Shape Your Weigh

Private Kettlebell Lesson

Today I had a lot of fun taking a private kettlebell session with Susan from the AFE :)  Susan has been doing kettlebell for the last 3 years and has been training for 2. My good friends Crystal and Jeff joined me and together we had a great time learning all the basic kettlebell drills you need in order to attend a kettlebell class at the AFE.

I’ve been to kettlebell skills clinics before but not since my jaw surgery last June.  I knew it would be beneficial for me to get some one on one training with a professional to make sure my form is still correct and that I wasn’t doing anything that would potentially cause injury.  I’m so glad I did!  Not only did I get to re-learn my skills, I also got to learn some new ones.  Thank you Susan!

Our session was an hour and a half long.  We got to learn the different drills, along with some kettlebell history and fun facts. For instance, did you know you can burn up to 20 calories per MINUTE doing a kettlebell workout? It makes sense as it involves all the major muscle groups.  The only other activity that compares is cross country skiing uphill.  I think I will take the kettlebell thanks ;)

We also learned that AFTER a butt kicking kettlebell workout you should take a bath using Epsom salts.  The Epsom salts are good for getting the lactic acid out of your system.  If you do this you need to shower the salts off your body in order for it to be effective.  I didn’t know this last part.  I always took a bath with the salts but never rinsed afterwards.  Helpful information to know!  This was passed on to Susan by a massage therapist who took her class.  It’s always good to learn new things.  Knowledge is power!

The most challenging drill I found was the Turkish Get Up.  I can see why it’s great for your abs but it’s going to take me a little bit to get this one down.  I plan on doing a lot of practicing. I found this video on YouTube showing what the Turkish Get Up is.  I also want abs like this mom and her strength! 

One day at a time.

A Proud Mama :)

Words cannot even begin to describe just how proud I am of my little girl right now!  Of course I am always proud of my children but today was a big one for Allison.  My daughter is officially my Hero!

Why you may ask?  Well let me begin!!

Back in December my beautiful daughter asked me if she could join gymnastics in the New Year.  It was free to students at Montague Consolidated and practice took place every Thursday afternoon.  I of course told her yes so she has been going for the last 3 weeks.  I assumed she was enjoying it because she was always coming home wanting to show me her routine – cartwheels, summersaults, etc. 

The school had their first gymnastics meet this morning and to make a very long story short, Allison took second place for Vault!!  She has only been doing gymnastics for 3 weeks and was up against students who have been taking gymnastics for a while.  I am so incredibly proud of her!  I remember hating the thoughts of gymnastics when I was her age.  Even without the ribbon I couldn’t be more proud.  My daughter got up in front of a crowded gymnasium full of parents and her peers and did her own mat routine and routine on the vault.  She didn’t seem to flinch or mind it a bit.  I wouldn’t even DREAM of this when I was her age.  My hero?  You bet!

The next step for Allison is their Zone Meet which will be taking place next week.  If Allison passes that level she will get to move on to Provincials.  I support my daughter 100% in this activity and know she will do amazing no matter what!

I love you baby girl!!!

xoxoxoxo

Happy Birthday to Me :)

I can’t believe another year has passed and I am already 21 years old.  Boy time sure does fly.  Okay, okay so I’m NOT 21, I’m 32.  I have the energy and ambition of of a 21 year old these days so that should count for something right?  No crying about being old until I turned 40…even then we’ll have to talk.

I want to send a big thank you to all my family and friends who took the time to wish me a Happy Birthday today.  It means a great deal to have such wonderful people in my life.  The day was nice.  I went to the gym this morning and did a butt kicking leg workout, some elliptical, running and skipping.  Major calorie burner.  No better way to celebrate turning another year older. After that I came home, had a snack then took the kids to a free skate that was going on here in Montague courtesy of GO PEI.  Great time!

As I mentioned in my video from yesterday I’m passing on having cake or anything sweet for my birthday this year.  This is the first time in over a year that I have felt completely in control with my eating and my exercising.  I have been on a steady routine for over a month now.  My insulin levels are in control and I’m happy with my body.  I’m not going to pass this good feeling up for something like sugar.  I don’t need it.  I don’t want it.  I’m not going to have it. I am extremely close to reaching a 20 pound weight loss and I don’t want to set myself back by ingesting something my body doesn’t need.  No feelings of deprivation or regret.  I want the fit body more than the sugar.  It’s an easy decision to make!  Besides, Derek’s spin class would be torture this week if I indulged in sugar today! He has spies everywhere!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Thank you once again for all the birthday wishes.  My goal is to make 2011 my healthiest year ever.  Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually!

Take care!

5% Gone–95% to Go!

Yesterday was January the 19th.  That means a little over 5% of the year has already gone by.  5%!  I don’t know about everyone else but doesn’t that seem a little scary when you read it?  It’s almost unbelievable.

For those of you who set Resolutions for 2011 – are you 5% towards your goals?

For instance, if your goal was to lose 50lbs of fat - you should be down 2.5lbs right now if you're on track. If your goal was to increase your income by $10,000 this year - you should already have made an extra $500.

Now is the time to reflect and ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you on track?
• Are you headed in the right direction?
• Have you even moved off the starting line?

Yes? Congratulations - 2011 is shaping up to be a great year for you.

If you have answered No to these questions then don’t fret.  There is STILL time to get started!  Set small goals and take steps every day that will bring you closer to achieving your dreams.

Need Support Along the Way?

Are you looking for a friendly support group to help keep you motivated, share recipes and exercises?  If so, add me as a friend on Facebook – Kimmy Beck aka FitIslandGirl and I will send you an invite to the Shape Your Weigh 2011 support group.

Make 2011 YOUR BEST YEAR EVER!

Simple Broccoli Beef Recipe

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of broccoli
• 1 lb lean beef stir fry strips
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 large onion
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup of water

Directions

1. Stir fry beef until almost cooked.  Remove from wok.
2. Add water to wok and bring to a boil
3. Add the 3-4 cups of broccoli (cut small and split)
4. Cook until broccoli turns bright green but still crunchy
5. Remove broccoli from wok
6. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to wok
7. Add the onions and cook until tender (or as you prefer)
8. Re-add broccoli and beef to onions
9. Mix the oyster sauce and soy sauce together in a cup and add to stir fry
10. Cook for 2-3 minutes until desired thickness is achieved
11. Serve and enjoy!

How Much Do You Burn?

A big THANK YOU to Lindsey for posting this question on the Shape Your Weigh 2011 Facebook group.  Her question was:

Kimmy, I was wondering how much of a discrepancy there is between the calories burned on your treadmill versus on the Bodybugg? I heard that gym machines can be off by as much as 20% or so. Or can you tell how many on the Bodybugg for just 1 activity?

I couldn’t let this question sit for more than a day – I was extremely anxious to tackle it.  I have to say, I’m surprised by the results.  It brings forth a few questions.  “Which monitor is better?  Can you really afford those extra calories?  Are these high end gadgets worth their expensive price tag?”

Activity Selected

• Walk/Run combo on the treadmill

Length of Activity

• 30 minutes

Calorie Monitors Used

• Standard calorie monitor on treadmill
• Polar F6 Heart Rate Watch Monitor
• BodyBugg

Observations During Warm-up

I started my run like I do every other with a 1-2 minute walk.  I noticed the calorie burn being reported between the watch and the treadmill were pretty close.  Maybe off by 10-15 calories.

Observations During the Run

This is where all hell started to break loose.  I kept a close eye on my Polar F6 heart rate monitored while watching the treadmill monitor.  In a matter of minutes the two were completely out of synch and off by as much as 50-75 calories.

Comparing the Data

The proof is in the pictures.  These are pictures taken of my treadmill and my Polar F6 watch at the end of the run.

As you can see there is a BIG difference between the Polar F6 Heart Rate monitor (289 calories in 30 minutes) and the treadmill (155 calories in 30 minutes).

What the BodyBugg Reported

The BodyBugg reported my 30 minute run burned 320 calories. 

Table of Results

Treadmill	155 calories
Polar F6 Watch	289 calories
BodyBugg	320 calories

 

Conclusion and Opinion

I have to admit, I’m not really surprised that the treadmill was so far off from the other two monitors when it came to my calorie expenditure.  The treadmill wasn’t programmed for my weight, and it wasn’t doing a heart rate reading. 

I’m a little surprised to see a 31 calorie difference between the BodyBugg and the Polar F6 heart rate monitor.  31 calories doesn’t seem like a lot but in the course of a year 31 calories a day = 11,315 total calories. 

1 pound of fat = roughly 3500 calories

11,315 total calories divided by 3500 calories = 3.2 lbs per year

My opinion is to continue monitoring with my BodyBugg and Polar F6 but I will keep in mind that even these two high end, expensive devices are not without fault and that there is margin for error.  At the end of the day, whether or not you choose to buy them or use them is up to you.

Let me know what you think!

Canada to ease physical fitness guidelines

The owner of the gym I attend in Montague posted a link on Twitter to a Globe and Mail article published yesterday.  If you haven’t read the article you can check it out here.

Anyone with two eyes can see that our nation has an obesity epidemic.  Lack of activity and poor, POOR nutrition.  I would lean heavier on the second observation than I would the first.  I believe we have an obesity epidemic because of the way people eat…but that’s not what this article is about.

In an effort to encourage Canadians to be more active, the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology, the central Canadian body for fitness research, will recommend on Jan. 24 that the physical activity guidelines for children, adults and older people in Canada be revised to harmonize with those set by the World Health Organization and other major developed countries like the United States, Australia and Britain.  Short Version – they are going to lower our current standards!

*INSERT GASP HERE*

That would cut the recommended amount of active time for adults from 60 minutes daily to 150 minutes weekly. Children, who are currently being told to increase their activity gradually to 90 minutes per day, would be told they need to be active for an hour. And people over 65, who are now being told to be active for 30 to 60 minutes per day would be told to do 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.

I will be 100% honest.  The first thing that came to mind after reading this was the whole “Lowered Expectations” clips that used to air on Mad TV back in my teens.  Evil I know.  I’m sorry!  Back on topic!!  Canadians can’t meet the current recommendation for exercise, so in an effort to encourage them to just start – we are lowering our standards.  It makes sense but at the same time I think it’s crazy.

When I was at my heaviest weight of 265.5 lbs it wasn’t because I looked at the recommendations for exercise and just said “Can’t meet those so I’m just going to eat what I want and not give a shit!”  NO!  I was overweight because I didn’t know how to EAT properly.  When I finally got my act together and started learning how to eat – I started exercising.  Did I care that I wasn’t meeting the 1 hour recommendation that we currently have in place?  I honestly had NO CLUE we even had a standard back then.  Nor did I care.  I just knew if I wanted to lose weight I had to start moving.  Bit by bit and gradually increase.  It doesn’t matter what number you set – you have to start SOMEWHERE.  What are we going to do when our Nation turns into a bunch of Wall-E people?  Lower it even further?  I don’t think so.  This isn’t a solution to our problem!

What does everyone else think?

Get a FREE Indoor Hamilton Beach Grill

via www.thinkbreadinstead.ca

I wanted to share this with my blog readers. My bread of choice has always been Dempsters so I see this as a nice bonus to loyal buyers. With the purchase of 15 loaves of bread you can enter a unique PIN codes to get a free grill. Each loaf of bread has it's own pin code. All you have to pay is the shipping and handling which is $18. Awesome deal! The giveaway just started and they have less than 12,000 grills left to give away.

If you don't plan on enterting but still buy the bread, please share your PIN with me. I'm working my way up to 15 codes. :)

Enjoy!

Your Shape Fitness Evolved

Time for a quick review of my new addiction!  As I mentioned in my previous posts I have been playing a lot with the new XBox 360 Kinect.  My brother gave me a gift card to Future Shop for Christmas so I picked up a copy of Your Shape Fitness Evolved.  I LOVE it! The BodyBugg will usually yell at me about not having quite enough steps in for the day.  Turning this game on the XBox 360 is just the trick for meeting my target.  I’m addicted to the cardio boxing!!  The hula hooping is WAY better on this then it is on the Wii.  No messing around with joysticks or a board.  Your body is the controller!

The one thing I don’t like but DO understand is that you have to go through a bunch of introductory stages to get to a solid workout.  The workout sessions so far are kind of short for Cardio Boxing.  The longest class being 5 minutes long.  I have gone through the 3 Bronize Stages, the 3 Silver Stages and the 3 Gold Stages.  I was hoping their “Full Session” would be a 15-20 minute class but it’s still only 5 minutes but it incorporates all the moves you learned.  I’m not a fan of having to stop and restart the game all the time.  I’m still progressing through the stages though so perhaps that will change.  I will let everyone know for sure. :)  It’s definitely a calorie burner though! 

These are the activities I’ve tried so far:

• Cardio Boxing
• Loop a Hoop (Hula Hoop)
• Virtual Smash
• Personal Training classes
• Balance Game

There is a Zen class and a running class but I haven’t tried those yet.  You also get little XBox achievements for every 100 calories you burn.  My geeky side likes that motivation. :)  Here’s a list of the achievements you can achieve playing the game:  http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/your-shape-fitness-evolved/achievements/

As with any games, you need to be careful.  It’s no replacement for a personal trainer.  The video camera isn’t perfection.  I’ve messed up my form on a couple of moves and still had the virtual trainer tell me I was doing great.  I still think it’s a great addition to your library if you own a Kinect and want a fun alternative to getting a workout in when you can’t make the gym (like when you are on call for work).  Just be sure to be careful and progress at a comfortable pace.

I will write more as I continue on!