p.s.

It's almost 10 PM, and I turned to Mom and said: "I'm hungry and if I don't go to bed now, I'll eat something".  She said: "Why don't you eat, you don't start until tomorrow." She's going to be with me for a week or two, so I hope she doesn't tell me this again.  Good Night.

Still Excercising

Trying to put some variety in my workouts since I'm back to going regularly.  Yesterday, I did 1,000 meters on the rowing machine with a full mile on the treadmill, and with 45 minutes of exercises in- between. Today, I did the upstairs sprint-circuit, which has a higher difficulty than the one downstairs, and did a 2,000 meter row and finished off with 1 Km. on the treadmill. (Sounds better than .6 miles). Still works out to about 90 minutes per session.
I feel I should be able to run on the treadmill by now, but usually do a brisk walk with alternating 1-minute runs. It's still a good workout, and I'm pretty tired and sweaty when I'm done. 

I'll be able to continue with the gym on my " "Shake Days" but they recommend not on the "Cleanse Days". Today, I had cereal for breakfast, chicken breast with salad for lunch, a protein shake after my workout, and I just had a cup of homemade fruit cocktail. And predictably, it's 9:00 PM and I'm HUNGRY. Hopefully, when I start the program tomorrow, the snacks I'm allowed (special chocolates, and little wafers that look like grainy throat lozenges) are supposed to help curb appetite and cravings. One more sleep.

A Little Delay

I got a little confused on the day I had planned to start the Isagenix program, and decided to delay until June 1st. My niece, and sponsor, Adrienne Tossmann wrote down step-by-step instructions for me to follow. I really didn't want any false starts because I need this to be a positive experience.  I know it won't be easy. So day 1 will be June 1st, easier to track on a calendar.

Healthy Food, Healthy Portions

Feeling better after my latest bout with IBS and anxious to get back to the gym. No time like the present to start working on controlled portions, and more importantly, healthy ingredients. To prepare for the start of my "30-day Cleanse & Fat Burning System" on Monday, I have gotten rid of most of the food that could tempt me to cheat.  In anticipation of being more in control of what is going into my body, I have prepared the following:

Filtered water with lemon and line wedges. This will be a challenge because I never get thirsty and have to remind myself to drink, and then I usually chose juice or pop.

Fresh vegetables, cut up for individual salads. It takes time to prepare them the way I like, so I plan to have them ready ahead of time. Alternatively, I will choose healthy carbs/starches like sweet potatoes/yams, vegetable pasta, brown rice, quinoa, or legumes. The proteins I will add will be 4 oz. portions of fish or chicken, eggs, or maybe a homemade chili or pasta sauce.  

Fresh Fruit Salads with lots of variety in color, tastes and textures. This would be in lieu of the veggy salad to stay within the allowed calories.

The one meal per day, between shakes, should be between 400-600 calories.  I will need to train my mind and body to accept the chocolate shakes and Isagenix snacks as "dessert".

Starting to get excited about the challenge now,

IBS

Damn, another couple of days of dealing with IBS symptoms and missing out of my workouts at Spa Lady.  B.R.A.T. diet today, feeling generally crappy.  I'm so tired of having to cancel plans and missing out on activities because of this. I had to cancel on Joan's birthday lunch last week, and Nordic Walking Class today. Adrienne said Isagenix really helped her and she had IBS problems as well.  My cousin Henry has also benefited from the program. I believe the 30-day cleanse will help to balance my digestive system, and I start on Monday. I'll be enjoying my birthday dinner on Sunday.

When Will I Be Able To Run?

Today's work-out pretty much mirrored yesterday's, except I did 4 sets on Bowflex instead of the sprint-circuit.  I need to ensure I include cardio as well weight training each time.

When I was working with a trainer, we had one-hour sessions and managed to squeeze in all aspects of the training I need.  Now that I'm doing this on my own, I'm finding it takes at lease 90 minutes.  I think the biggest difference is the 20+ minutes on the treadmill which I didn't do with Bre. I can do 3,000 meters on the rowing machine. But, I still can't run/jog for more than 1 minute at a time in between brisk walking (level 30). Even when I was in peak shape training for judo tournaments, I had a hard time running.  I Wonder why that is?  It's not that I'm out of breath, and my muscles are toned, but my whole body just wants to slow down.

What's It All About

This is the video I will be starting off my mornings with when I start the program.

30-Day Cleanse & Fat Burning System

Very inspirational and informative.
I'll have to follow this very closely to make sure I'm doing it right.
It's expensive, but worth it if it works.

Spa Lady

Had a good workout at Spa Lady today, put in an extra half-hour to make up for not going since Friday.
Warm up: 1,000 M. row, sprint circuit, 1 mile on the treadmill (alternating brisk walking & jogging), another 1,000 M. row and finish at the stretching machine,  Succumbed to craving for snack a few hours after dinner. Otherwise, a pretty good day.
  Spa Lady

THE PLAN

So, I've come up with a new coping strategy for my snacking after supper.  Of course, I will get rid of all unhealthy snack items before starting the program. When I was scheduled with my Personal Trainer, workouts were in the morning.  Now I can have a meal mid-day, Isalean Shake for breakfast and at about 6PM before going to the gym at 7PM. This allows for a half-hour to get there and change, do a warm-up, Cardio and Strength workout, stretches, and then change before close at 9PM. Get home at about 9:30, have my Replenish Vitamin Sports Drink, shower and get ready for bed.  There are other supplements and snacks to get me through the day, plus Organic Blend Isagenix coffee which will hopefully help curb my appetite.  On Cleanse Days, usually once per week, I will take a break from the gym.  I think I'l start each day by watching the video that introduced me to the program and explains the process and what to expect along the way. 
http://isacleansetowin.com/isa-buy-canada/

The other thing I have to get started on is meal-planning.  I think a set meal plan prepared in advance will allow me to make food choices before I get  hungry and get those pesky cravings.

Yesterday, my sister Lee Anne visited and we took each other's measurements and "Before" pictures.  If the program works well for me, she might try it as well.  

The New Me

I've decided to re-activate my old Blog to use as a journal of my work toward a healthier, more balanced me.

Before

After

This photo represents the result of one year of hard work with a personal trainer. It was not without its challenges, including a 6-week illness and 2 car accidents which caused periods of limited workouts while healing.  But I stuck with it, thanks to the support and encouragement of my family, friends and trainer.  I've gained a lot of muscle and now fit into size 14-16, I am committed to maintaining this fitness level with continued regular work-outs without a trainer.

Unfortunately, I did not make many changes to my eating habits, so my body mass index (BMI) measurements showed very little change in the amount of fat on my body.  I decided I needed a serious kick-start to overcome my food addiction, especially now that my workouts aren't as strenuous as when I had a personal training standing over me.  My niece, Adrienne, is a consultant with Isagenix and, through her, I've decided to take on the 30-Day Cleansing & Fat Burning kit.  I've decided to start at the end of May after my 63rd birthday.  It's going to be very hard and will take a lot of discipline, but I am committed to making sure I don't go back to the "me" in the "Before" picture.  Wish me luck.