Instagram, Progression not Perfection

It has been quite the year since I have last posted! So many wonderful, awful, hard, awesome, and regular everyday things have happened. I would love to say that I lost a whole bunch of weight and feel better than ever, but I haven't and I don't. (At least not physically) But I've learned some things about myself (like how I don't deal with stress well!), and I am trying to get back on track with my health again. 

I decided to go the Instagram route because it is so easy to snap a photo and write a little snippet to keep myself motivated. I have only been doing it for a week, but so far I am loving doing it this way. Here are just a few of the things I've documented so far. 

Me after a workout at the gym. Yep. I've officially become one of "those people" who take selfies of themselves. Mostly I am doing it to track my progress though, so hopefully it doesn't seem like I am just way into myself. ;) Not gonna lie, I feel silly trying to take pictures of myself in public. Oh well though!

I like to find motivational quotes to make me think and to remind myself I've got what it takes!

So, I love food. I figured this would be a great way to document what I eat throughout the day, and it would motivate me to eat more colorful foods because it looks more presentable! I haven't documented everything I eat yet, but it actually has helped some! 

I thought this quote was perfect for my circumstances. It is so important to never give up, even if you get off track like I did for awhile. I love that as long as I am alive there is still an opportunity to try again.

I found an app for my phone called Fitness Buddy, you've probably heard of it, but it is so awesome. You can log in your weight, body measurements, and it will track your progress for those as well as creating your own custom workouts where it can track the weights and reps you do so you can see how you progress there too. So awesome! It's cool because there are so many exercises you can add to it so that you aren't doing the same things every day.

Well, that's pretty much what I am doing! 

Feel free to find & follow me on Instagram! My account name is fit_real_life, and I decided to go for that name because I am trying to be real. I am by no means going to be perfect and I am going to stumble at times still. My philosophy right now is that my life is real, and I have to be real about what I can accomplish. My goal is to be fit, not skinny; healthy, not health-obsessed; progress, not perfection. 

Strength Training!

Weight lifting.. isn't that for men? Women don't need to do it because we don't need big muscles, right?
Let me just tell you how WRONG you are!
Weight lifting is actually very beneficial for women. Don't worry, I'm not talking about going out and bench pressing 150 lbs 50 times a day. Unless for some weird reason you want to I guess!
I was thinking back on all that time I spent running on the tredmill, trying to work my butt off (literally!) to lose weight. For two months I did this pretty consistently and guess what. I never lost a darn pound! How frustrating is that!? It was still good for me to get that cardio exercise and I am not regretting it at all, but it sort of dawned on me a few weeks ago that I hadn't incorporated any strength training! Then I remembered the time about 5 years ago (yeah, it's been that long..) that I had lost a good 15-20 lbs. What was I doing? Yeah, I was running my heart out. But I was also doing strength training!
Thus, my little spill on why this is good for not only weight loss but for health too!
Did you know that strength training...
Increases your metabolism?
A study was done showing that women who did strength training 2-3 times a week gain 1-2 lbs of muscle and LOSE 3-4 lbs of fat.
Burns more calories per unit of time, even while at rest?
For every pound of muscle you gain, you will burn around 40-50 extra calories per day! The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will burn!
Which facilitates body fat loss?
Which is why I lost weight much faster several years ago.
Makes your bones stronger, decreasing the risk for osteoporosis?
Yep, weight lifting increases your bone density making them less brittle.
Improves balance and athletic performance?
Well, obviously!
Reduces risks of injury, back pain, and arthritis?
Well, minus being sore for a few days after the workout.. :) But I think this is talking about more serious injuries.
Fights depression?
This makes me laugh a little, because I know that I work out a little harder when I am mad or frustrated, and it does actually make me feel better!
Reduces risk for diabetes and heart disease?
It lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol), increasing HDL (good cholesterol), lowering your blood pressure, and improves the way your body utilizes sugar! Who knew!?
Creates a feeling of confidence?
How could you not have a little boost of confidence when you feel like the Hulk? Ok or maybe just Wonder Woman.

So, if it has all of these benefits, what the heck are you waiting for? Go pump some weights!

Mission Slimpossible!

Alright, here is the part I dread. but maybe if I post my fat pictures it will motivate me more! 

I even edited them to show you just what I'm gonna do!

As you can see I have some work to do! 

This is me checking in at 200.2 lbs. 

Yep. That is THE MOST I have ever weighed ever in my life! 

I have gained 20 lbs since I got home from my mission in September 2011. 

What the heck!?! So frustrating. But I did it to myself! Now I need to fix it. 

A nice side view for you. Yep, gonna do everything I said in this picture. How you ask?

Training for a 1/2 marathon: 

4 days of running per week

Strength training and walks in between!

And my least favorite...

Yuck! You don't ever really see what your back side looks like, and its probably a good thing!

On top of making sure I get my exercise, I also need to revamp my diet.

I am NOT going to go extreme, but I do need to eat healthier.

I haven't totally made a diet plan yet, but in general:

Breakfast options: 200-300 cal

(an hour before I workout)

yogurt, fruit, and toast or bagel

whole grain cereal w/ milk

scrambled eggs with veggies

smoothie with toast/bagel

(basically anything breakfastee protein and carbs)

Morning Snack: 150-200 cal

(usually after a workout)

fruit w/ peanut butter

cottage cheese w/ fruit or veggies

string cheese & green veggies

nuts & dark chocolate/dried fruit

Chocolate milk (reduced fat) & banana

Lunch: 300-400 cal

1/2 tuna sandwich

1/2 pb&j sandwich

strawberry chicken spinach salad

lean burrito w/ salsa

healthy whole grain nachos

homemade pita pizza w/veggies

(carbs, protein, and veggies/fruit)

Afternoon Snack: 100-200 cal

(choice of previous snacks or:)

granola bar & fruit

yogurt with berries

smoothie 

veggie sticks & hummus

whole wheat chips & salsa

Dinner: 400-500 cal

Anything, just keep portion control decently healthy!

Preferably lean meat, veggies, whole grain, and fruit. 

Desserts: no more than 100 cal

(this will be my hard spot!)

1 small chocolate/hard candy a day or a very healthy fruity dessert!

Chew lots of gum to keep me away from sweets!

Total daily calories: 1200-1600

I will stick to this program 6 days a week.

The other day, probably sunday, will be my free day where I will still try to eat healthy but I can allow my mom's rolls and a good dessert! :) 

And it is the ultimate day of rest for my body too! 

I am excited and it is going to take some serious 

motivation, persistence, and discipline. 

I am going to keep this all updated as best as I can.

 I can do this!