A Change of Plan

When I started on the journey to train for a triathlon, I signed up for a training plan from Active.com to guide me through the necessary training to be ready for a sprint triathlon. As I have been biking and swimming, I have realized that my legs are not nearly as strong as they need to be for these activities. Years of inactivity have depleted my muscles and they are not adequate enough to provide sufficient power in the pool or on the pedals. Truth be told, my arms need strengthening as well but once my legs are back to par, my arms shouldn't have to work as hard. I decided today to switch programs and go with one that incorporates weight lifting/strength training in the schedule. I have found a "Couch to Triathon" program on Beginnertriathlon.com and hope that this one will meet my needs. I did have to pay for this program but thought that it would be worth the cost in the long run- $50 for 6 months.

Given the amount of time that I have to train ( very little) I need the program to be effective. Over the last 2 weeks I feel like I have made a little progress with my aerobic capacity, but am listening to my body and know that I need to be STRONGER. I am hoping this new program will work on my stamina and my strength. I know a  little more muscle will do me a lot of good.

Beginnertriathlon.com in addition to my biking and running apps have helped me start getting fit and enabling me to measure my progress. So far I have been swimming, biking and training for the Zombie Apocalypse. I let you know about the Zombie Run in my upcoming posts.

Arrrrh!

My Fitness Pal

One of my favorite tools on my journey is My Fitness Pal. It is a free website that can help you track food, exercise and much more. I am amazed at the food data base. There is not a food that I have not found on this site and users can also add their own recipes for nutrition and calorie count.

I find that My Fitness Pal gives me a good idea of what I am putting into my body and how much I can/cannot eat. Sometimes I will just plug a food in to see if it keeps me in my calorie range. If it puts me over, I will change my plans.

Another favorite part of this site is the social media aspect. You can have friends, participate in all different sorts of forums such as General Diet and Weight Loss, Food and Nutrition, Fitness and Health, Motivation and Support and many many more. Some are just silly while others are serious. It's like having a personal support system right at your fingertips. It is also nice to converse with others on the same journey that I am on and see that we all have good and bad days.

Of course there is also the smartphone app that you can sync with your account to log food and exercise while away from home.

I will warn you that like other social media sites, you may spend a little too much time conversing with others and perusing the forums - but it is all good.  To connect to My Fitness Pal, click the picture on the right side bar.

My New Eating Plan - Vemma Bod-e

As I started investigating how to find fit again, I became so confused over how to eat a proper diet -( not to be confused with dieting since I know that doesn't work. I am thinking long term life plan).  I know it's a basic system function of our bodies, yet with all the conflicting diet information out there I didn't know how or what I should eat.

Finding a New Way

While watching Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition, I saw the personal weight loss coach and trainer, Chris Powell. Well, he is a very handsome guy so I googled him to find out more about him. Wow!  I found out not only is he on EMWLE, but is regularly featured on the Dr. Oz show so I thought he was pretty ligit. In my search for more information, I came across his system he developed with Vemma for weight loss. I wasn't sold on the system at first since it contained a shake. I am leery of shake diets with short term success stories and not a lifelong eating plan. But, as I looked into the program, the shake is such a small portion of the program and it incorporates lots of whole foods in to the eating plan. Still not sure about this guy and his plan, I decided to read his book "Chose More, Lose More for Life". You can tell he is a motivator by his writing, but underneath all the pizzazz was an eating plan that made sense to me and looked good. So I jumped in and ordered the Vemma Bod-e Extreme Transformation Pack. ( 2 packages of Bod-e Shake mix, 24 cans Bod-e Burn, 7 cans Bod-e Cleanse) There is also an app for your smart phone to give you update and messages to eat. You don't have to order this plan, you can get the recipes and eating plan in his book, but I decided to give it a try.

Keeping the Demon Away

Basically the plan is a carb cycling plan to boost your metabolism and keep your body from adjusting to the same thing every day. The system has you eat every three hours to keep your blood sugar level even and prevent overeating at meals. The cleanse lasts only 7 days and is a digestive cleanse, not a trendy cleanse - boy does this cleanse work! ( plan to be around some facilities)  My kids were skeptical about this plan since I had tried a juice  (trendy) cleanse at one point. By noon the first day the kids were BEGGING me to eat something since I have blood sugar issues and if I don't keep them constant - some crazed demon possesses my body.

I have lost 5 pounds in about 3 weeks which I think is a healthy rate. Even though the scale doesn't register a huge loss, my clothes are already fitting much differently. I don't feel deprived or hungry, on the contrary, I feel really good. My food doesn't come in a package or from the cabinet but from the refrigerator. I eat lots of color and veggies now and little to no processed food ( aside from the shake mix). After seeing my results, Marc, my husband,  has now started the plan as well.

Here is what the plan looks like - Pretty straight forward.

Day 1 - Low Carb
Day 2  - Low Carb
Day 3 - High Carb
Day 4 - Low Carb
Day 5 - Low Carb
Day 6 - High Carb
Day 7 - FREE      ----------Yeeeayyyyyyyy! Free means anything you want ------------

Since I have a free day, I always know I can have something like mac and cheese, pizza or baked goods and not obsess about it all week.

I am sure this is a style of eating that I will continue for quite a while. It is easy, healthy and and doesn't exclude any food. It definitely feels like a plan not a "diet". So this is my eating plan to find fit.

For more information about Vemma Bod-e click the link on the right side bar. 

Today's Workout and the Need for Equipment

As I started downloading training programs for a Triathlon, I realized I am going to have to buy some stuff. I don't want to go crazy on the budget since I am really just testing the waters ( OK pun intended)
My first purchases were for my first swim workout - A pair of goggles and a stop watch,  both of which were on sale - Yea!

My first workout swim was for 45 minutes in our small community pool. I alternated between breast stroke and freestyle mainly relying on breast stroke since it is a resting stroke for me. I did a few lengths of backstroke and sidestroke just to mix it up a bit. I think in the future I need to find an olympic pool so that I can know the distance and length that I am swimming and not just time. I also need to add to my equipment and buy a swim cap to save my hair from all the chlorine. (Ah, vanity)   It felt really good to get back in the water and swim for more than a length or two. My arms are a bit sore from the workout but it's a good feeling.

The "Again" Part

Back in the day I was actually a lifeguard starting at our local pool and then working summers for the National Park Service along the Columbia River. As I have said before, over the years I became a spectator and not a participant even though I live in Southern California and can swim almost every day. It was great to get back in the sparkling blue pool and feel the joy of being in the water again. Now, - to do some homework on a new" swimming hole".

How Did I Get Here? - I Actually Know the Answer

This is my first post and hopefully I will have many more to come. I am a bit nervous since I am the type of person to try diet/fitness programs continually only to give them up within a few weeks. I am hoping that this blog will help me stay accountable.


I am a SAHM who loves her job. Prior to being a mother, I was a fit active person and always considered myself athletic. Over the course of raising my children, I have become a spectator and no longer the athlete I once was. Putting my family first, I forgot to take care of myself. This is my journey to find that active person that I once was - the good, the bad and of course the ugly.

This picture isn't of me, but it looks pretty much like me. No, I am not morbidly obese, but I am not as healthy as I should be. I know I am blessed to have the family and life that I have, but I also know I need to make a change - not only for my family, but for myself. I have a family history of heart disease and I have the proverbial apple body shape with all the fat around my middle. I need to lose this fat for my health, for my sanity and honestly for my vanity. I am tired of looking like a pudge and I really want to continue to stay an active person as I age.  I have found it hard to find clothes that are cute and don't make me look like a blob. I know my aerobic fitness is next to nil, I can barely run ... BUT I am going to change that.



How I got Here

I do not think outrageous eating habits put my in my current position. I think it was the lack of focus on what I put in my body and my sedentary lifestyle.  I spent the last few years literally on my booty driving kids around the majority of the day, folding laundry, cleaning house or crafting in my closet - most of which were sitting activities.  I didn't overeat, but I never denied myself something that looked good - and of course I like to drink wine- I REALLY like to drink wine.

Where I am going

I actually started on this journey about 3 weeks ago. I started using the Vemma Bod-e plan to re-learn how to eat and I am tracking my food and exercise with My Fitness Pal. (I will be posting about these 2 tools in the next few days.) Over our vacation in Mammoth, I started to become more active. I completed a 10 and 15 mile hike, mountain biked and played golf. I even attended the June Lake Triathlon and was encouraged to enter the Seal Beach Triathlon in October ( ACK! Very Scary).  As I said before, I am nervous about quitting but hope this blog helps me stay accountable. I really need to get moving to get in shape for the Triathlon

I don't necessarily have a specific weight in mind, but know how I want to feel and look. I have already made some progress in the past 3 weeks, even though the scale hasn't budged much, my family and a few friends have noticed a difference and my clothes fit better. I have some before pics and will post them when I finally have an after. It's too hard for me now to show them, but I will do it.

I will be sharing the following in my future posts..

- My triathlon training experience
- Vemma Bod-e experience
- My Fitness Pal
- Run!, Zombies training App experience
- Overall Successes and Failures

I hope you will join me on my journey to find fit.