Back to Body Pump

Well today was my first day back to Body Pump! Eekkk! I've never been a fan of weight lifting but I have learned a lot over the past 2 years and one of the biggest lessons I've learned is weight training is the best way to lose weight and inches. I read a great book called The Cardio Free Diet. The book basically explains the importance of doing weights in order to lose weight. The catch is cardio can be damaging on the body while weights are less harmful (if done properly) and it helps create more lean muscle mass and the more lean muscle mass you build the more fat you can burn even while sleeping! Furthermore, muscles takes up less space that fat which explains why two people who weigh the same weight can wear difference clothing sizes. This website has some great articles on the topic of women and weights be sure to check it out !http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/.

My issue is cardio is fun, its entertaining and engaging...Weight lifting is not so much fun but I have found that Body Pump is a good marriage of the two best aspects of each.

Here's some info on the class

BODYPUMP It's the fastest way to shape up and lose body fat.

BODYPUMP™ is a toning and conditioning class with weights and is for just about everybody. It's perfect for both males and females who want to add strength training into their aerobic workout. The simplicity of the class makes BODYPUMP™ a great starting point to develop strength and confidence. Hot sounds and compelling choreography keep you going through each 45-minute or 1-hour workout.
What will BODYPUMP do for me?
Burn up to 600 calories per class for fat loss
Improve your strength
Improve your general fitness
Shape and tone your muscles
Improve you bone density (helps ward off osteoporosis)
Give you a sense of achievement

Yeah it does ALL that and more! I came home and did 10 minutes of Pilates my own hodgepodge of moves from the dvd and Body Flow class and I was done! It was a great weekend!!!

Pilates Challenge Day 4

Well I made it through the Pilates Challenge Day 4~ God bless Dai b/c I am not a fan of Pilates however I've learn in the past 4 days to appreciate its benefits. The reason I was not a fan of Pilates is because it is hard as hell! But it is a serious workout and tons of stars swear by it
stars such as :
Jennifer Aniston
Kim Catrall
Courtney Cox
Cindy Crawford
Jamie Lee Curtis
Daisy Fuentes
Danny Glover
Hugh Grant
Lucy Lawless
Madonna
Gwyneth Paltrow
Sarah Jessica Parker
Martha Stewart
Rod Stewart
Sharon Stone
Patrick Swayze
Uma Therman
Charlize Theron
Tina Turner
Vanessa Williams Ok well you get the idea I mean all you have to do is look at recent photos of Tina, Vanessa,
SJP & Kim Catrell and know its at least worth a try, right?
But let me be clear...Pilates bodies are made and not born and your earn every inch of lean muscle you develop!

I've been doing the On Demand workouts but I remembered I had the Winsor Pilates DVDs! But I also remembered that was what turned me off from Pilates years ago lol then I found an unopened 2 disc set of Caribbean Workout Pilates! Now I can't tell you when I bought it but I can tell you it cost $5.50! lol so I opted to try it instead. It has 5 different Pilates workout and I decided to do the Stability and Posture workout. It was a great workout I still had to do a ton of modifications but I learned some new moves like the Pilates Twist. Some others I know from Body Flow so that was a nice suprise and I felt confident doing those moves but it was a great workout it was only 20 minutes but I worked up a sweat very quickly!

If you haven't tried Pilates I would say give it a try for at least a week and see how you feel. Don't feel pressured to do it perfectly or even do the entire workout just do what you can and set a goal of improving every time you do it again. Well all have to start somewhere! Another thing about Pilates is that even a 10 minute abs workout can be a great workout!

"Punish the body to perfect the soul"-Mark Twight

Whewwww today was a good day! I did a 75 minutes SPECIAL RMP (Spinning) Class at the gym today!!!!!


Talk about punishing the body! It was a RUSH I am glad I went! I love working out its hard to get back into the routine but when you do it feel soooooo good. Now for a nap! :0) Happy 4th!!!

July is here & so is the Pilates challenge!

Where did June go people?!? Who knows but here we are! Well today is the first day I wanted to make my weekday return to the gym butttt the best laid plans...I caught the wrong bus and the traffic was horrendous! It took me 3 hours to get home...I did do day 1 of Dai's July challenge I did some mediation throughout the day and did 10 mins of Pilates for abs on ON Demand. My workout buddy called me b/c she didn't see me at the gym and that gave me the push to do the exercise at 8pm. Glad I was able to follow though! Below is a lil info on Pilates taken from good 'ole Wikipedia.


History
Pilates was formed by Joseph Pilates during the First World War with the proposal to improve the rehabilitation program for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed mental and physical health are essential to one another. He recommended a few, precise movements emphasizing control and form to aid injured soldiers in regaining their health by strengthening, stretching,and stabilizing key muscles. Pilates created "The Pilates Principles" to condition the entire body: proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement.

Mind over matter
According to practitioners, the central aim of Pilates is to create a fusion of mind and body, so that without thinking about it the body will move with economy, grace, and balance. The end goal is to produce an attention-free union of mind and body. Practitioners believe in using one's body to the greatest advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting its weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The method requires that one constantly pay attention to one's body while doing the movements. Paying attention to movement is so vital that it is more important than any other single aspect of the movements.

Breathing
Joseph Pilates believed in circulating the blood so that it could awaken all the cells in the body and carry away the wastes related to fatigue. For the blood to do its work properly, he maintained, it has to be charged with oxygen and purged of waste gases through proper breathing. Full and thorough inhalation and exhalation are part of every Pilates exercise. Pilates saw forced exhalation as the key to full inhalation. “Squeeze out the lungs as you would wring a wet towel dry,” he is reputed to have said. Breathing, too, should be done with concentration, control, and precision. Breathing, not only oxygenates the muscles, but proper breathing reduces tension in the upper neck and shoulders. Pilates breathing is a posterior lateral breathing, meaning when inhaling you breathe deep into the back and sides of your rib cage. At the same time as you exhale you feel the engagement of your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles and maintain this engagement as you inhale. It should be properly coordinated with movement. Each exercise is accompanied by breathing instructions. Joseph Pilates stated, “Even if you follow no other instructions, learn to breathe correctly.”

Centering
Pilates called the very large group of muscles in the center of the body – encompassing the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks – the “powerhouse.” All energy for Pilates exercises begins from the powerhouse and flows outward to the extremities. Physical energy exerted from the center coordinates one’s movements. Pilates felt that it was important to build a strong powerhouse in order to rely on it in daily living. Modern instructors call the powerhouse the “core”.

Concentration
Pilates demands intense focus. For instance, the inner thighs and pelvic floor may be assessed when doing a standing exercise that tones the triceps. Beginners learn to pay careful attention to their bodies, building on very small, delicate fundamental movements and controlled breathing.

Control
Joseph Pilates built his method on the idea of muscle control. That meant no sloppy, uncontrolled movements. Every Pilates exercise must be performed with the utmost control, including all body parts, to avoid injury and produce positive results. Pilates emphasizes not intensity or multiple repetitions of a movement, but proper form for safe, effective results.

Precision
Every movement in the Pilates method has a purpose. Every instruction is vitally important to the success of the whole. To leave out any detail is to forsake the intrinsic value of the exercise. The focus is on doing one precise and perfect movement, rather than many halfhearted ones. Eventually this precision becomes second nature, and carries over into everyday life as grace and economy of movement.

Flow or efficiency of movement
Movement should be kept continuous between exercises through the use of appropriate transitions. Once precision has been achieved, exercises should flow within and into each other in order to build strength and stamina.

Back to Bizzznezzz

Well this weekend marked my great return to the gym. I am a recovering cardio-crackhead. I will post my old blog on the right so you can catch up! I am a huge fan of Les Mills Programs. You see last year around this time I was at a total loss of 45.6 pounds. At the time I was disappointed but now that I am at a total loss of 13.6 & I am yearning for the days of ole when I had "only" lost 40 pounds *insert gas face here* I have been bitter about it and I think I am finally over being bitter and ready to get back to the basics. A few things 1) I've already been successful at Weight Watchers 2) I know a lot more today than I did 2 years ago 3) I have more confidence in my ability to reach this goal because I have a true desire to lose the weight.





The first thing I did was call my old WW/workout buddy "A." I woke up around 7:30am on Saturday and called her and asked her what she was doing today and she said nothing so I said you want to go to Body Combat??!! (I am in love with that man onthe right even though that's hi s fiancee int he pic DAN is the Man!) She was quiet for a few seconds and said "Yes...I'll...go" Now A and I had a good buddy system going for awhile that kinda fell apart. I think our personalities are very different and what she took as me chastising her I meant as motivation. Also what I took as disinterest was her giving me room to grow and learn at my own pace. Along the way we fell out of each other's good graces and we went our separate ways. She got a personal trainer at a different gym and I kept going to our old gym and gaining a losing the same 5-10 pounds. We still kept in touch and at the time worked at the same job so we'd check in on each other from time to time but the funny things is when we were good, we were very good. I think a buddy is very important. Not only to help motivate you but to be a support system and a kick in the rear if need be. I get a lot out of helping people that's just my personality so I think kick-starting this partnerships will be a good move.





On Sunday I went to Body Step *whew* It had been a minute but I made my way through the class but I was really shocked at how my cardio level has gone down in such a short span of time! I planned to do Body Pump but that would have been too much! And to think a year ago I could do Body Step, Body Pump and then Body Flow like it was a walk in the park! Shame! But it will be just a matter of time before I get my stride back!