do what i say not what i do

so this is like my motto in life. although i'm finally starting to get away from it.  when i was studying nutrition while really suffering from an eating disorder i would always say that. i guess it was my way of defending myself from myself because i would always think like why would anyone want a nutritionist who can't even handle food herself?  so its not really a healthy motto but i still struggle with it from time to time.

like right now for example.  i've lost some weight since my surgery and i feel great.  im back to one of my earlier high school weights and it's the lowest i've been since then.  but now that i'm gaining more energy back as i'm able to do more things i notice myself eating more, which of course is exactly what is supposed to happen.  the higher your metabolism, the more you need to fuel yourself.  i struggle with this mentally because i become paranoid that i'm just going to gain the weight back when in reality i'm probably burning exactly what i was before in comparison to what i eat because my metab. is faster.  ah it's all a continuous cycle but after struggling for 6 years and going to therapy for this and that i definitely can realize what i'm doing and talk myself out of, for example, restricting myself or not letting myself eat something that i really want because i know i'll just end up over eating to compensate anyway so it's basically lose lose.

todays one of those days i'm struggling. and ranting on and on about it kind of helps bring me back to reality.  but i think a lot of people, more than i'll ever realize, deal with the same thing on a day to day basis too.  you just have to remind yourself that as much as you don't believe it, it is normal.  thinking of yourself as not normal makes you normal.  if you think you're normal then you've got bigger problems.

sprint your ass off--literally

so one of the hardest treadmill work outs i have ever done is this 20ish minute sprint work out.  i wouldn't recommend it to a beginner although it could be tweaked a little bit to make it possible. it's a lot easier for me to post hard work outs when i know that i can't do them so i won't be suffering.  so this is what this ass kicking work out is all about:

• start out at a flat grade on the treadmill walk/run for about 3 minutes to get your muscles warmed up.  i would recommend running at least half of it so your muscles don't go into shock when you start sprinting.  you can lengthen the warm up if you have the time and feel more comfortable that way
• after your warm up, you're going to do intervals of 30 second incline sprints and 1 minute walking breaks
• if you have two available treadmills, it's a little less of a hassle to use one for your break period and one for the sprints but i know that's not going to be the case in most gyms
• sprint #1 - 30 seconds at 1.0% grade and at least an 8 mph speed
• your speed is definitely going to be determined on what type of shape you're in.  if you work out on a regular basis and include some type of running or more intense cardio you should be able to do at the speeds i recommend if you really want to push yourself
• you're going to increase your speed as you increase your incline as well which is why i recommend starting around 8 mph for those bad asses out there that are thinking "this work out is for wussy's". suck it trebek
• walk for 1 minute at 0% between 3 and 4 mph
• sprint #2 - 30 sec. at 3.0% grade 8.5 mph
• walk
• sprint #3 - 30 sec. at 5.0% grade at 9 mph
• walk
• sprint #4 - 30 sec. 7.0% grade at 9.5 mph
• walk
• sprint #5 10.0% grade at 10 mph or the highest speed you're able to go without feeling like you're going to fall off
• walk
• sprint #6 - 30 sec. 7.0% at 9.5 mph
• walk
• sprint #7 - 30 sec. 5.0% at 9 mph
• walk
• sprint #8 - 30 sec. 3.0% at 8.5 mph
• walk
• sprint #9 - 30 sec 1.0% at 8 mph
• at the end i usually run at a steady pace for a minute or 2 and walk for a total recovery time of 5 minutes. 
• once again, this whole workout can be tweaked for any level of fitness.  you can increase or decrease number of sprints, keep your inclines lower or higher for those treadmills that go higher than 10.0% grade, etc.  you can also adjust this work out to how much time you have to complete it.  if you have more time spread it out and if you're in a hurry, lower the amount of sprints/walks but definitely make sure you warm and cool down!

its my birthday-day workout -- boxing!!!

its my birthday. i am 23 and it's super lame. i've compared it to like that first christmas you have when you already know santa is really just your parents and rudolph is totally not real. just like super disappointing and the presents aren't as cool anymore.  that is how i feel.  so here i am at work.  i agreed to work because what the hell else was i going to do. and i'm poor so what the hell.  so anyways, workout for today is one of my favorites that i've done here.  once again i can't do it just yet, but i did put 3 old guys through it today and even just doing that my arms are shaking and i kind of feel like i have epilepsy.  so it's good on either end of the spectrum.  so it's a boxing work out which means you need another person to do it with you.  it's possible to do on your own just probably not as effective.  you'll also need a heavy bag and/or hand mits and a jump rope. so you won't be surprised but this is also an interval workout. i mean i never do those so i figured i'd mix it up...durrr. and it goes a little something like this:

1 minute on the heavy bag
1 minute jump rope

1 minute hand mits
1 minute abs

...and repeat. mix up your combinations with bag/mits and include some kicks or knee-ups if you can.  we usually do 12 sets and it'll kick your ass but i believe i started with 8 so you can tweak it to your tolerance, but definitely push yourself! it's one of the more fun workouts you may get to do in my opinion even though it does suck; i always come back and that's the work out of my choosing.

do it for my birthdayyy :)

H(ealthy)DL Cholesterol > L(azy)DL and V(ery)L(azy)DL Cholesterol

so i chose to blog about cholesterol today because my mom informed me that last time she went to the doctor they said her cholesterol was high. normally doctors put you on some sort of medication to lower it but she doesn't want to take any pill because of all the side effects they can have. so i figured id talk about the different kinds of cholesterols, what the levels should be (when you get a blood test), and foods that can help lower them.  i'm sure most of my young buck friends will be bored by this post but whatever we all get old at some point.

LDL (low density lipoproteins): aka bad cholesterol causes build up in the artery walls which leads to heart problems.  a healthy level for LDL would be <130 mg/dL.  but it's also tricky because it depends on a persons heart disease risk factors.  if a person has no risk factors then it can be as high as 160mg/dL, but if a person has more risk factors and/or already has heart disease it should be lower than 100 mg/dL.

HDL (high density lipoproteins): aka good cholesterol because it helps get rid of bad cholesterol.  HDL levels should be 40 mg/dL or higher.  the higher the better with this one.

VLDL (very low density lipoproteins): also bad cholesterol similar to LDL as it is made up of mostly fat and very low protein.  VLDL should be less than 150 mg/dL

total cholesterol levels should be less than 200 mg/dL

foods that can lower cholesterol:

• oatmeal
• high fiber foods
• oat bran
• olive oil
• fish and omega 3's (salmon, tuna)
• nuts (walnuts, almonds)

despite the stigma on fat, your body does need fat to function and although some of the above items are higher fat items, eating an appropriate portion and not combining all of them at once will keep you from gaining any weight and still help lower your LDL and increase your HDL cholesterols.

another tip as far as eating goes is to keep your saturated fats low.  eating a lot of red meats is not a good thing.  america is a meat country but that is half the problem with all of the obesity and unhealthy problems we see.  keeping red meat consumption to a minimum and incorporating fish and/or vegetarian proteins in your diet will also help with cholesterol as well as other problems such as weight.

exercising is my final suggestion.  obviously exercise is always going to increase health (without injury...i am not a good example) and in combination with a healthy diet cholesterol can be lowered with time and your body will also benefit as a whole.

7 Exercises and Gym Machines to Skip

7 Exercises and Gym Machines to Skip

found this on shape.com and thought it was interesting. i've always been way more into free weights over machines anyway so it's cool to find something that supports my brain for once.

hump day work out

and no i don't want you to violently hump something/someone.  i at least don't plan to. do what you want just don't tell me about it.

mmkay. so work out for the day. i can't do this one because i'm a crip but a friend is at the gym doing it and i have done it before and it is TOUGH :) my fave.  it's an interval workout...also my fave...and it incorporates a form of cardio in bursts with different exercises to work all the major muscle groups.  it usually takes me a good 45 minutes to finish so if you don't have a lot of time it may not be the right one for you, but it'll kick your ass for sure if you ever do it.

4 Circuit Routine:

Circuit 1:

*Do 5 Rounds, then rest for 2 minutes

Sprint on treadmill at 10% gradient or use stairclimber – 40 sec

Dumbbell Squat  (in rounds 1, 3 and 5 only) – 10 reps

Body-weight Squat (in rounds 2 and 4 only) – 20 reps

In Round 1, do a front bridge – 40 sec

In Round 2, side bridge on left arm – 40 sec

In Round 3, side bridge on right arm – 40 sec

In Round 4, front bridge - 40 sec

In Round 5, hold bottom of a push up – 40 sec

Circuit 2:

* Do 3 rounds, then rest for two minutes

Run or climb at top speed – 80 sec

Rest – 20 sec

Push Up – 30 sec

Dumbbell Bent-over Row – 10 rep

Circuit 3:

* Do 4 rounds, then rest for two minutes

Run or climb at top spped – 60 sec

Single Leg Rotation Squat – 5 reps each leg

Ab Exercise of choice – 60 sec

Circuit 4:

*Do 3 rounds, then stop

Run or climb at top speed – 40 sec

Rest – 40 sec

Hold bottom of a push up – 40 sec

i hope you cant walk tomorrow byeee :)

i work out

i'm in a really weird mood today...i'm assuming it's because i've been listening to LMFAO and the lonely island all morning.  i attribute that to having a photo shoot with myself as well but hey my blog looks like wayyy cooler.

i also think i'm in a really good mood because the more time that goes on that i'm dealing really well with the whole eating disorder thing the more back to my normal/desired size i get! i love it.  i've been weighing myself and actually noticing a change...normally nothing happens which is super annoying.  but i really go on like how clothes fit over numbers.  and i know i've been eating and being healthy but still letting myself eat like tortilla chips (they're fried but whatever they are delicious and the only chips i eat) and of course my sweets.  so it's really cool to see that you can lose weight and not deprive yourself because that's what i always thought i had to do before.  and believe me, as slow as this has all been, it's such a good feeling to do it this way!  once you start seeing results you feel like 1000x better than when you're really restricting yourself and working out like a maniac.

so i know no one will really care about this post. it's boring but i'm bored and being a weirdo.  i'll have a workout up later. PEACE