Height: 5'7''
Weight: 187 lbs.
Arm: 13''
Thigh: 24''
Waist: 39''
Hips: 45''
As ashamed and embarrassed by these as I am, there they are. My goal for this blog is to chart my progress and share tips and advise that I find along the way with all of you. Anecdotes, funny gym stories, delicious recipes, work out tips, you name it and it will probably make its way in here. Well guess, here's to kicking fit what.
Like so many others I've jumped on the 'it's a new year so I'm getting in shape and losing weight' bandwagon. Now some people may just call it a crazy train (I've admittedly done so in past years) and they can just take a back seat for now. I guess I just figure 13 is my lucky number - I don't know why it just has proven itself over the years. For this first post I'll let you know a little bit about me!
First off, I'm a 20 year old nursing student in the northeast. Yes, general I know...but that's sort of the idea ;) I'm the middle child of five girls...of a very large very Portuguese family (yeah chew on that one for a bit). I absolutely love to travel and I want to see more and more of my world. I'm a makeshift motivational speaker for my friends and roommates (but really who can't do that?). I love to do crafty things like crocheting and origami - so mostly things that involve sitting around on my butt!
And this is where our story begins my friends. I need some accountability - I guess that's my problem sometimes. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my workouts. But sometimes I would much rather crawl into bed and pass out than throw on my gym clothes and work out. Who isn't like that? We read magazines about celebrities who workout with incredible trainers for 2 hours a day 5 days a week, and in reality that is completely improbable for the average human being. We don't have the time, energy, space or money for that. We're the ones who have to work out in our living room because that's all we have darn it! Well that's all I have at least - and starting Sunday I'll have even less at my dorm. I'm hoping that by having this blog I'll become accountable to at least one person and I'll be an inspiration to someone. I hope that I'll be able to inspire someone to get up and get healthy so that they can lead a happier, healthier, stronger life. I know how it is to go into that fitting room and have someone ask does it fit? And all you can mutter is no because in reality I'd love to say fit what? me? Funnyyyy.
So ladies, and potentially gentlemen, here are the stats.
Height: 5'7''
Weight: 187 lbs.
Arm: 13''
Thigh: 24''
Waist: 39''
Hips: 45''
As ashamed and embarrassed by these as I am, there they are. My goal for this blog is to chart my progress and share tips and advise that I find along the way with all of you. Anecdotes, funny gym stories, delicious recipes, work out tips, you name it and it will probably make its way in here. Well guess, here's to kicking fit what.
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