Weekly Tip: Buy New Gear!

Buying new workout gear can have an immediate and significant impact on your desire to stay fit since you get excited to try it out!  Obviously we're not all rolling in dough and can't afford to be constantly buying new stuff just because our motivation has dwindled a little, but every once in a while spending a little money on things that will encourage you to continue can be very helpful.  My recent purchases include:

New workout capris!  (You can find really inexpensive ones at Target)

New Swimsuit and Goggles! I blend right in with the water ;)

A Heart Rate Monitor, the Polar FT4F (yes, I burned 643 calories in an hour! I AM SUPERWOMAN!)

A Crock Pot!

 All my new swag has encouraged me to keep going.  In my opinion, you can never have too much workout gear, especially since it takes away the excuse of "I can't go workout, all my workout clothes are in the laundry."  The swimsuit was actually a necessity, I can't exactly glide through the pool when I'm worried about my bikini falling off.  The Heart Rate Monitor is one of my favorite purchases because now I'll be able to track my heart rate to make sure I'm in the right zone for burning fat and have a more precise idea of how many calories I burn during all my different activities.  Last but not least, my new Crock Pot will motivate me to learn how to cook even more delicious, healthy meals.  Hopefully my next purchase will be a new pair of sneakers!

What are some things you've bought recently  or want to buy soon to contribute to your health and fitness goals?

Week 2 Update

Well, week 2 went very well and I'm happy to say that I have not lost my motivation yet!  I managed to exercise 4 times throughout the week and despite a few challenges I faced in regard to food, I still made some good progress.  Here's the recap:

Physical Activity:
-2/9/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes
-2/11/13: ran on the treadmill for 25 minutes
-2/12/13: swam laps freestyle for 30 minutes, 600 meters total
-2/14/13: used the elliptical at the gym for 30 minutes, then walked at an incline of 12.0 and a speed of 3.0mph on the treadmill for 10 minutes

I haven't taken any of the classes that I want to try at the gym yet, but this was only the second week.  I varied my exercise from week 1 by adding a new machine to my regimen.  The elliptical is a nice change up from the treadmill since it's easier on your joints, and that uphill climb at the end that day really worked my thighs and glutes!  I also had to squeeze in a super quick workout on Monday since I had a date to get to, hence the 25 minutes, but more on that below...

Food:
Last week held its fair share of food challenges that most people trying to eat healthy will eventually face: I ate out a few times, had a date, and had other people cooking for me.  First things first though, I allowed myself to have a cheat day.  I think it's really important for people who are trying to lose weight to have a cheat meal or a cheat day once in a while, as long as you can do so without completely falling off the wagon.  For me, a cheat day doesn't mean that I eat all kinds of unhealthy foods that would totally negate any healthy choices I made earlier in the week.  To me it means not tracking every single thing I ate that day, and eating things I enjoy without worrying about calorie counts etc, while still keeping in the back of my mind that I am ultimately working towards a goal.

Last week I also dealt with eating out on a first date, thankfully not on Valentine's Day!  How does one go about making healthy choices at a restaurant while at the same time not coming off as a total health nut?  I think I found the answer: go out for tapas!  My date and I ended up at a Spanish tapas restaurant here in DC, which was perfect since we ordered just a few small plates to snack on and we were able to have a variety of dishes.  We each picked one or two things to try, which meant I was able to choose one of the healthier dishes on the menu without ordering, say, a salad (not that there's anything wrong with salad!).  If you can, squeezing in a workout on the same day as a date can really help you feel better about going out for dinner or drinks (or both!).  It increases the amount of calories you can have that day, but working out in general also makes you feel good, so it can help alleviate any stress you might be feeling about going on a first date and help you make a good impression! 

In addition I ate homemade pizzas last week prepared by my friends.  Granted, the pizzas were relatively healthy since they were mostly topped with veggies.  Homemade pizza might not be quite as greasy or fatty as ordering a pizza, but it is still pizza, so I tried to limit myself to 2 slices and be especially health-conscious with the rest of my choices that day.  In my opinion, it all comes down to moderation.  I do believe that you can eat pizza, just not the entire thing.  You can have a few drinks when you're out with friends, just make sure to keep an eye on how many you're having.  Completely cutting out things you love from your diet just isn't realistic because it's not maintainable.  Eventually, you're going to want to eat a cookie, and you should be able to, as long as you don't eat the whole package.

Cooking:
My goal to start learning how to cook for myself is coming along nicely.  I really don't know how to cook, so I know I need to take this process very slowly and just learn one thing at a time, so last week I decided on chicken, sweet potato, and brussels sprouts.   I had never made brussels sprouts before, but my roommate cooks them a lot and I really do like them, so that was high up on my list of things to learn, and it was actually pretty easy!  I did them on the stove with a little olive oil and voila!  I just need to cook them longer next time since they were a little on the crunchy side.  I must confess, I bought the chicken already marinated and pre-packaged, but I did have to put it in the oven so I think that still half counts as cooking.  I give you:

roasted garlic and white wine chicken, sweet potato, and sauteed brussels sprouts!

This was such a healthy and tasty dinner.  I'm a big sweet potato fan, and they're a great starch to eat instead of having rice or pasta.  

Weigh-In:
I was really excited by my initial 2 pound loss after week 1, and I was even more excited to see that the progress continued for week 2.  I lost...

1 POUND!!!

I have now lost a total of 3 pounds out of 15 with 13 weeks left to go in my challenge.  I'm so happy to see my efforts really paying off and while 3 pounds isn't quite enough to start seeing changes physically, I can definitely say that I feel better in general and can tell that the changes I'm making are good ones.

On to week 3, featuring more forays into cooking and hopefully attempting a new class at the gym!