Checked in on the old body fat this morning and I was happy to see 24.9%. I'm down 1%, with only .9% to go to hit my first goal and get into the fitness range.
Here's how it's been happening:
1) I've been eating lean protein with fruits and veggies for breakfast, because seriously, who says breakfast needs to look like breakfast? Cereal is not required by law, people! I usually eat a baked chicken breast or some hard boiled eggs, a piece of fruit, and some carrots. A nice omelet would give me the same effect while being more 'breakfasty,' but in my world, that's a lot of dirty dishes for a weekday morning. I make my eggs and chicken breasts at the beginning of the week, and they're always right there, super easy to grab.
2) I've been adding strength training or pilates after my runs 3 days a week.
3) I've been running faster on all my training runs and doing HIIT at least once a week.
4) I've been watching my portion sizes and saying no to more things.
What little tweaks could you make to change up your body composition?
By the way, I'm heading down to Florida tomorrow to run the Disney World Half Marathon with an old friend who also happens to be a Kennebec Valley Coacher. I've got a long layover in Boston, so guess what? You're gonna get to see me exercise in an airport. Like real exercise, no fluff.
Showing posts with label body fat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body fat. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Body Fat Check In and Other News
Yeah, uhhh, I have no idea.
I think I'll give myself 5 more days before a re-check.
In other fantabbulous news, Strollers Rollers Snowed In and The Fifty Pound Club both start tomorrow! The time for The Fifty Pound Club has been moved up from 7pm to 6pm to make way for Before & After Boot Camp.
And guess what? Maybe you already heard, but Kennebec Valley Coaching is officially expanding to its own space, and it's expected to be up and ready to go by January 18th! I'll chronicle the whirlwind renovations right here on Run Muffin. I've never been so excited about anything in my life!
I think I'll give myself 5 more days before a re-check.
In other fantabbulous news, Strollers Rollers Snowed In and The Fifty Pound Club both start tomorrow! The time for The Fifty Pound Club has been moved up from 7pm to 6pm to make way for Before & After Boot Camp.
And guess what? Maybe you already heard, but Kennebec Valley Coaching is officially expanding to its own space, and it's expected to be up and ready to go by January 18th! I'll chronicle the whirlwind renovations right here on Run Muffin. I've never been so excited about anything in my life!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Strength Training for Runners
Strength training is straight up crazy.
When it comes to strength training, most people either don't do it at all, or when they do, they go totally and completely overboard and can't stay with it. Now don't get me wrong, extremo regimens like P90X are super effective--if you stick to them.
The truth is, strength training is super important to your health and fitness--it fights off osteoporosis, it plays a key role in everyday movements (lifting groceries, anyone?), and more muscle mass keeps the metabolism a whole lot higher. So guess what? It's gotta happen.
Fitness can be broken down into 3 parts: strength, flexibility, and endurance. In order to be truly fit, you need to be capable in all 3 area. As runners, we've got the endurance thing cornered, but the other 2? Not so much. Runners are infamous for not being able to do a push-up and not being able to touch their toes.
Just look at me as an example, I've been running regularly since 1994 and I've logged about 1,000 running miles every year for the last 5 years. My resting heart rate is less than 50 beats per minute. But my body fat? It doesn't fall into the fitness range. Why? Too many snacks and NOT ENOUGH STRENGTH TRAINING.
And just like all aspects of fitness, regular small doses of strength training is way better than going crazy with weight lifting for 4 days every 2 years.
In my opinion, there are a few strength exercises that are absolutely essential to everyone, runner or not. They're basic moves that can be done at home with no fancy equipment. In no particular order, they're:
When it comes to strength training, most people either don't do it at all, or when they do, they go totally and completely overboard and can't stay with it. Now don't get me wrong, extremo regimens like P90X are super effective--if you stick to them.
The truth is, strength training is super important to your health and fitness--it fights off osteoporosis, it plays a key role in everyday movements (lifting groceries, anyone?), and more muscle mass keeps the metabolism a whole lot higher. So guess what? It's gotta happen.
Fitness can be broken down into 3 parts: strength, flexibility, and endurance. In order to be truly fit, you need to be capable in all 3 area. As runners, we've got the endurance thing cornered, but the other 2? Not so much. Runners are infamous for not being able to do a push-up and not being able to touch their toes.
Just look at me as an example, I've been running regularly since 1994 and I've logged about 1,000 running miles every year for the last 5 years. My resting heart rate is less than 50 beats per minute. But my body fat? It doesn't fall into the fitness range. Why? Too many snacks and NOT ENOUGH STRENGTH TRAINING.
And just like all aspects of fitness, regular small doses of strength training is way better than going crazy with weight lifting for 4 days every 2 years.
In my opinion, there are a few strength exercises that are absolutely essential to everyone, runner or not. They're basic moves that can be done at home with no fancy equipment. In no particular order, they're:
This program helped me get from 0 push-ups to 20 standard push-ups in a month.
I did a lot of push-ups in my office!
Seriously, did you know that the tricep is the biggest muscles in your upper arm?
Start with those. Run through the whole routine 3 times every week. Aim for 3 sets of each exercise, with 10-20 reps. And then, when you get the hang of that, you can go flip some tires with these these guys. That gym is right down the street from Kennebec Valley Coaching, and we share a couple clients. If you'd like to be able to pick up your house and move it around on its lot every month or so, call them.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Body Fat Check In
I'm 1 week into my body fat experiment, and so far I'm down from 25.9% to 25.4%. I've still got 5 weeks to go to hit my goal of 24%. I think that's pretty good!
There's been no magic trick to make it happen, just more strength training, more protein, more fruits and vegetables, less sugar, and almost no flour. My sweet treats have shifted from baked stuff like cookies and brownies to a few squares of dark chocolate, or a 1/2 cup of ice cream. Also, I've upped my running pace a few notches.
I'm especially happy since I went to a weekend-long family Christmas party this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I tried to load my plate with protein and veggies, and only make it to the dessert table once a day. I had to have a slice of my aunt's famous red velvet cake, but I only had a little piece--major victory in Amyland.
My goal this week, given the fact that I'm making a huge batch of Pioneer Woman cinnamon buns tonight and Christmas falls on Sunday, is to make it down to 25.2%. I'll keep you posted.
There's been no magic trick to make it happen, just more strength training, more protein, more fruits and vegetables, less sugar, and almost no flour. My sweet treats have shifted from baked stuff like cookies and brownies to a few squares of dark chocolate, or a 1/2 cup of ice cream. Also, I've upped my running pace a few notches.
I'm especially happy since I went to a weekend-long family Christmas party this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I tried to load my plate with protein and veggies, and only make it to the dessert table once a day. I had to have a slice of my aunt's famous red velvet cake, but I only had a little piece--major victory in Amyland.
My goal this week, given the fact that I'm making a huge batch of Pioneer Woman cinnamon buns tonight and Christmas falls on Sunday, is to make it down to 25.2%. I'll keep you posted.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Body Fat
I'm 25.9% body fat. For a woman like me, who weighs 150 pounds, that means that my body has 38.85 pounds of fat. The other 111.15 pounds is muscle, bones, organs, and a heart of gold (kidding). As a 30 year old female, this means I fall into the 'average range'--not the 'fitness range' and definitely not the 'athlete range.'
Aw dang.
For me, it's all around the middle. I've got the pooch, the muffin top, love handles, jelly belly. I have 'em all.
Here's a chart about body composition that's put out by the American Council on Exercise:
In order to get into the fitness range, which is where I want to be, I need to alter my body composition so that I'm made up of 24% body fat. If I stay at a weight of 150, this means converting 2.85 pounds of fat into lean muscle mass, so that I have 36 pounds of fat.
The other alternative is to lose a few pounds of fat. For example, if I lose 4 pounds of fat, I would weight 146 and have 34.85 pounds of body fat--23.8%.
This is my immediate fitness goal--to move from 25.9% body fat to 24% body fat.
Why? Well, two reasons. Falling into the fitness range decreases my risk of illnesses like heart disease and cancer, and sometimes, when I accidentally shut my belly fat in a window I think "This has got to go."
Okay fine, I've never shut my belly fat in a window, but once upon a time, I did get it stuck between the handle of a grocery cart and a Sam's Club sized case of olive oil. True story.
So. How do I do this?
Welp, there are 3 things that people--including me--need to do:
1. Improve my diet by staying in a healthy calorie range, dramatically reducing refined sugar and carbs, eating smaller, but more frequent meals, and eating more lean protein and vegetables.
2. Strength train by lifting weights or by using the resistance of body weight (like push-ups and squats).
3. Engage in regular aerobic activity.
As trainers, we learn to set attainable and measurable goals, with a date of completion for clients. So I'll follow my own advice.
Aw dang.
For me, it's all around the middle. I've got the pooch, the muffin top, love handles, jelly belly. I have 'em all.
Here's a chart about body composition that's put out by the American Council on Exercise:
In order to get into the fitness range, which is where I want to be, I need to alter my body composition so that I'm made up of 24% body fat. If I stay at a weight of 150, this means converting 2.85 pounds of fat into lean muscle mass, so that I have 36 pounds of fat.
The other alternative is to lose a few pounds of fat. For example, if I lose 4 pounds of fat, I would weight 146 and have 34.85 pounds of body fat--23.8%.
This is my immediate fitness goal--to move from 25.9% body fat to 24% body fat.
Why? Well, two reasons. Falling into the fitness range decreases my risk of illnesses like heart disease and cancer, and sometimes, when I accidentally shut my belly fat in a window I think "This has got to go."
Okay fine, I've never shut my belly fat in a window, but once upon a time, I did get it stuck between the handle of a grocery cart and a Sam's Club sized case of olive oil. True story.
So. How do I do this?
Welp, there are 3 things that people--including me--need to do:
1. Improve my diet by staying in a healthy calorie range, dramatically reducing refined sugar and carbs, eating smaller, but more frequent meals, and eating more lean protein and vegetables.
2. Strength train by lifting weights or by using the resistance of body weight (like push-ups and squats).
3. Engage in regular aerobic activity.
As trainers, we learn to set attainable and measurable goals, with a date of completion for clients. So I'll follow my own advice.
My goal is to lose 1.9% body fat by January 23rd (6 weeks)
Let's see what this really takes.
Do you know your body fat percentage?
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