Week In Review

I feel very good about this week. I am not sure what it is, but this has been one of my best weeks  I have had on this journey thus far. Yes, it did start of rocky (especially with all of that eating over the Memorial day weekend) but I feel that it is ending on a high note. Without further adieu, here is how I did on my weekly goals.

• Exercise - I have successfully exercised Monday through Friday!! That is the best that I have done on this journey as well. My motivation came from creating my workout calendar and I wanted to make sure that I was crossing the days off. Each day exercised, leads to another week completed. 
• Logging everything - my logging was pretty good as well. I logged at least two meals and a snack each day (notice how I said at least, some days I was able to log all 3 meals). Logging my meals helps me stay under my calorie budget but it also shows me if I need to eat more calories to get closer to that goal. 
• Water - if you follow me on Instagram, you already know that my water intake is getting better. I have been drinking more water each day and although I may not be refilling my CamelBak every few hours, I am drinking the majority of the water that is in there.
• Limit the amount of sweets eaten - I am proud to say that I only had mint chocolate chip ice cream 2 days this week. For me, that is a huge accomplishment because I love, love, LOVE, mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

I didn't step on the scale at all last week so I am not sure if I gained anything (strong possibility that I did) therefore I am not sure how my weigh in will go this week. If I have a gain, it could mean that I gained last week and am losing some of that this week. On the other hand, if I have a loss, I won't even think of a rationale for that, because I won't need one.

I am more excited to take measurements tomorrow (even if there is no change) than I am to step on the scale but at this point, I am just excited to see what tomorrow will bring.  Hopefully good news, if not, I am still excited about my progress this week, because I definitely feel that I am ending on a very good note.

Polar FT7 Final Thoughts

It has been awhile since I purchased (better yet, upgraded) to the Polar FT7 heart rate monitor and I have to say, I am not disappointed at all.

Having a heart rate monitor pushes me to do more in my workout. It pushes me to workout harder and it also pushes me to burn more calories. The Polar FT7 gives me duration with calories burned, fitness and fat burn minutes as well as maximum and average heart rate readings.

I haven't been to the gym in about 2 weeks, but when I was going the monitor was linking to the machines which was an added bonus. Working out at home with the monitor, using  DVDs, I am able to see what areas I am improving on and what areas still need to be worked on.

At this point in my journey, I am focusing more on calories burned and the calories I am allowed to eat as well as my body measurements versus what is on the scale. Doing that for the last couple of weeks has really left me feeling lighter and healthier.

If you want the basic HRM, calorie counter and display of time in zone, go for the FT4. If you want a step up (and trust me you won't be disappointed) go with the FT7.

Head over to Instagram and check out my workout results while using this monitor. Follow me while you are there so you don't miss any of my workout results. 

Mind Over Matter

This journey is a struggle. No one said it was going to be easy and I didn't expect it to. But it is beyond hard when you have outside stressors to deal with.

I am a college student, I have hours of work packed on me at any given day but at the same time I have to find a moment or two to take for myself. Creating a workout schedule was helpful in that sense, because when I wake up, I see what exercise I have to do that day and it gives me something to look forward to no matter how much work I have on me.

I have relatives who aren't in the best of health (whether in remission from cancer, suffering from Crohn's or suffering from severe asthma) and I know that in a moment they could be taken from me. At times when that crosses my mind, junk foods used to be the way that I would cope. I would eat a bowl of ice cream, eat anywhere between 4 to 6 Oreo's. There just wasn't a limit to what I would and wouldn't do when it came to food. Now, I replace those food cravings with exercise. When I think "in a moment their lives may end", I immediately back that thought up with "I'm going to make sure I do my best to make them proud of me while they are here".

Some may see it is an issue of mind over matter. You do have to be a strong person to handle what is thrown at you and when I have things thrown at me, I try to stay strong for those around me but behind closed doors I am the weakest person there is.

The same can be said on a weight loss journey. It seems so easy to eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less carbs, drink more water; but it is an issue of mind over matter. You have to get your mind right and everything else that matters will soon fall into place.

It has taken me almost 6 months to be able to drink an entire CamelBak bottle in one day. It's not that water consumption didn't matter to me, my mind just wasn't ready to accept that my body needed more water than it was getting.

I tell myself I am going to avoid sweets but that hasn't happened yet. Why? My mind isn't read for it to happen. The same goes with carbs, I went a day with no carbs then told myself I was going to eat low carb. Prime example. My mind was telling me that my body wasn't ready to abandon carbs all together and my mind was right.

Eating right, exercising, feeling good about yourself, etc. are all issues of mind over matter. They do matter to you, just as they matter to me, but your mind (and mine) has to be in the right state before everything can fall into place.

Top Workout Attire Picks

I love to buy workout clothes. I tell my mom everyday that I wish I could wear workout clothes every single day of the week but (sadly) that cannot happen. Therefore, when it comes to workout attire, I have to make sure what I am purchasing will actually work for me.

By saying 'work for me' I mean:

• They will be long enough for my legs OR have enough room at the ankles (if they are leggings) that I can scrunch them up a little to make them into pants that stop a little higher
• They must come in capri length as well 
• They must stretch in the waist (have elastic)
• They must fit my hips and rear end (I have often been told that I have the largest rear end in the family, not sure how to take that at times; but what I do know, is that there are a lot of clothes I would like to wear, but they do not look good back there)
• They must allow my body to breath (no velour, nothing so tight my thighs feel constricted, etc.)
• Above all, I must feel comfortable in them

If I can find workout attire that meets all of my needs, I am all for it. Some places have been hits others have been misses. Two places that actually work for me are Old Navy and JCPenney. 

I am not sure what it is about these two stores, other than the fact that they do make plus size friendly attire (JCP used to do that all the time, now I am having a hard time finding much of anything in there), and their workout sections aren't too shabby either. 

I am not employed at either of these retailers or any of their affiliates so I cannot tell you whether or not there are more sizes available, upcoming sales or anything similar in nature. 

Price's

Old Navy's prices are pretty reasonable. One look at their website and it shows items ranging from $5.99 -$34.94; JCPenney's Xersion line runs from $8.99 - $23.99 (many of which were on sale). When it comes to regular prices, the clearance rack may become your best friend until things come back to their reasonable sales prices. 

Sizes

Old Navy attire goes up to a size XXL while JCP's go beyond a 3X. This is one of the things I like most about these products, they come in extended sizes.

Style

Both retailers offer a range of capris (some of which are compression), leggings, running shorts, biking shorts, etc. Tanks, shirts, jackets, etc. 

 

Durability

I have had my Old Navy workout pants for years and they are still holding up as if I had purchased them yesterday. They fit nicely and there is no fading. JCP's quality is similar although some of their capris are on the thin side and if you happen to bend over in the sunlight, be prepared, because people can see what kind (and any design) of underwear you are wearing (I have been there before and trust me it makes you a tad self conscious). If you thighs rub together, as mind do, you may get that annoying area where it looks like tiny balls of fabric on your pants where you thighs are in fact rubbing together (talk about making it obvious) these brands eliminate that. As far as shirts, I don't own any from Old Navy other than tanks; and they are a nice length and allow for a lot of movement. Shirts from JCP are also a nice length and a nice breathable material. 

These are some of the things that I look for when it comes to picking out workout attire and these are the two main places that I have been able to find things that actually work for my body.