Fitness center re-opened and workouts

This past week was another take it easy week for me.  I am happy to say I am doing a lot better (minus the numbness in my arm) AND we went back to spin today and it was great.  Only 4 of us in class but it was a good ride.  There is a holiday class tomorrow morning so we’ll get up bright and early and do a  morning class.  It’s nice to have the gym open again after 2 weeks but I’ll be honest I got a lot done and was able to rest in that time so I didn’t totally miss it ha ha!

Workout stats for the week of May 18-24, 2009

Monday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Tuesday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Wednesday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Thursday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Friday & Saturday-
Day Off

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 54 min.
Calories burned: 524

How did your workouts go this week?

Hey be sure to enter this fun giveaway over at Gliding Calm’s blog.  It’s for a jar of peanut butter (YUM!) and a very cute charm necklace.

 

How to calculate BMI

Happy Friday!  Today’s tip is about how to calculate BMI but first we need to answer the question, “What is BMI?”

BMI stands for Body Mass Index.  According to the CDC, the BMI is the number calculated from a person’s weight and height and provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

It doesn’t really measure actual percentage of body fat it just helps to determine a healthy body weight.

Today’s Tip: How to calculate BMI

Use this BMI calculator to determine your BMI (Body Mass Index).  This calculator can be used by both women and men but there are different calculations for children.  Here’s what the numbers stand for on the body mass index chart.

Below 18.5 – means you are underweight
18.5-24.9 – means you are normal weight
25.0-29.9 – means you are overweight
30.0 and above – means you are obese

I know I’m in the obese category but I wish I would have known how to calculate BMI BEFORE I started my new lifestyle to see how much has changed over the past few years.  Being obese is a scary thing because you are at risk for serious conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and more. However it really depends on the person if the calculations even work because sometimes you could have a high BMI but be healthy if you are athletic or you could have a decent BMI number but nutrition wise things are not so good.

Looks like my BMI is 37.8 YIKES!  Once I get to my goal weight of 140, I’ll be in the normal range.  Gotta keep going.

 

Weekly Weigh In: May 20

It’s been a crazy month.  I have gained 4 lbs this week but I’m pretty sure I know what it’s due to so I’m just posting to stay accountable but I’m not bothered by it.  I know that once I get back to a normal workout schedule, things will be better.  I was supposed to get back on track this week but I’m listening to my body (UGH) and taking it easy this week by just walking and we’ll go back to spin class on Sunday.  Then I should be good to go.

Stats for the week:

Current weight: 220
Goal weight: 140
Pounds left to go: 80 lbs

How did you do this week?  Check in!  Stay accountable.

 

Menu Plan Monday: May 18

Menu Plan Monday time!

Monday-
Garlic Basil Linguine Pasta w/turkey sausage veggie pasta sauce

Tuesday-
Tuna & Soup

Wednesday-
Turkey sausages w/sweet potato fries and veggie

Thursday-
Turkey chili

Friday-
Egg salad sandwiches and hashbrowns

Tell us about your menu plan for the week!

Meal Planning 2.0

 

Relaxing Week and Workouts

As you’ll notice, this week was another take it easy week.  I had to make sure to take it easy and I think it was totally worth it.  I am not in nearly as much pain as I was from the pinched nerve however I still get numbness in my right arm which is a royal pain but I think it’s getting better.  Keep your fingers crossed!  I’m going to try to add in more workouts this week to see how it goes.  Our fitness center is due to open back up on Sunday May 24th so we’ll go back to spin class that day.  Here are my workouts for the week.

Workout stats for the week of May 11-17, 2009

Monday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Tuesday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 min.

Wednesday-

*Walk outside
Time: 20 min.

Thursday-

*Walk outside
Time: 20 min.

Friday-

Day Off

Saturday-

*Mow lawn
Time: 1 hour 15 min.
Calories burned: just under 930

Sunday-

Day Off

How did your workouts go this week?

 

Protein Powders: Whey vs Soy

Welcome to Friday Fit and Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Today’s Tip: The difference between protein powders

Whey Protein Powder- protein part of milk products, absorbs well, fast digesting, mixes well, less expensive, has amino acids good for growth of muscle tissue, not usually good for the lactose intolerant

Soy Protein Powder-high quality plant source protein, contains isoflavones, ideal for those with dairy allergies, highly digestible, compares to meat and milk protein sources, usually more expensive

Both Protein Powders (whey and soy) have two types: concentrate and isolate, the isolate being higher in quality and more expensive

There are so many different brands out there it’s hard to know which are best.  I have used the brand 365 in chocolate and it does not dissolve easily at all.  I really enjoyed the Biochem brand in vanilla though.

Hemp, rice and casein are other types of protein powders.

I have tried both soy and whey and my personal preference so far has been the whey protein powder although I did like the soy too, just less.  I only use protein powders for making smoothies but here is a great post that shows you 5 Ways to get more protein in your diet.  Enjoy!

What type of protein powder and brand do you prefer?