Posts
The idea of exercise especially to lose weight or tone down specific areas of the body never came across my mind because I was always skinny while most people around me struggle to lose weight. However, my short lived luxury quickly disappeared after my daughter was born and my metabolism slows down with age. After I popped my daughter out, I lost most all of the weight which I gained during pregnancy. But like most women that have children, your body is NOT the same especially in the midsection. We have extra fat to carry around which is a PAIN to look at.
It doesn’t seem like I have a waistline anymore. Since I really hate exercise especially sit-up, I thought I would try to adjust my diet first then find a workout method that I can physically and mentally endure. My plan is not to lose weight but to tone down the abs area for a toned/firmer stomach.
I could identify my problems in three areas: 1) Lack of exercise 2) Eat late dinner (like 8-9pm) 3) Eat too much snacks/sweets/bad carbs. After a quick analysis, I start my plan of attack and implementation.
The Diet Change
In the past few weeks, I have taken a gradual step to wean myself off from the yummy goodness of junk food paradise such as potato chip, Doritos, cookies, cupake, cheesecake and carbs. Man…I LOVE carbs: white rice, noodle, Doritos and potato chip most. I can survive with carbs! Potato chips are my all time favorite afternoon snacks at work, people would hear me munching potato chip from my office down the hall every afternoon – lol. It is not easy to give up and I don’t believe in going cold turkey so I slowly cut down and choose healthier snack options (fresh fruit/veggies).
What works best for me is to fill my belly with healthy stuff first, then follow by unhealthy stuff If an urge still strikes. I get into a bad habit of wanting to eat something extra after my main dish especially after lunch and that’s where the trouble begins. After my main dish, I always reach out for a bag of potato chip or sweets. My belly is already full at that point but my mentality sends a wrong message that I need to have something crunchy to munch on. Upon recognizing my problem, I pack a few extra options such as an organic apple and a cheese stick. Load them up and I am pretty full to the point I don’t want anything else. After lunch, I am full until dinner time.
I also try to eat my dinner before 7am and nothing else after except water. This has been working pretty good. Apple is very filling and has that crunchy texture I love (I prefer Gala apple) so I don’t crave potato chips as much. However, I also allow myself 2-3 times a week to some sweet treats so I don’t feel like it is too much of a torture. In the evening, I pay extra attention to carb intake by eating less carb and substitute bad carb with complex carb like whole grains, quinoa, brown rice. Reading food blogs or watching a Food Network channel at night is also a big no-no!!
The Exercise
Okay the last time I exercised was in 2008 when I was pregnant. So imagine how my body freaked out on the first day.
HOLY COW - I thought I was going to die!!
I did a search on YouTube for some good exercise series that target abs areas. My standard for an exercise video is 1) it has to be practical – no sit up kind of exercise!!! 2) it has to be short like 10-20 minutes a day. I came across a 10-minute abs workout which seems like a dream but boy it was the LONGEST 10 MINUTES OF MY LIFE!! – lol. How about 10 seconds!?!?!? I couldn’t even follow all of the positions. My body could barely handle it. I think I got 2 minutes out of this and was painting like a dog. The second day was better, I chose a few positions that my body could handle and made it a total of 10 mins. First week was so so tough I almost gave up. Right now I rotate about 4-5 slow move positions plus a few fun active exercises.
Woo-hoo..I am into my 3 rd week of my flat challenge at this point. It is a slow progress because I can only do 10-15 minutes per day but better than nothing. My body starts to build more endurance so I could endure a longer interval and more challenging positions. It feels so invigorating after each session to say at least. Hope I will have toned abs by the time we go to Aloha Island.
Nelah, between you and SewPetiteGal, I'm feeling the urge to join in on the exercise fun... except I lose motivation once I step outside in the heat, haha. Best of luck in your journey and please do keep us updated!
ReplyDeleteomg, thank you so much for sharing this. it's something i really need. i'm going to add this to my daily exercise from now on. good luck with your workout :D
ReplyDeleteWin a $50 giftcard to Shappy Apple! Come and join. :]
:)
Carrie
http://readmylifeascarrie.blogspot.com/
Good for you Nelah!!! Girl, when you start back on an exercise regime you think it's gonna kill ya! hahaha Your body is just not use to it at first, but gradually over time each and every time becomes easier. Thank you for sharing this! Girl, I use to work out to Cindy Crawford tapes. And do you know I was FIT!!! I wish I had pics! HaHaHa Well that was in my college years! I jump back on the tready tomorrow. Wooo, you're inspiration Nelah! Work those abs! I was a stick in elementary school. I wish those days would come back. HAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
i love that you're getting healthy and setting realistic goals for yourself!!
ReplyDeletei don't like sit-ups either; i also don't like crunches so i do a lot of core exercises that involves planks and other things.
keep in mind that you can't spot-reduce fat :( if you have lower belly pooch, you have to do cardio for overall weight loss that will get rid of it... you can tone your abs and even have a six pack but if you have a layer of fat on top, you won't be able to see anything. i learned this the hard way :\
but if that workout routine incorporates cardio and core toning, go for it!!! also, look up insanity fast and furious workout on youtube (not sure if it's on there yet) but it's an intense 20min interval circuit that will shred your body and increase your endurance in no time. he does a lot of work that involves the core so you're doing cardio and toning your abs at the same time. i love his programs.
That's very admirable Nelah! Have you tried eating an avocado as a snack? I eat it plain, fills me up and gives you energy too :)
ReplyDeleteI hate exercise too.I always try to avoid exercising but unfortunately age and weight is finally getting to me. I like your approach to a healthy life style. Have you heard of www.sparkpeople.com. It's a great website that provide you with exercise demo and health recipes.
ReplyDelete