Update...

It's been just over a week since my last post. This past week has been extremely busy but I am still making it work.

Last Friday, I went snowboarding. Let's talk about a great change to your workout. Burned close to 1000 calories in just an hour on the slopes and it was fun!

Spent Saturday and Sunday in the gym. Finally started to run again and it was great. Continued to run this week and work out my legs.

Working out is the time of my day were I can escape everything and just think. Some people say I spend too many hours in the gym - I spend the amount of time that I need in the gym for me to be happy with what is going on.

I have lost close to 20 pounds in the past 27 days and it feels amazing. I still def have a long way to go but the motivation is there so I don't see it stopping any time soon.

I will continue these posts about my workouts and challenges to keep everyone hopefully as motivated as I am.

I will start a quote of the post as well - "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you". I continue to think about that when I am in pain from working out or in pain just in my own life. I continue to get up everyday and make myself the best I can be and work towards making myself better.

I also have a bunch of motivation ideas that I figured I would put in here in case anyone needed them.

iPhone Apps -

• Ease to 5K - good way to challenge and train yourself into a 5K
• LoseIt - allows you not only to track your workouts but also what you have eaten
• TargetWeight - shows your BMI - the best part about this app is that you can have it set to show how many pounds you want to lose on your home screen - trust me the number starts to get annoying but at the same time it is the motivation that you need
• MyFitnessPal - allows you not only to track your workouts but also what you have eaten - also allows you to follow your friends and see what they are doing to keep you motivated
• Dukan & Me - it is designed specifically for the Dukan Diet but it still shows your BMI - how much you have lost - Fat percentage

Twitter Follows -

• Fitness motivator
• Women's health mag
• Women's fitness

Something else I have done is created Jars with marbles for pounds lost and pounds to go. It is a fun way to keep yourself motivated to move the marbles from one jar to the next.

Back at it

It's been just over a year since that last time I blogged. A lot has happened within the past year.

I got out of a three year relationship and I moved to the city. Both things were huge changes in my life and changed who I am today.

Once I moved out of my parents house, the drive from work everyday took away from my workout time and the workouts happened less and less. I started playing softball 6 days a week, which was amazing but the workouts still weren't back up to where they needed to be. Softball 6 days a week also meant going out to the bar 6 days a week - def not a good thing for getting back into shape.

Getting out of the three year relationship changed my outlooks on many different things. I lost the person that I would go to the gym with and the support that I had had through my first go around with my weight loss goals.

After Christmas this year, I stopped drinking and starting getting myself back into shape. I have started to get my life back onto track of where I need to be for myself. I am a successful person and I want the best for myself that I can give.

I will start blogging again about my workout successes and try to give other people the motivation that I have to get back into shape.

I have great support in my friends and a bunch of friends that also are working on their weight loss goal. Something changes in you when you decide to take back your life and have the life that you want.

Feel free to continue to read over the next few months as I continue on my weight loss journey.

<3 Jess

It's been awhile

It has been far too long since I have written on here. I have finally signed up to take my personal training certification test and I am determined to pass with flying colors. What does that mean for you... that means there will be more exercises and posts because I will be documenting my whole journey.

Before I just jump right in, I will give you a little snapshot into the last 6 months of my life. I decided to take a new position at CDW in August and that got my workouts off track a little bit, as I started working more I wasn’t truly sure how to manage my time. I was still going to personal training but I was lacking the working out other than that. I have finally gotten myself back into a routine and even though I am traveling on business this week I have managed to find time to workout. I also was able to get my trainer to create me hotel room workouts.

I am also starting weight watchers, not because I do not know how to eat healthy more because I want more reinforcement. Losing weight is not about dieting; it is about changing your lifestyle. You need to make sure that you are in this for the long haul. If you want to change your life and make sure to keep the weight off you need to learn how to put the correct foods in your body. There are certain foods that might be healthy but if they do not keep you full for a long period of time, they are not really worth eating all the time.

                An ideal dinner would consist of

§  1 chicken breast – grilled with nothing really on it

§  Steamed or Raw Veggies

·         Not dipped in anything, no salt added as well

§  Small Salad with mostly lettuce and some fat-free dressing

·         Kraft Free Italian Cesar is really good J

·         If you want to add Cheese, go ahead just at least try to add a fat-free cheese and keep it to the minimal amount.

§  Some brown rice or a piece of whole wheat toast (if needed)

I would recommend trying to keep away from the carbs during dinner because you will be going to bed shortly afterwards. As well as if you have enough lettuce in your salad, you will fill up pretty fast J

As well as try to keep away from the appetizers. This is probably my biggest down fall when going out with people or at parties. You might think you are eating okay when you are eating the appetizers but you really do not know how much you are eating when you keep grazing. I would recommend sticking to 3 meals and 2 snacks throughout the day so that you know just what you are putting in your body. Coffee or red bull does not count as a “meal” or “snack”, make sure to give your body the nutrients that it needs!

Below are my three days of hotel room workouts. Hopefully these should work… Obviously some of these need weights but most hotels have at least a few weights in their weight room! On top of these workouts, I will add in my couch to 5k training on the treadmill and Abs!

Day 1 Upper body
- shoulder press
- shoulder raise
- tricep extensions
- back rows

Day 2 Lower body
- side lunges
- deep squats
- hamstring curls
- calf raises

Day 3 Plyos
- BURPEES
- mountain climbers
- box jumps
- jumping push ups

Get Fit Challenge

The Get Fit Challenge was a 3 month work-out challenge at XSport Fitness. My goals throughout the challenge were to not only win, but improve my health. My starting weight was 178 pounds, and I determined that trying to get down to 165 would be a reasonable start. It was important to for me to set my goal at a number that was both achievable and healthy.

                My trainer, Mike Roncal, was my primary influence in regards to the challenge. He supported and challenged me to help me reach my goals. Additionally, he came in during times that he normally wouldn’t be at the gym. I also had help from a few of the other trainers at the gym, including Lisa Peterson. She was always there giving me new workout tips or just doing extra cardio with me if I didn’t want to do it alone. The XSport staff at the Niles gym has been amazing throughout this whole process. They have been beyond supportive, whether just needed to vent or I needed advice on the newest supplements.

The Xsport Protein and Multi-Women Vitamins have also helped me reach my goal. The protein has helped me eat in a healthier manner, because they are either my first or last meal of the day and cause me to feel full and help prevent snacking either in the morning or at night. Also, the multi-women vitamins bolstered my all around health, and helped me avoid getting sick throughout the whole entire challenge.

                Not only did the challenge help me change my lifestyle into one that I plan on keeping for the rest of my life, it helped me realize that I want to become a personal trainer myself and help other people who have fallen into a similar trap that I fell into.

Exercises For Every Mood

http://www.thatsfit.com/2011/04/15/exercises-for-every-mood/?icid=maing-grid7%7Caim%7Cdl9%7Csec1_lnk3%7C56868

I Know It Has Been A While...

I know it has been a while since I last wrote but life sometimes just gets extremely busy. The thing that I have still managed to fit into my life is working out though. The Get Fit Challenge at Xsport Fitness ends in two weeks which means that I have to kick butt for the next two weeks and make sure that I finish where I would like to finish. After complications that I have had with medications, I have managed to get back on the wagon and get over the hump. I realized for about a month I was retaining water due to a medication I was taking and that is why I was not nearing the goal that I had set for myself. All that means is that I have to kick it up a notch so that I still complete my goal.

Goal though isn't everything. I have completed many goals in my weight loss struggle, to date I am about 36 pounds less than I was when i started losing weight and I have about another 15-20 to go. I wanted to get down another 30-35 but I have realized that I will prob just be skin and bones at that point and that is not what I want. I want to look healthy and be healthy.

In reality the number on the scale doesn't mean anything. Skinny people hate their life just as much as some overweight people hate their lives. It really has nothing to do with the number, it has to deal with how you see yourself.

One thing that I realized today during my personal training session, is that it really doesn't matter how good your trainer is, it really depends on how much you want it for yourself. I have been through 4 trainers in my day and I can say that only the last two were able to get through to me. Do I think they are better trainers, well yes but I also know that my head is in the game this time when before I just wanted to skinny.

I can also tell you, that if you want a cookie go have a cookie but only have A cookie not 5 cookies or the whole box of cookies. It is all about portion control. I can promise you that my boyfriend and I eat pizza, french fries, gummy bears and even more. But we have both been able to figure out how to control our portions so we do not over eat.

From a girl who has tried every different kind of fad diet out there since she was a teenager, I can promise you that portion control and just understanding what you are eating will change your life. No you do not need to be calorie-crazed or not eat certain things but just understand what you are putting into your body. And if you are going to pig out one day, then just workout a little longer the next.

A Cheat Day ---
Either pick a day of the week to cheat and eat whatever you would like . I probably wouldn't pick a full day but maybe a cheat meal. Sunday night dinner seems perfect for a cheat meal, still understand what you are eating but have some fun with it. You want a hamburger and fries, go for it, but don't eat it all the time.

A Few Foods for Thought ---
BLTA
-- Turkey Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Avocado (of course on some wheat bread!)
Grab some Turkey Bacon, grill it up
Grab some lettuce and chop up a tomato
Either put a piece of Avocado on the sandwich or mash it up and make it into an avocado spread. (use the avocado like you would use mayo on a normal BLT)
If you do not like Avocado, Jewel has a great mayo/mustard blend - this is a pretty good option too!

Want Something Sweet???


Skinny Cow - Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches can make any day better. If you do not like Chocolate or Peanut Butter, they have many flavors! These are a great option for when you want something cold!


These are just a few options on how to change stuff up in what you eat. :)