Month: September 2017

Every MWF a part of my daily trek is to go to my class on the third floor in Willard. And every MWF I am out of breath by the second set of stairs. I used to be discouraged by this but not anymore.

 

I recently splurged and bought myself a Garmin vivosmart Hr watch. What is this you ask? Here is a picture. What does it do? Let me tell you. My handy dandy new toy displays steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed, sleep, and activity intensity. It also receives texts, calls, and shows me all social media alerts and notifications. And it is SOOOO SATISFYING.

Although I do more strength training than cardio it has been very encouraging to see my stats over the last few weeks. Walking around campus MWF I do around 7 miles per day and get around 12,000 steps in. It gives me my avg heart rate during my lifting sessions and can tracks walks and runs with a gps so I can see how long it takes me to get certain places.

 

The fun thing about this watch is that it tracks progress. It lets you see your stats and have visual satisfaction. It also makes you push yourself further. It’s a subtle reminder to park farther away, walk instead of drive, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.

 

It also buzzes when you reach your daily step and stair goals which I find really encouraging when you’re half way through the day and you’ve already met your goal. It also is handy because it shows all the notifications you would get on your phone. While you can’t reply to them you can see who snapped, tweeted, or messaged you without having to sneak out your phone in class. 🙂

 

Something I specifically wanted and which lead me to this purchase was the built in GPS. I have apps that can track my route but that means I need to have my phone on me along with a place to put it and a charged battery. Safe to say this is a lot easier. For all the hiking I do this is really fun to be able to see where I went and how long it took me.

 

This watch also links to different apps. I have mine connected to Map My Run and My Fitness Pal. Map My Run is another workout tracker that I have been using up until I got the watch and My Fitness Pal I mostly use to track my daily food intake and nutrition. It syncs with my Garmin and Map My Run Apps so it merges all my statistics together which I can view in the Garmin app.

 

There are many gadgets and toys out there that can track your fitness. Fitbit and Garmin are probably the two most reputable brands and they offer all different types of trackers. It makes it easy to track your workouts and it also is a subtle cheerleader on your wrist.

 

As a student who has a million plus things to do each day this watch takes out some of the hassle of tracking and recording workouts and food. If you are in the market for a fitness tracker and you’re hesitant. Just do it. Money is meant to be spent. Especially on things that improve your health…..

The last few weeks have been physically challenging to say the least. Between multiple workouts a day, work, and school, exhaustion is setting in. But regardless of how much exercise a person does if you aren’t getting the right nutrients your body will struggle.

If you do a lot of strength training two very important times of eating are pre-and post-workout. Now I work out every morning at 5:30 am so eating before I go to the gym has been a challenge. My trainer however has stressed the importance of it no matter how much I don’t want to.

People are often told to stay away from carbs and sugar. While in general that is advisable a person needs carbohydrates to fuel the body especially when you’re putting in so much work and exercise. A general rule of thumb before a lifting session is to consume carbohydrates so that your body has energy to expend. Post workout should also consist of carbs but most importantly protein. Protein is crucial to the recovery process.

Now with such a busy schedule and a lack of creativity I have struggled with coming up with things I actually want to eat. Especially food I can pack at home and take with me for the day. I recently purchased a mix called Kodiak Cakes. They are protein enriched pancakes and taste just like the regular kind. I made a batch of these on Sunday so that I can quickly heat them up during the week mornings. They are SO good. I am not a fan of sweet stuff first thing in the morning and usually I get sick after I eat that much but this morning I had two of them and wasn’t hungry until mid-morning!

There are countless ideas for pre-and post-workout snacks and meals. It is just a matter of personal preference and the time you have to dedicate to it. In addition to my pre-workout snack I have started to drink Amino Energy. I am not a coffee drinker…. It makes me feel sick and gross the whole day. So, my trainer recommended this as a source of caffeine. It is lemon lime and tastes like Gatorade for the most part. It gives me a boost first thing in the morning and you can drink it any time of day!

Other sources of protein and energy can come from different protein powders (Whey is the best) and I sometimes use Propel packets if I’m in need of electrolytes or just because it tastes good.

The key is to find whatever works for you. Understand what you’re putting into your body every time you eat. This doesn’t mean you have to cut out all the stuff you love (ice cream, chocolate, pizza, popcorn etc.) That is allowed every once in a while! I am simply encouraging awareness and being conscious of what your body needs and what you give it. Our bodies work hard for us and it’s our job to work hard for them too.

 

I was never athletically inclined. In fact, the majority of my childhood was spent being overweight and petrified of gym class. I was always going on diets and setting goals for myself, in the end letting myself down. However about two years ago, something clicked. Suddenly working out and eating healthy wasn’t a chore for me, it was my motivation. Now it has turned into my number one passion. It is what I revolve my life around and makes me want to work hard and get better.

Entering the gym and being surrounded by the psycho fit people who do marathons and squats 500lbs like It’s no big deal is kind of intimidating at first. It takes time to get comfortable enough to really push yourself especially using equipment you are unfamiliar with. My biggest friend throughout this process was Pinterest. I wanted to walk in the gym every morning and look like I knew what I was doing so the first step in that was to make a workout routine. I did my research and educated myself on the body and strength training. I have a board with hundreds of exercises that I could choose from. This was a start.

 

Many people say they don’t have time for the gym. The reality is that it may be hard but if you make it a priority there is always time. I start my day every morning at 4:45 am and hit the gym at 5:30am until 7:00am. There I shower and get dressed for my day. The night before I will have already packed two outfits and my meals for the day. I am out the door at 5:15 am and get home at around 7 or 8. This takes a lot of preparation and isn’t easy. But my point is that it IS possible, especially if you’re willing to work hard enough for it.

In my gym, I’ve found my happy place. I’ve found confidence and strength as well as pride. I’ve met so many people that I get to see and talk to every day. Within the last eight months I’ve lost 18 lbs. and I have made significant gains in my strength training as well as cardio. 6 months ago, the farthest I could run without stopping was down to my mailbox and back. About a week ago I did a 5k mud run.

I have made fitness the center of my life. Now that I have seen the progress I am capable of, I am addicted. I invest my time money and energy into being as active and healthy as possible. This has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I just started working with a personal trainer, joined Women’s Water Polo as well as a fitness club on campus called CHAARG. Two years ago I would’ve been scared to death and said there was no way.

 

But there is a way. Many ways. And I am writing this blog to show you them.